[Jennifer]

Hello All

As we have a thread for Barcelona IVFers with accommodation advice, I thought we ought to have one for Ceram too  

If you have been to Marbella and can recommend a particular hotel, please use this thread so others can benefit from your experience

Many thanks
Jennifer xx xx

 

[Ruth]

Of course I have to say "Use IVF Travel Solutions" run by my hubby who can sort out flights, accomodation and chauffeuring.
Really takes the stress out of travelling to a country you don´t know and to know that what you have chosen in way of accomodation will be as you expect and where you expect, not half an hour out of Marbella!!!!!

Ruth

 

[River]

Has anybody stayed at the Mirimar Spa Hotel.
What was the verdict? Is it very close to the clinic?

 

[Jennifer]

We used IVF Travel Solutions (Ruths husband) when we went to Spain in Sept for booking our flights and driving us about.

I did book my own hotel though and regretted it big time !  We ended up over 30 mins from the clinic in a very tacky 'British' Resort.  ie - we might as well have been on Brighton Beach - The restaurants were all fish and chips/burger and chips, chicken and chips... you get the idea  When we went out for walks in the evening it was only British people we saw - string vests and hanky hats (well not quite but near enough - definately not what I wanted.

If I was to go again I would prefer Simon to chose my hotel for me  Simon lives there, knows the area and hotels so is better qualified than me to find somewhere nice   Also, he is in a good position to be able to negotiate discounts which we would not be able to do.

Simon collected us from the airport, took us to our hotel and then drove over to collect us for our appointments.  When the clinic were running late he even took us on a quick tour of Marbella Old Town and we stopped for yummy smoothies in Orange Square  He then took us back to the airport in time for our flight home.

I am so glad we used his service, I had no stress about public transport or finding the clinic -he is a friendly and positive person so it was easy to relax in his company

I would definately recommend him to anybody travelling to Ceram for tx

 

[crusoe]

We stayed at the Miramar Spa and really liked it.
You can't get more handy for the clinic and the spa itself is lovely and relaxing the day before treatment.
Food was very good and the only bad point was we had a room with a connecting door to the next room. Lots of noise came through the door - a Spanish man with a terrible hacking cough and a German who liked to watch tv a lot. However I find at 2am in the morning the words "Be quiet" are understood internationally.
Apart from that we couldn't fault the hotel

crusoe
x

 

[pinemarten]

I can recommend the Princesa Playa on the seafront - 4 star apts ,rooftop pool, 200 mtrs from CERAM!
We are back in there in March ,all being well.

http://costadelsol.roomsnet.com/princesa_playa_hotel-costadelsol_spain.html

This post contains an unconfirmed link/information and readers are reminded that FertilityFriends.co.uk or its owners are not responsible for the content of external internet sites

 

[safarigirl]

I have to concur with Holly on El FAro - written perfectly!!!!  The price to add is about 108 euros for two nights for two people.

For our weeks treatment Simon (from IVF Travel Solutions) has sourced me an apartment on the promenade; one bedroom; with kitchen facilities; right near beach.  My DH and I wanted to be able to do some of our own food and not eat out all the time.  Simon has found us an apartment for £165 for the week. (this price will obviously differ in season) - so like Jennifer i can highly recommend Simon who can source accomodation for you in whatever price bracket you are in ...

 

[safarigirl]

Contact details for El Faro: (just found my receipt for hotel!!!!)

Tel: 95 277 42 30

Fax: 95 286 18 82

email: elfaro:marbellainnhoteles.com

www.marbellainnhoteles.com

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[cesca]

We have just returned from Spain and stayed at the Hotel el Fuerte. It is a 4 star hotel and is very nice right on the sea front. It is about 5 to 10 minute walk to Ceram clinic.It cost 100 euros for the one night which included a lovely breakfast .
Their sister hotel is the mirimar spa which is even closer to the clinic and for the month of Febraury are doing B&B for 50 eros a night.

 

[aldo]

Hi Ruth

Just wondering has your hubby got a website for IVF Travel Solutions
I have sent you an email for info at cerum IVF with DE
Look forward to your reply

Aldo
xx

 

[Ruth]

He´s working on it!!
Just the info sheet at the moment which we send out with info.

Ruth

 

[hola69]

Hi

Just thought id let you know we stayed at the Romana playa which is around ten mins drive from the clinic. It was ok, severley in need of a lick of paint and food was not very good at all. However it was very reasonable in price which was why we booked it. It is listed as a four star but is more like a 2/3. Rooms are basic and the heater in ours didnt work very well.

I will however be staying somewhere nearer the clinic or in puerto banus for my ET as comfort and convenience are the main priority,

Just though this info may be helpful for anyone going..

Thanks

Lesley

 

[safarigirl]

Thought I would add to this list to say that Simon sourced us an apartment for our weeks stay.  It was right on the promenade and had awesome views of the sea; city and mountains.  It was a pleasure to lie around all day looking out, and watching the sun rise from my bed in the morning.  It was nicely decorated, with kitchen and my dh and i cooked etc most days and didnt have to worry about going out for meals etc.    There was tv which had some of the english channels as well. There was also a balcony to sit on and read, and the apratment had both heating, and cooling for summer.  It was really central, near a supermarket, cinema, local cafe's; deli's etc.

I would highly recommend this option if you would like a self catering option, and Simon would have all the details for you.  It was also really cheap - we paid £165 for the week - which is obviously low season, but even in high season it only goes up to about £350.  I would certainly take this option again for when we go back to ceram.

 

[abbyw]

We stayed at the Princesa Playa and can highly recommend it!!!! It's very handy for the clinic,about a 5/10 minute walk. Situated right on the sea front. We had a one bed apt (Hotel is self catering) and it was lovely. Very modern,with laminate flooring. It looked like our very own flat! Kitchen doesn't have a cooker/grill so you have to be quite imaginative with 2 cooking rings but we managed it fine. You also get a toaster and a coffee machine. There is a tv in the room with about 3/4 english channels. (MTV,BBC News,CNN and Sky News). We also had a HUGE double balcony. There was a door from the bedroom that led straight onto one side of the balcony and the other was through sliding doors off the lounge. We had a stunning view of the sea and it was so nice to be able to fall asleep and wake to the sound of the waves. Very relaxing! There was plenty of storage space for all your clothes with modern mirrored sliding wardrobes and the bathroom was nice. Big shower cubicle! All very clean and modern.
We were on the 5th floor and the hotel is undergoing some renovations ready for the summer season. We asked for a high floor as that's what we like. This was the highest we could go as the other floors are being renovated. Some noise between the hours of 9am-6pm but I slept through it sometimes so it's nothing to be concerned about. We could hear it because they were right above us.

Staff at the hotel were also very nice and the reception area is lovely,lots of fountains and marble.

Anyway......you'd think I owned the hotel!!!!!!! 

Sorry for going on a bit but this is what I was after for our trip.,someone to explain in great detail so ,I have!!!

Abby

 

[Penelope Positive]

We've just returned from Marbella and also stayed at the Princess Playa. We got a great deal at £120 for three nights for a one bed apartment and yes they are lovely. We too had a double balcony overlooking the sea. Its very clean, tidy and comfortable (no bath just a shower - but a great one, plenty of room for two  )

There's a supermarket just five minutes walk away which is open till 2am! and it does the most lovely Pain au Chocolat (or whatever that is in Spanish). There's also a fantastic Tapas bar around the corner that parades dishes in front of you and you just choose what you want.

Negative - parking is about £8/day in the undergrown carpark around the corner but its safe and well lit.
Negative - we asked for a double room but it was two twin beds pushed together which was a bit of a shame (but the shower made up for it  )
Negative - take a map with detailed instructions of how to find it! It took us over an hour driving around the Marbella one way system but its actually really easy once you know how

All in all a great stay, excellent value and fabulous views and location.

Hope that helps

Pen
xx

 

[safarigirl]

Hi everyone, i am copying this from an earlier email of Helen's which gives the airport bus timetable if you are looking at taking the bus from malaga.  You can also look at IVF travel solutions thread which will offer you a chauffer service (Ruth's husband simon runs it) as well as booking you accomodation, flights....

Hello ladies,

We were at Ceram last week and caught the bus from the airport to Marbella for 4 Euros each way. The journey takes 45 minutes. The timetable is as follows

Airport to Marbella departure times - 05:30, 07:15, 09:15, 10:45, 12:45, 14:45, 16:30, 18:15, 20:00, 22:00

Marbella bus station to the airport departure times - 06:15, 08:15, 10:00, 11:45, 13:45, 15:30, 17:30, 19:00, 21:00, 23:00

I hope this is of use

Helen
x

 

[Ruth]

I know I am biased having Simon as my husband but please don´t completely rely on the bus service esp. if getting to an appointment at the clinic as we have seen it being towed on a couple of occasions and stopped at the roadside on other occasions!! In the summer traffic is a nightmare and those buses overheat even more!!!!

Ruth

 

[dougandnicky]

Hi everybody,

We have just come back from tx at CERAM and we stayed at the Miramar Spa, as booked by Ruth's husband Simon.

We would thoroughly recommend the hotel - it is ideally located for the clinic (literally no more than a 5 minute walk) and is also very close to Marbella's old town, which is great to look around. Incidentally there are also two great restaurants in the old town - The Orange Tree and Zozoi - both are excellent

Simon booked an ensuite twin room for us at €70 per night which included buffet breakfast (everything you could want from cereal to fresh fruit to omlettes and crepes) - that was fab too!! All in all thoroughly recommended

Hope that helps

Doug and Nicola

 

[Ruth]

As a footnote to the previous post, the price they paid was a discounted rate that is only available through IVF Travel Solutions as the standard rate at this time of year would have been 140 euros per night etc. That is getting exactly the same type of room for a much more reasonable price!!

Ruth

 

[Paxi]

Just like to add that Simon got us the same deal at the Miramar Spa and we were very happy with it indeed.  In addition, it was lovely to turn up at the airport fairly late at night and see a friendly English speaking face!  Thoroughly recommend both Simon and the Miramar Spa!
Kitty