Duquesa Village Reviews

Having just returned from a lovely holiday at Duquesa Village in Puerto de la Duquesa I have gone back to work with severe post holiday blues.... However these were soon lifted when what should I spy but Puerto de la Duquesa featured on the programme 'Living in the Sun' on BBC2 this week. The presenter Kristian Digby describes Puerto de la Duquesa as having 'a backdrop of white washed buildings, palm trees, a mediterranean breeze and expensive yachts'. That sums it up perfectly - relax with a drink and just let the world drift by. I also really loved the Hollywood style 'Golf La Duquesa' sign nestled on the hillside! Our apartment in Duquesa Village was more than we could have hoped for and included all the comforts of home. Duquesa Village itself is in a good location, so you have views over the golf course and up to Manilva. The village is quiet and very well maintained. We saw the gardeners tending to the tropical gardens and cleaning the pools almost everyday. We had a hire car, but to be honest we only used it when we went out for a day trip or needed to do a large grocery shop. We walked pretty much everywhere, as the weather was so nice it would have been criminal not to! We could walk from Duquesa Village to the Marina in about 25 minutes, which is not bad when you also consider I am recovering from surgery on my foot! Just the restful break we needed - we hope to be back.

I was optomistic when I made a late booking to stay at La Duquesa Village and after an early flight into Malaga and picked up the hire car we drove down to where we were staying. Being an avid golfer and used to staying in Spain & Portugal for my holidays I was familiar with the area but never actually 'stayed' in this part of the Costa del Sol. Our Apartment was on the 'La Duquesa Village' and as we made our way up the quite steep incline to the top we were met by a very polite security guard on the gate entering The Village. After picking up our keys etc. we pulled onto the complex and was immediately disappointed at the look of the place. I could only describe it as tired and unwelcoming. Our apartment was clean and overlooked a well kept pool and gardens and the underground parking was adequate. But most of the apartments were short of a lick of paint and a good clean.TLC was not in abundance here. In all once we were inside we were happy. However, not being the youngest of couples (early retired, but reasonably fit) we had to rely on our hired car to get about as the walk to and from the golf club house was too far as was all the closest ameneties. We found that we were using the car far more than we were used to whether at home or on holiday. We were surprised at the amount of complexes in the area and it seemed that one melted into the next and so on and resembled a huge concrete jungle. A timeshare owner who had swapped timeshares to stay there in the next apartment described it as The Flintstones and must agree she had a point! I don't think it is a user friendly place at all and as I earlier mentioned that I was an avid golfer, the course that La Duquesa Village overlooks isn't the best and only used it a couple of times . We went down the coast a bit to play...

Hi All. Our experience couldn't be more different from Mrs P! We have just returned from 10 days at Duquesa Village and the complex was superb - it was clean & quiet, there are 5 swimming pools and a tennis court on site, our children even roller bladed on the street! In no way is it isolated, Monte Duquesa is only a 5 minute walk away and it has several restaurants, internet cafes and a paper shop. La Duquesa golf club is only a 10 minute walk away (I know because we walked it several times) and you can get coffee and food in the clubhouse. If you walk over the pedestrian bridge outside the golf club you are at the beach at El Castillo, where there are dozens of restaurants (mostly Spanish) and several beach bars/restaurants (chiringuitos). The port is only another 3 minute walk away, so you can easily walk from Duquesa Village to Puerto Duquesa in 15-20 minutes. It is a steep walk back up the hill, but if you really don't fancy a slow stroll on a warm evening then a taxi back only cost us 6 euros! Like with any tourist destination there are good and bad points - some of the bars were a bit 'English', but we never had a bad meal and were treated really well in restaurants, especially at the Straw Donkey where the food was deeeeelish! We ate lunch almost every day at the chiringuitos, they are properly Spanish and serve freshly caught fish and seafood right on the beach - wow! On the whole we had an amazing holiday and we have already reserved for next year! The Simmons Family, xxx

The 'Village' was a very long walk away from the beaches/shops/bars etc. and up a fairly steep hill ( we timed it and for an average man from the port area it's a 35-40 minute walk). A car is an absolute necessity. There is nothing around you only complexes & apartments...no convenience store, no newsagents, no bars, nothing within a 15-20 minute walk ( small,pricey, British covenience area on yet another complex). The 'village' itself is quite big, however, because of the peeling masonary paint and dried up flower/weed beds and so many empty apartments we thought some areas looked quite derelict. The gardens and pools were kept tidy and clean and the security guards are pleasant enough but on the whole it was a characterless, tired looking place overlooking more complexes. The apartment we rented, once we were inside ( and so basically you could have been anywhere) was clean, comfortable and very roomy with all the appliances and equipment you need. The air conditioning was also a huge bonus! I cannot fault this part of the holiday at all 10/10!

What a wonderful time we had at Duquesa, the apartment was fantastic with everything we could ask for and a great setting.

The whole booking process and holiday was hassle free from start to finish with Costadelsolvacation.

We hope to visit Duquesa again very soon!

Duquesa Village is set in a fantastic location surrounded by a golf course with a lovely clubhouse containing a health and fitness centre. The apartment was beautifully clean with the beds freshly made for us. Heaven, especially as we arrived on a late night flight. When we drew back the patio curtains in the morning we saw the swimming pool and lush gardens. What a welcome for our first trip to Duquesa Village. Breakfast on the comfy balcony furniture was a must. It was also great having a fully fitted kitchen, as we didn't want to eat out all the time, so we were able to prepare proper meals the nights we stayed in. When eating out we can recommend the Straw Donkey. Will the owner has such a dry sense of humour he really makes you laugh and feel welcome.

We read the apartment manual and it had lots of local information to cover most things from emergency Dr's to where to take the children for a good day out. Most useful as you usually find out where the local market is the day after it is on! We loved spending the day in Mijas and a trip to Gibraltar is a must!

We found Costadelsolvacation purely by accident when surfing the net looking for a cheap holiday and were really impressed with their website, it had so much information. We still can't believe how cheap the apartment was, as it was the height of luxury. We were so pleased with this holiday, from the ease of booking to the quick easy jet flights, we will definitely be coming back.

My wife, 2 kids, Father-in-Law and I spent the 2008 Easter School break at Duquesa Village. As we were taking my Father-in-Law who is in his 80's we had to be sure that the accommodation standard was good. We booked online via costadelsolvacation and couldn't have been more pleased!

The apartment was fantastic and had everything we could have wanted and more. As the apartment had 2 bedrooms we gave the 2nd bedroom to my Father in Law, so that he had some privacy and a place to escape the kids. My wife and I had the master double bedroom and the kids slept in the lounge on the double sofa beds. The sofa beds were really comfy and we were able to fold them up during the day so that they didn't get in our way.

Unfortunately, we did have a few days of rain, so we did spend some time in the apartment playing the board games provided and watching the huge selection of DVD's. My wife was happy as we got UK Sky TV so she didn't have to miss Eastenders - sad but true! On the other rainy day we went to La Canada the big shopping centre near Marbella and went bowling.

Once the weather cleared up there was no stopping us, off we went to explore in our hire car. We visited loads of things during our stay and managed to find places to go that didn't cost the earth. The Roman Baths nearby are free and it is worth the drive to Ronda to see the bullring, gorge and iron bridge. The kids loved Selwo animal park. I walked back via the rope bridges over the animal enclosures with the kids, while my wife travelled back in the safari truck with her Dad. Selwo is a full day out, so that is worth the entrance fee.

We walked alongside the beach all the way to Sabinillas the next town, which we found very relaxing especially after a big meal. Sabinillas is more typically Spanish and the restaurants are cheaper here than in Puerto de la Duquesa. We didn't really spend anytime on the beach, but we could see that is was clean and the sea shallow at the edge. We preferred to stay at the pool, as Duquesa Village was fairly quiet it was like having your own private pool, even though it was a shared one! The kids also liked to take the bats from the apartment and go down to the tennis court, their Tennis isn't very good but it kept them entertained.

There was still some building work going on at Duquesa Village, but it was all at the entrance and didn't interfere with our holiday at all. I would guess it will be done by the end of the year.

Excellent family holiday!

We spent a fabulous 10 days in Duquesa Village in Puerto de la Duquesa, booked through Costadelsolvacation and their service was excellent from start to finish.

We were initially a bit worried when we arrived, as the entrance to the site was not finished, the builders were still building two blocks. However, we needn't have worried, the workmen were only at the entrance to the site and we didn't hear any noise during our stay.

Our apartment was amazing, 1st floor with a view over one of the many shared pools (I think there are 4 or 5) and up the hillside to the vineyards beyond. The apartment was so well equipped it really was home from home! We had UK Sky TV, a DVD player and a huge selection of DVD's to watch. The kitchen had everything you could possibly want, including a washing machine, fridge/freezer, full oven & hob and a dishwasher - no washing up on holiday, what a luxury! The bath even had a jacuzzi facility, which was very relaxing after a day out exploring!

The whole site was very quiet and the pool below our apartment wasn't very busy, which was great for August. I think this was because the apartments were so new and not many people knew about them yet. I bet they will be busier next year - we will certainly be returning! There were plenty of sunbeds and the pool area was really clean and well maintained.

The marina at Duquesa is great for watching the world go by and there are plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from. We loved the traditional churingitos (traditional Spanish beach bars/restaurants that serve simple fish and meat dishes at very reasonable prices). The beach is only 5 minutes away and is great for families as the sea is very shallow. You can walk all the way along the seaside boardwalk to the next town of Sabinillas, where you can experience some typical Spanish life.

We hired a car from the airport and went out to do lots of exploring. We particularly enjoyed Gibraltar and our trip up the famous rock - watch out for the cheeky barbary apes! We also visited Selwo, which is a huge animal park where you are taken round the enclosures in big safari trucks.

There are lots of lovely restaurants in Puerto de la Duquesa, but our favourite was the Straw Donkey. This is a Canadian diner where the food is all home cooked. I can recommend the Canadian club sandwich, which we had a few times during our stay!

We can't wait to go back!