Location was perfect, right in the central square. Shops, bars, restaurants on your doorstep. Hotel was clean. I had read previous reviews that noise could be an issue. However we had room 209 which did not look directly onto the square, but the road leading to it. For me noise was not an issue and I slep.t really well. Would use this place again
There are some good things about this hotel:
1. Location is fantastic - just a few steps away from the Balcony of Europe and tons of restaurants and stores just downstairs.
2. There is a rooftop terrace and pool, though I never went up there. The day we came in, it was raining and they locked access. I never went back up to take a look.
3. There is a parking option available in the hotel for smaller cars (some challenging points below). Parking can be a challenge in the city, though because of some limitations, we were forced to find it. We after some time, we were able to get a spot a few blocks over.
4. Our room on had a balcony that opened to the plaza. Great for people watching during the day.
There are some challenging things about this hotel:
1. Bed only passably comfortable.
2. Our room on had a balcony that opened to the plaza. Not great for noise at night. Ear plugs highly recommended.
3. Parking is only for small to medium cars. You need to get into a tight elevator that is perpendicular to the tiny one way street. With a rental car, it was not simple. Also, street gets blocked off at 5pm every evening, so limited access.
I booked the room very last minute, so it wasn't a great value. For convenience of location, it was worth it.
Just stayed for the second time. This is a very nice, comfortable hotel right in the centre of lovely Nerja. Rooms are spotless and have a good selection of toiletries. Breakfast is good. The receptionist on arrival was curt and not at all welcoming but all other staff were very nice. The pool area is small and there are not many sunbeds. Unfortunately some guests choose to leave towels on beds for hours on end. There are notices but obviously they are not heeded. Getting a sunbed can be difficult.Two Balinese beds take up a lot of space.There is a nice roof top bar with friendly staff. I will definitely stay here again but the sunbed issue does need to be resolved.
Myself and my wife went on the recommendations of a dear friend of ours, (whose husband is a Chef in a well-known and prestigious Dublin hotel). Our friends had been that impressed, that we were compelled to check it out.
I've read the other reviews here and I'll just say that anything negative, in my opinion, is unwarranted. This is a small pristine establishment, tastefully decorated, in a prime location in Nerja. I literally couldn't fault a thing about Plaza Cavana, except that it is mis-categorised. It should be rated at least 4*.
We availed of Room 303, at the top of the house, with its own secluded patio, complete with table & chairs, parasol and outdoor double-lounger bed. The view overlooked the pool, the rooftops of Nerja and the Mediterranean Sea. The accomodation itself was comfortable and scruplously clean.
A buffet breakfast consisted of a great array of fresh fruit, cheeses and meats, bacon, egg and sausage, patés and a plethora of bread & pastries. Coffee and tea is on tap at a nearby machine and the juices, especially the local freshly-squeezed orange juice, is just to die for. You will dine like a King...or Queen.
The staff were all ultra-efficient, friendly and on top of their game. The small outdoor pool area is a quiet and secluded spot, and the only minor complaint that I'd have is the early morning pidgeons drinking from the pool, but then again, who can blame them in the searing heat, 28 degrees in October.
The hotel is located on a small plaza/town square, bedecked with wonderful and affordable restaurants and bars, and a 100 metre walk in either direction leads you to arcades, shopping and walks along the seafront.
My parting words? You can't go wrong in this little piece of paradise.
Breakfast, not as much choice as in some hotels but adequate, hot food usually only luke warm.
Reception, can't say we got a warm welcome. Fairly helpful though when we asked for information later.
Room, good size, kept very clean, on 1st floor overlooking the plaza. Not enough storage space, had to partly live out of suitcases. From previous reviews, I knew there would be noise from the plaza, so we set our expectations based on that, and we were only really disturbed by it on a few odd occasions. We were still surprised though by the high level of noise of people, musicians with varying skills, cars, lorries, and how constant it was.
Pool area, disappointing. Very small, sometimes couldn't get a sunbed as very few to go around. 2 Bali beds, waste of space, hardly used, take up an area where 6 more sun beds could go. Pool ok to cool off in. Surprised to see a group of pigeons in the morning having a leisurely bath on the side of the pool.
Laundry service, used this once, impressed with the very reasonable price and quick service, items returned next day laundered and very neatly pressed.
Resort: lots of restaurants, some better than others. We especially recommend Goa Town (Indian), Bella Roma, and Scarletta. We also had 2 good meals in MarBella which has a terrace overlooking the sea but is a bit more expensive. It also has a nice cocktail bar inside, although in line with ALL the bars we sat in, getting served with drinks took an absolute age, as did getting and then paying the bill afterwards. This became very annoying. We also found it was advisable to book our favourite restaurants the night before as they got full very quickly. Apparently we didn't visit at the busiest time, but there still seemed to be hoards of people milling around all the time.
Beach: disappointing, grey, looked like shingle. There looked to be nicer beaches elsewhere, however we found out shortly before going that raw sewage is pumped into the sea here as they do not have a treatment works, so it didn't matter after that what the beach was like as we would not be going on it or in the sea.
Excursions: we unfortunately didn't get to Ronda for various reasons but we did visit Granada and the Alhambra with Play Nerja behind the church. The day included a walking tour of Granada which turned out to be 2 hours going up and down around the largely deserted Arab quarter and then the equally deserted gypsy quarter (where they do not pick up their dogs' dirt). Had we known, we would have preferred to just have free time as the cathedral and other attractions were nearby and would have been considerably more pleasing to walk around. We also took the local bus to Frigiliana, and this was well worth visiting, very pretty. Top tip is to get to the bus stop early to return to Nerja, as there was standing room only for us and a number of others, and some people didn't manage to get on the bus at all. We also took the land train and visited the Caves.
Summary: a bit busy for us, lacking the nice walks, beaches, charm and warm welcome of, say, a Greek island, but I suppose it depends what you're looking for. Would we return? Very unlikely.
We stayed here for three nights as part of a wedding group. Fab location, extremely clean, very friendly staff. Highly recommended. Book with the hotel directly as we had breakfast included and drinks in the mini fridge when we arrived. Also a lovely bag shop next door part of the hotel fantastic value!
