Duende Marbella

We had the most amazing stay at this beautiful villa in Marbella and honestly didn’t want to leave! The villa was absolutely stunning, even better than the photos, and had everything we needed for a relaxing holiday. It was spotlessly clean, spacious. The outdoor area and pool were perfect, and the location was ideal for exploring Marbella and Puerto Banús. What really made our stay even more special was our host, who was incredibly helpful, responsive, and went above and beyond to ensure we had everything we needed throughout our stay. Thank you for such a wonderful experience – we’ve made some amazing memories here and are already looking at booking again. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this villa to anyone visiting Marbella

Wir hatten einen wunderschönen Urlaub in dieser Villa! Sie sieht traumhaft aus, hat einen wunderschönen Pool und rundum Ausblick, der Gastgeber war absolut freundlich, hilfsbereit, zuvorkommend und antwortet sehr schnell auf Nachrichten! Wir kommen gerne wieder, vielen Dank!

The outside area and poor was excellent and our host Paul was very friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed our stay there and we will definitely be back 😊

We stayed at Villa Duende in Elviria as a family of four with two teenage boys and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The villa itself is really beautiful – spacious, clean and very comfortable. The outdoor area is a real highlight, with plenty of space to relax, eat and hang out as a family. Even at the end of December and start of January, we had a couple of really lovely sunny mornings when we could properly enjoy being outside. We visited in winter and at first the villa felt quite cold, but once we figured out how to use the heating it was absolutely fine and cosy enough in the evenings. This is just something to be aware of if you’re staying in the colder months, but it didn’t spoil our stay at all. A couple of extra throws or blankets wouldn’t be a bad idea also. The villa is very well equipped. There’s a good hairdryer and even hair straighteners, which is really handy, especially for ladies who don’t want to pack everything. The kitchen has everything you need – we cooked a couple of times and never found anything missing. There’s also a dishwasher and a washing machine, which makes a family stay nmuch easier. The TV had Netflix and all the usual apps, which our teenage boys really appreciated in the evenings. In terms of location, we would definitely recommend having a car. There did seem to be a taxi rank down by the commercial centre, but having a car made things so much easier and allowed us to explore much more. During our stay we visited Mijas, Málaga, Puerto Banús and Marbella Old Town, and the villa was a great base for all of these trips. Our host was excellent – very friendly and extremely prompt with his responses whenever we had a question. The only small thing that might improve the experience would be a few simple written instructions for things like the heating and some of the appliances, just so we didn’t need to message and disturb him. That said, check‑in and check‑out were completely seamless and very straightforward.

lots of space, nice pool.

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The facilities were excellent — the TV has Netflix built in, so you can simply log in and start watching. The pool and outdoor space are very large, with plenty of deck chairs, and the sofa was very comfortable. The shower also had good water pressure. The location was perfect for us, set in a quiet neighbourhood. We had a car, which made it ideal, and there was a convenient parking space available. Paul was quick to respond to messages, and the property was ready before our official check-in time, allowing us to arrive whenever suited us, which was very helpful.

A small information booklet on how to use appliances and which switches control which lights would be a nice addition and would improve the overall guest experience, though it is not essential. Our lower cleanliness score was due to one significant issue during our stay. On arrival we found both dead and live woodlice inside the property. We cleaned and disposed of them initially, assuming it was a one-off as the house was very cold and appeared not to have been used for some time. However, we continued to find more each day. I contacted Paul the night before we left. At that point I was not aware that the issue was considerably worse in the second bedroom, as the person staying there had been quietly dealing with it each day. On the morning of departure I went into that room and found woodlice on the wall, floor, mat, furniture, doorway and in the en-suite bathroom. Over the four-night stay (including Christmas Day), we killed at least 30. The en-suite shower only has a curtain and water appears to have caused long-term damp at the bottom of the door, which is visibly deteriorated. This damp area seems to be the main source attracting the woodlice, although they had spread to other parts of the house, likely due to the cold conditions (the only fixed heater is in the kitchen). When we informed Paul that we had requested a partial refund through Booking.com, communication became defensive, despite the fact that we had already been cleaning and dealing with the issue ourselves throughout the stay. As this was a short holiday over Christmas, it was not practical or reasonable for us to wait for cleaners or attempt temporary fixes. Paul has since offered a partial refund, which we have accepted, and has indicated the issue will be rectified. We do not normally complain and have used Booking.com many times without issue. This review is simply an honest account of our experience, and with the necessary repairs completed, this should not affect future guests.

Amazing pool, our kids loved it.. location is a nice residential area surrounded by large villas- and a golf course with driving range in walking distance. Beach also only 15 mins walk

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