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After the ground-breaking ruling passed by the Spanish Supreme Court in 2015, customers were refunded 40,000 euros and granted timeshare releases – after timeshares were mis-sold.
This ruling along with other major judgements has meant that customers are entitled to timeshare releases and claims against resorts such as Club La Costa under the following circumstances:
In recent months there has been a ground-breaking ruling against Club La Costa in which a client was given a complete refund of the purchase price along with a proportion of maintenance charges, his agreement was cancelled and he was granted a timeshare release.
If you believe you had a timeshare contract mis-sold to you by Club La Costa, please contact one of our experts at Mercantile Claims or fill out the form provided below.
Fractional Owners first visit after joining CLC
Despite being promised 5* accommodation, if we signed up for the fractional ownership package priced at just under £14,000 and an additional maintenance charge of £500 per year, during our promotional visit in October 2011 we have been left feeling completely let down.
Our family, consisting of myself and husband together with our two grown-up daughters and fiancé, were really looking forward to our holiday in August 2012, with high hopes and expectations after all the promises during our introductory holiday previously. Our arrival, unfortunately, due to a flight delay was around midnight, the apartment we were allocated was not in the luxury part of the resort as we had expected but was in the promotional part, where we had stayed in October and was accommodation in my opinion 2-3*. The furniture was old fashioned and living area was cramped and dark and for four not six as had been requested. The shower in our ensuite was inaccessible for anyone over 5ft 4. The balcony had two loungers and chairs but was very small.
We spent the next two hours trying to sort out the problem, however we were passed on to different people, as it was no ones responsibility to sort this out. We spent the night in the apartment and waited in vain for the promised manager to call the following morning. Three hours later we were given the option to move to another apartment which was more suitable for five adults, however only had one bathroom which was the downside especially as there was a horrible smell in there but it did have air conditioning in more rooms. By this point we were still hoping the situation would be sorted out and we would be moved the following day to the California Suites or Malibu Mansions. This was not to be as there wasn’t a single apartment available.
Staff were not helpful in the matter but the cleaning department were excellent and promptly fumigated our apartment twice after we reported eighteen cockroaches in the bathroom and more in the bedroom. This was ongoing during our stay but the management response was to expect this, I did point out we had travelled extensively over thirty years and had never experienced such a problem. During our times in the Reception area we were approached by other couples who were experiencing the same problems as ourselves.
We couldn’t wait for our week to be over when we moved on to a fabulous 5* villa we had booked through Owners Direct as we could secure two weeks at Club La Costa by going through RCI ( as it turned out what a bonus ) I emailed the Members customer service department during our week and had the opportunity to speak to someone on the telephone, but in my opinion were fobbed off constantly. We were told we hadn’t managed our booking correctly but when we bought the package all we stressed was our requirement for luxury accommodation and we were constantly assured that even though, being in education, there would be no problem – we would have hundreds of resorts to choose from and the standards of accommodation would be 5*..
When booking in the March we had a choice of just two.
Since returning home, despite a number of emails, we have not had responses to specific questions relating to absolute promises made when we purchased the product. Purchasing this Fractional Destination package has been the worst decision we have ever made.
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Our team here at Mercantile Claims is always available to help you with any issues, concerns, or queries you have regarding your timeshare agreement. Below is a selection of reviews received from existing Malibu Mansions visitors. If you have a more specific query please contact our team of experts and we will respond as soon as possible.
Promotional Holiday ok but no atmosphere, Pools are Freezing !
SORRY ITS A LONG ONE WITH LOTS OF INFO THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS WRITTEN:
I got a phone call to say I’d won a FREE HOLIDAY except I have to go along to collect my information, I wasn’t stupid I knew what it was before I went but they told me I would get £25 in vouchers for going, so I dragged my husband along. After being in this office in Bristol for 3 hours saying we were not interested we got a bonus of £50 in vouchers and was told we could still go on the holiday.
The free holiday was not free £29.50 pp plus airport taxes so it came to £318 for 4 of us, thought ok that’s not bad. Put down Tenerife didn’t get it but instead got their head office in Spain’ what a surprise’.
Just before we were due to go started to read the reviews of anyone who wasn’t a member. Realised we would have to go through the presentation all again which we thought we had already done, so when they rang I said to want the presentation as early as possible in the holiday.
We arrived on Sunday, On the Monday the phone rang and I answered it, the lady said checking your appointment is ok for the Thursday, I was livid and told the lady what I had already asked for and she changed it to the Tuesday.
When she arrived at 10.15 am she asked if we knew what it was about and straight away we told her that we thought we had already done this in the UK and this was are FREE HOLIDAY, she said she was new and they are different companies and some people say NO in England because they can’t see what they are buying.
Before she got the slightest bit interested in us, we told her she was wasting her time and then we told her something which is true except we do holiday. Told her that I have a life-threatening illness and I live in a hospital and have been on life support 4 times in 10 years which I have and its called Type 2 Brittle Asthma. ( All that is true ) , the bit that isn’t is we don’t go on holiday because of it. So I told a little white lie but sometimes I haven’t been away because of my health and we can’t get travel insurance so it doesn’t suit us as we can only do last minute holidays.
Anyway, we know from reading the review’s that they have an answer for everything and they are a bit like leaches so we were extra careful and suggest you are too.
During the breakfast, she spoke to her manager who said we still had to do the tour or pay for the holiday. So she showed us around 2 very quickly knowing we weren’t interested got to the talk money room or holding room which is what it feels like.
Called the manager, neither spoke money as new there was no point, then made me sign something to say my situation had changed and let us go, 2 hours later.
So go prepared what you are going to say, I was prepared and it helped.
There is lots of different types of accommodation. Some Excellent like San Deigo and Malibu Mansion. California suites are the best. The other accommodation is fine and where we were which was 163, was great. Although you can be unlucky and have accommodation near the dual carriageway or near the bars and clubs or reception which is noisy.
There are lots of pools each of the 20 houses has their own pool but they are freezing cold even the ones they say are heated are cold, not as cold but they are still cold.
Advise if you get any accommodation that isn’t in San Deigo, Malibu Mansion. California suites then your sunbeds will be chained together and they are thin and not very comfortable. but if you use either San Diego or California beach pool the sunbeds are all single and they come with comfortable cushions and the pool is nicer and no one checks whether you should be there or not.
There is no atmosphere, no one talks to anyone it’s all so separate. It’s too big and commercial.
Cheaper to use supermarket or camping shop off-site.
Restaurants in town are cheaper and nicer walk takes 30 mins it’s not far walking along the beachfront. Then when you are near the harbour, walk one street away from the sea and then you will find streets of restaurants
The bus goes every 20 mins and costs 1 euro 20 but you have to put your arm out, to get it to stop.
The only proper market is on Tuesday, the Saturday one they say is on is a car boot sale, we found out the hard way and missed the market.
You can go up the cable cars in the mountains they cost 13 euros each and there are a free bird show and great views. Get the bus to town then the train to Benaldmena for 3 euros 50 return.
Worth a visit....
Being new CLC members I had left it too late last year to book the more luxurious apartments of Santa Cruz or San Diego so we secured a 2 bedroom townhouse in Marina del Sol. A little dubious at first but the townhouse was located between the Malibu Mansions and the Marina Del Sol reception on a quiet stretch. Easy access therefore to the Reception (for WiFi) and Sam’s Pantry for ice creams for the children. Really pleased with our house – brochure said no air con but our room & lounge had it & a fan in the children’s rooms so this was an unexpected bonus. Decor wasn’t tired or dated and felt that it was excellent value for the points I paid. Fully equipped kitchen (inc dishwasher & washing machine) and English channels (ITV1 BBC1 & Sky News) which delighted the children! Maid cleaned room once in a week which was a bit disappointing.
Didn’t realise that we were not allowed to use pools of Santa Cruz/San Diego but could only use allocated pools near our house. The pool assigned to our row of townhouses was lovely – lots of families having fun & nice that children were allowed to use lilos & toys (well they’re not really allowed as signs say ‘no’ but no lifeguard so everyone did). My only big disappointment with this area is that the sunbeds were chained together so they couldn’t be moved in any angle (which I do all day long!) so this restriction really annoyed me.
Team Marina were okay but the staff seemed a bit disinterested. Daily activities for children. Very different to the Team Marina last year at the Santa Cruz Pool who were so enthusiastic.
We were permitted to use the pool at Zacherys. This was a definite no no. On no account would we go there – suffice to say, not really our cup of tea around that area. El Rancho restaurant (which we went to last year) is also a no go zone. Plastic chairs, tacky entertainment, no class whatsoever. El Tajo restaurant is lovely and well worth a visit. We ate at Safaris several nights – great food & service but really pricey. Also worth getting a cab into Fuengirola which we did twice for lovely bars & restaurants.
Train service is great but think CLC need to invest in a couple of new engines. We had to get off the train twice at night when it couldn’t make it up the hill! Hilarious!
All in all, I would recommend Marina Del Sol if you were low on points and needed some sun. It’s fine if you haven’t any great expectations.
Club la mountain goat
Club la Costa is a timeshare resort about 5 Kilometers from Fuengirola. We stayed with friends in a top notch (and on top of the mountain ) , apartment, Malibu Mansions.
The quality of the apartment was very high, the accommodation spotless, the pool beautiful.
The resort itself is tidily kept with lovely gardens, a number of pools and two convenience stores. One is very small but sells nice fresh bread/salads, the other is slightly larger and better stocked.
Both are fairly expensive by local standards.. There are several expensive Tex-Mex style restaurants which we were uninspired by. A couple of the pool side bars sell snacks of good quality.
Fuengirola centre is about 10 minutes away by taxi and fares range from 10/15 euros depending on the time of day. Taxis are relatively expensive with an airport transfer for example (20 mins) at £60.
A little “train” grinds slowly round the complex every 30/60 mins.
The down-side of this resort is the location. To get around you need a hire car. There is nothing of a neighbourhood for an evening stroll and the location is extremely steep and not very well lit at night.
Our friends were obliged to go to a timeshare presentation which was described as a few minutes. It was five and a half hours long, I think they regretted it.
Despite being advised not to (at the presentation) we took a day trip out to Marbella, a lovely town. We ate out every night in Mijas-Costa or Fuengirola.
To find a nice restaurant in Fuengirola, take a taxi to Plaza Constitution and walk downhill past the central Church towards the sea-front. There is a series of squares and cross-roads with tapas bars and restaurants to suit all pockets. In particular, on Fish Street, there are a number of restaurants with “fixed price” menus from as little as six euros. The food and service standards are high throughout.
Malibu mansions
Stayed at one of the Malibu villas the last week in March with my family. There were 5 of us so my eldest son slept on the bed settee, which he said was very comfortable. The whole apartment was clean and provides everything you’d need, but the highlight for us was the balcony and hot tub with lovely views. The complex was very pleasant, the pool nearest to us was unheard and too cold to use at this time of year but you could walk to the one near Zachary’s bar, which was heated and also had a jacuzzi and plenty of sun loungers. The supermarkets on site were handy but check the opening hours outside as they do vary. Staff in the information office were knowledgeable and welcoming. Would definitely return.
Summer holiday
We are a large family so we had two apartments one was in Malibu mansion and the other was Sierra Marina. Both were lovely, Sierra Marina seemed to be newer however the Malibu mansions had a hot tub on the balcony and a jacuzzi bath!
All the staff were very friendly, our apartment fridge was stocked up on our arrival with the basics which was nice. There were a few restaurants on the resort, however we found them to be a bit pricey and there wasn’t a variety of food mostly burgers, chips and pizza. The cocktails at Safari are really nice!
The swimming pools are nice and clean. The Malibu mansion pool is on the roof top and the Sierra marina was right in the back garden. We bought fresh bread and pastries every morning from Sam’s pantry and there is a mini market nearby for essentials. The beach is about 5 mins walk away – be warned it’s not white sands (more like Southend beach)
The only complaint is that the complex is very hilly and wouldn’t be good for people with mobility issues. However, there is a novelty train that picks you up and takes you around the resort every half hour or so. The resort is also not near any attractions or the town, you need to take a bus or a taxi which is about 10 euros to Fuengirola.
There is free wifi in the apartments and restaurants and TV’s in every room. Very modern and well kept. Jacuzzi is cleaned every day, the apartment was cleaned once during the week.
Other than that a very lovely and clean resort, security patrol all the time so you feel safe, very family-friendly!
Wonderful Resort on the Costa Del Sol
Our family of five spent a week at Club LaCosta World (CLC) in the Costa Del Sol in Spain (28May-04June 2016). We were able to book our room through our membership in Global Discovery Vacations. We were first offered a two bedroom at the Santa Cruz Suites. After researching a bit, we thought the San Diego Suites would be a better fit for us and we requested a change and Global took care of us and we got our desired San Diego Suites. As far as we could tell, there are three levels at CLC from Santa Cruz to San Diego to Malibu Mansions.
Overall, it was a great vacation and the following will provide a brief summary of our visit and a few things that we learned.
Resort:
Location: about 35 min. drive SW of Malaga airport. Very easy drive even after an all-night flight. Highly recommend a rental car unless you just plan on relaxing and eating at the resort for most of the trip. Beautiful location but not very convenient for any shopping/eating besides the resort (one restaurant exception).
Staff: Wonderful. Easy check-in/out and always very helpful and friendly.
Accommodations: Very nice. One of the better-equipped kitchens we’ve ever had. Clean. Nice bathrooms. Nice balconies. Only major complaint: we have become bed snobs and these mattresses were a little tired. Recommendation: some rooms have a hot tub on the balcony. Ask for a view and a hot tub when you call to confirm your reservation! We did not and the temperature in the evenings was perfect for a hot soak before bed.
Pools: Several and they all looked pretty nice. Only two are heated, however, so with our late May/early June vacation the water was a little chilly. It felt great in the heat of the day but probably would have been cold in the evening.
Restaurants: We only ate at two for supper. Safari had decent food but El Ranchero was very average. Probably good if you have young, picky eaters but not if food is an important part of the vacation. The other restaurants that we walked past but didn’t eat at looked okay – nothing there particularly piqued our interest. We did not eat breakfast at the resort restaurants. We did get pool snacks once from the San Diego Suites pool grille and it was good.
Beach: Okay but not great. As you’ve probably read, you have to either go over or under the highway that exists between the resort and the beach. There is a restaurant there (not affiliated with the resort) that is nice and I think they offer palapa rentals during the day.
Drinks: Bars at the restaurants and pools. Resort pricing (cocktails around 7 Euros and Beer about 3.50 Euros). There are some happy hours also – I think two for one but I’m not sure if it’s every day.
Things to Do: We got out and about quite a bit and were very happy we did – lots to do and see. The roads are great but some of the small towns have very narrow streets and tight parking so be ready for that. The road signage was good and there are lots of roundabouts so it takes a little getting used to for Americans. Here are some brief comments:
Beach: We went to Cabopino beach one day on a recommendation and it was very nice. Palapa rentals and a couple of beach eateries which were pretty good. There is a section of the beach with full nudity (west of the public area where most people go) so be aware of that if you decide to go for a beach stroll like we did. Fuengirola beach looked pretty good although a little more touristy and crowded.
Hiking: We went to a little town called Alhourin El Grande and found a nice trail head into the Sierra De Mijas mountain. It was tough to find but worth it once we did. Spectacular views. The town was very, very nice and worthy of a meal or drink before or after the hike. We got trapped in a Google Maps loop and ended up having to ask a local store clerk who spoke English for directions to the trail head.
Ronda: About an hour-and-a-half drive with no stops but you will want to stop. Beautiful vistas including nice views of the Rock of Gibraltar and you can even see Africa on a nice day. The town itself was great! Lots of food and shopping options and the sightseeing is very good.
Mijas: Some say it’s too touristy but we enjoyed it. Again, some cool things to see and plenty of cafes, restaurants and shopping.
Malaga: We went into Malaga Centro one evening and just loved it! Very vibrant walking streets with lots of people enjoying life from young to old. We ate at La Posada and I think it was our favourite meal of the week. Pleasant outdoor seating, a very nice waiter and excellent food. Seafood paella was excellent. We really wanted to stay out later that night because of the wonderful atmosphere and lively streets but, alas, it was our last night and we had an early flight out.
Anyway, hope this helped. We loved it and all of us hope to go back someday and do some more exploring (like Granada, Gibraltar, Seville, …)
Excellent accomodation - but be aware this a VERY large resort
We stayed at Club La Costa during the first week of September, in a 2-bed apartment in the “Malibu Mansions” section – a gated community, part of the resort but not generally available to rent out to club members or visitors. This is because we were on our “Provisional” week – trying-before-buying the fractional holiday scheme CLC sell.
The apartment was magnificent – 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, lounge, kitchen, balcony with hot-tub / jacuzzi, table, chairs, sun loungers … Beautifully appointed and equipped, with a basic “Welcome Pack” of milk, bread, butter, jam, juice, water, tea and coffee to keep you going till you can get to the shops.
Malibu Mansions has its own (reserved for residents) swimming pool, sadly with no bar / café / amenities, just an old, non-working Coke vending machine, but there are several more pools (6 or so ?) dotted around the site, most of which have a café / bar close by, that serve snacks and food most of the day.
There are a number of restaurants on site – Zachary’s, Safari, El Rancho (which was serving Asian cuisine when we were there) and Sam’s Pantry are part of CLC, and you can charge the bill to your apartment. A pretty good Buffet Breakfast is available at Sunrise at the San Diego Suites area; cost is €13.95 per head for all-you-can-eat.
There are also a couple of restaurants on site which are NOT part of CLC – one of which we didn’t visit, and the other – El Tajo – I’ll review separately. But be aware, these will only take cash or credit cards – no charging to your account !
Overall, we thought Safari was the best of the CLC bunch. None of the CLC restaurants could be fairly described as fine dining, and we felt that far too many dishes were repeated on all the menus in all the restaurants.
This resort is big – REALLY big – and pretty hilly to boot. There is a train which goes round the resort every 30 minutes or so, but if you miss it be prepared for some serious walking. We checked out the cost of taxi transfers to / from Malaga airport (around €45 each way = €90) and ended up renting a Kia Picanto for just over €100 from Cargest. This was a boon – we used it around the site (as well as trips to Mijas, Marbella, Puerto Banus and Gibraltar) and reckon it saved us a bomb on excursion costs, as well as our legs
(A word about car rental in Spain. Too many companies indulge in the rip-off of supplying a full tank of fuel / return empty policy. You get charged a stupid amount of money for a full tank (their fuel price, of course, NOT pump price) and of course you can never bring it back empty. Win-Win for them and Lose-Lose for you. I spent a long time checking out rental companies, and I found Cargest to be cheap, reliable and they did everything they said they would, See separate review).
The resort is right by the beach, but separated from it by a busy dual carriageway – the main A-7 coastal highway. There are 2 or 3 tunnels under the road which you can use to get to the beach, but they aren’t particularly good for headroom (actually, I think they’re storm drains).
All in all, a very large, very family-friendly, very touristy resort in a Spanish Costa. Unless you’re content to sit around the pool, or walk through the tunnels to the beach every day, you really need a car.
A very pleasant surprise - would go again, but will not buy!
Following a survey in Menorca, we were invited to this promo holiday. Paid £29pp registration and £49 tax, etc. Total of £312 for all 4 of us for flights and accommodation. We were asked to specify 4 weeks we wanted to go but with so many rules like – only 1 week within school hols, should be 6 weeks between dates, etc.
We, of course, ended up with the week in November! We were very sceptical about the whole thing but considering the low cost, we took the plunge but prepared ourselves with what could be a dive. Admittedly, the communication had been spot on and organised.
We received flight details just before and a phone call confirming what accommodation we will get. They are aware that we have 2 young kids (3 and 6) and wanted 2 bedrooms and a washing machine.
We hired a car in Malaga airport and did find the road to the resort very busy and if you’re not used to driving in motorways would be a big turn off. Got to the resort and was offered a complimentary drink in the bar. We were also told our apartment would be ready by 3 pm (standard hotel check-in time) and would get a call/text to confirm as we decided to go to Fuengirola for lunch.
We did get a call as promised and were escorted by a porter who helped carry our cases from the car. We were given an apartment within Malibu Mansions and it was indeed impressive. The gated entrance can only be accessed by key/remote control and you even have an alarm to go in/out of the property and a safe for your valuables.
The apartment was 2 bed (super king and twin) and a twin sofa bed in the living area. A clean well-equipped modern kitchen with a washing machine, dishwasher, coffee maker etc. There was even a welcome pack waiting for us with tea, coffee, milk, bread, eggs, juice, water, etc. It was tastefully decorated throughout with marble floors and nice furniture. What surprised us, even more, was a large balcony with nice patio furniture, sun loungers and a hot tub couples with a view overlooking the sea! There was a TV with satellite channels in the living room and 2 bedrooms, a toilet and double shower unit which the kids used and a toilet, shower cubicle and a jacuzzi bath en-suite to the main bedroom. In the morning, we discovered that there was a daily maid service who changed your towels (bath and beach) and took your rubbish away. Beds were also changed mid-week.
The resort was altogether very pleasant although we did quickly realised that it was split into two. The older part near Marina del Sol reception – with the pool surrounded by sun loungers on top of each other and a bar/restaurant area that reminded me more of a cafe’. Then there’s the newer Santa Cruz Suites reception – with a nicer pool area, bar and restaurant. They even have a free kids club where we managed to have some reading/quiet time without the kids. Rather surprisingly too, there was a nice independent Spanish restaurant right in between the two parts called “El Tajo” which we visited twice.
The sales talk about timeshare did last 4 hours but did start with a buffet breakfast and travelling to the marketing suites. There was a small creche where our daughters watched DVD and did arts & craft, and tea/coffee/orange juice flowed. We have already decided that we didn’t want a timeshare but it was an interesting experience and for the cheap holiday, why not?
As we hired a car, we did venture out towards Estepona beach for the day, the very posh Puerto Banus and a trip to Gibraltar. We did forget our passports, however, as it was all on a whim, so we didn’t actually get into Gibraltar. We spent a couple of days on the beach in Fuengirola and ate out and did our shopping there too.
In the end, it was a very nice holiday and a much-needed break. In a nutshell – without the fact that it was a marketing exercise, the resort was organized, well-run and sleek. The busy road near it was a downside but for the right price, we will go again.
So you ask, why are we not buying? Because we are still very sceptical about timeshares. We went in prepared for the hard sell and was surprised because even the manager was pleasant about the fact that we are not buying! He said “At least, I hope, you will leave with a good impression” and we did! But then, we may have just been very lucky!
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