An investment of 2.6 million euros along with over a year and a half of work is what the Lima family have recently put into renovating the hotel their grandfather founded in 1965. On 1st July 2020, Hotel Lima reopened its doors as a brand-new hotel with its modern building standing in one of the most central streets of Marbella, 200 metres from the promenade and the beach.
However, Marbella, besides the beach, has many good golf courses and the town along with the entire Costa del Sol is a golfing destination par excellence; guests of Hotel Lima have a transfer service available to any of the local courses.
Hotel Lima was founded in 1965 and is a classic name in the town. In 2020 it underwent a complete refurbishment. What is Hotel Lima like now?
The hotel is a family business opened in 1965 by our grandfather, Paco Lima, and next year it will have been operating for 57 years. His children, Maria Luisa and Juan, took over the business from him for several decades and, for the last four years, we, the third generation of the Lima family, have been in charge of the hotel; with Alejandro and myself, Maria Luisa’s children, and Chiqui, Marta and Nines, Juan’s daughters, at the helm – all of us committed to the business preserving the same friendly staff and family essence.
Our first undertaking was a complete refurbishment to add two stars to the ones we already had. These days Hotel Lima is a modern hotel offering guests all the comforts of a 4-star hotel yet retaining the charm and experience built up over more than half a century. In fact, one of the aspects ensuring this continuity is those employees in the firm who began their career with us and still work in the hotel today, upholding the caring, personal service we give our guests.
We now have 61 rooms and on each floor we have photographs and images of the old Hotel Lima, showing how it was from the start. Likewise, in all corners of the public areas there are pieces of furniture we have saved that give a distinctive and unique, vintage touch.
We have also brought back the original name our grandfather gave to his first restaurant – Virazón, the name for the wind that blows from the sea onto the land. Here you can see decorative elements from old that have been incorporated into the new restaurant space.
One of the new features of the renovated building is the top floor, where you can find the swimming pool, sun terrace and a rooftop bar. Here our guests can relax and soak up the Marbella sunshine with this fabulous weather we have all year round.
Another special feature of Hotel Lima is its innovative lighting. The colours of the façade change on special dates and holidays, as well as in support of different worthy causes. Other than those days, the lighting is predominantly white.
Marbella is a seaside resort and Hotel Lima is right in the centre of town, just a few metres from the beach and the promenade. With that in mind, what will visitors find when they stay in the hotel?
The first thing any traveller who chooses to stay at Hotel Lima notices is that they can forget about their car for the length of their stay. As soon as you get here, you will discover that you have landed in the heart of Marbella, so from the moment you arrive, you will be feeling the vibe of this beautiful town and getting to know it.
We are one of the most central hotels in Marbella, just a few metres from the promenade, the marina and the beach, making us ideal for lovers of sports and water activities. We are also very close to Marbella’s beautiful old town, where, as well as numerous museums and restaurants, we have the remains of Marbella’s castle wall dating back to the 10th century, which is well worth a visit for its beauty while you soak in and stroll through the town’s beautiful streets and squares.
As well as enjoying our facilities during their stay with us, all hotel guests have any activity they could wish for on hand just a stone’s throw away to keep them busy, be it sporting, cultural or leisure. There is also a huge choice of restaurants around the hotel, more than thirty, serving a range of top-class cuisine with something for everyone and which are sure to impress any visitor. And when you decide to retire for a good night’s sleep, you will find a perfect temperature, silence and the comfort of a guest room with a marvellous bed for complete rest and relaxation.
One of the main reasons people travel the world is to play golf and Marbella is a town with many good courses. Does Hotel Lima have services for guests who are visiting to play golf?
Of course! Any guest coming to Hotel Lima can enjoy our personalised transfer service, whether it be for airport transfers, rail transfers or, to answer your question, transfers to any of the many golf courses in and around the town.
Our guests, in addition to enjoying all the advantages of staying in the centre, can be hitting balls on the course of their choice within a few minutes, thanks to our transfer service.
What about special deals with golf courses in the area?
Likewise, Hotel Lima has agreements with the area’s golf courses and works closely with them, meaning the customer can benefit from extra rewards when they choose to be our guest and stay with us.
In 2020, once the hotel refurbishment was finished, you started organising a programme of cultural events on the terrace. How did this initiative come about?
Since we reopened in 2020 we have been committed to supporting, promoting and nurturing Marbella’s cultural scene. One way of doing this has been to use our walls to showcase local art, such as the latest photograph by artist Jesús Chacón, which has been on display in the hotel lobby for a few months now. The Hotel Lima rooftop serves as a setting for all kinds of cultural events such as acoustic concerts, poetry recitals, book presentations, etc. In short, events that integrate local people with hotel guests, who are always welcome.
So far, there have been events dedicated to different types of culture, and above all musical concerts. Is the idea to continue along those lines?
All of us, the owners, share an interest in this and we will carry on along the same lines for sure, contributing to the town’s cultural life with great enthusiasm, excitement and affection, and of course, always grateful for the support we receive from the public, who never fail to attend our events.
I’m sure you have new things planned for 2022. Any sneak preview you can give us?
For the Christmas holidays we will be organising a show with a variety of acts that will delight our guests. I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that we will soon have a completely revamped website with a fresh look where you can keep up to date with all the must-see events and experiences, true to our two mottos – Loving Marbella and ‘De aquí a Lima’ (From Here to Lima, roughly meaning from Near and Far)