The Grand Hyatt La Manga in Cartagena, Spain is relatively new to the World of Hyatt portfolio opening in Spring 2023. As it happened, I had the chance to stay there for one night while on a road trip from Marbella to Barcelona in December 2023.
Here’s a complete review with (lots of) photos and notes on the experience.
In this post:
Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa Hotel Basics
The Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa officially opened on May 15, 2023 as part of the La Manga Club resort complex. It’s the first Grand Hyatt hotel in mainland Spain. To open the hotel, Hyatt is collaborating with Grupo Inversor Hesperia (GIHSA) which is also the entity responsible for developing Spain’s first Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Regency Residences, Secrets, and Dreams along with its eponymous brand of Hesperia hotels.
La Manga Club first opened in 1972 as the brainchild of Californian Gregory Peters who wanted to recreate an American-style golf resort in Europe and was the first resort in Spain with two golf courses. A hotel was added and rebuilt back in 1993 as a Hyatt Regency. While La Manga Club is a Spanish institution, the hotel on the property had fallen into disrepair and became independent in 2008 as the Hotel Principe Felipe. It’s now been reopened as a Grand Hyatt after undergoing an extensive refurbishment to align the property with Grand Hyatt brand standards.
The Grand Hyatt includes 192 rooms including seven suites. It features a Mediterranean-inspired design with neutral colors, natural textures, and noble materials that evoke tranquility and luxury. Notable amenities include an adult-only infinity pool overlooking the 18th green of the South Course and high-end dining options including a Japanese Sushi bar, Hatsune, and La Cala beach club and restaurant over a secluded Mediterranean cove. There’s also a state-of-the-art 18,298-square-foot wellness center with an array of spa treatments inspired by Arabic design.
Meanwhile, guests are surrounded by the sprawling La Manga Club complex located on 1400 acres nestled between the Calblanque Natural Park, Mar Menor, and the Mediterranean Sea. It boasts over 300 days of sunshine annually. And while the resort opened with two golf courses, it now has three (two of which have championship status), a 28-court tennis center called the Racquets Club, and football & cricket pitches.
Booking Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa
Because the hotel was so new, I didn’t realize it was an option until relatively last minute after already starting the road trip. The hotel is a Category 4 property within World of Hyatt so I booked the night using the annual Category 1-4 Free Night Award earned from the World of Hyatt Credit Card. That left me no time to apply a suite upgrade award so I could only cross my fingers and hope for an upgrade at check in.
Free night awards can be used for any available standard room award within the award’s category band. It doesn’t matter if it’s a peak night. In other words, a Category 4 property during a peak night is the highest value use of a Category 1-4 award worth 18,000 points. I value Hyatt points at 1.7 center per point, so the award can be worth up to $306.
The annual free night award is a standout benefit of the World of Hyatt Credit Card which I view as a must-have card for anyone who frequently stays at Hyatt properties. It can also be earned as a World of Hyatt Milestone Award after 30 elite qualifying nights in a year.
To compare, cash prices for the night were a bit over $270 before taxes and fees. This was not the best value I’d ever gotten out of a free night award (that was when I booked the Park Hyatt Saigon with the award on a night when cash rates were over $1,000). However, the award was soon to expire and $270 is still good value so it made sense to get some value out of it.
Getting to Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa
Since this was a road trip, getting to the Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa was pretty straightforward. It was a convenient stop driving between Almeria and Alicante. If you’re flying to the resort, the drive from Murcia International Airport to the La Manga is about 30 minutes.
Arriving at Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa
We arrived at the Grand Hyatt La Manga shortly after 4 pm. Parking is free and plentiful at the hotel, although it would be free anyway as an award redemption by a Globalist. We were met by the bellman who assisted with bags. After identifying myself, I was immediately shuffled over to the Grand Club to meet a Club Host to complete check-in formalities.
The check-in experience was efficient and done with a flute of Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) in hand. We were informed that we had been assigned a La Manga Club Suite looking over the gold courses as part of Hyatt’s policy of upgrading Globalists to the best available room at check in. After a couple drinks in the Club, we headed to the room and found our bags already deposited in the room.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa Club Suite
We were assigned room 131 which was located at the far side of the hotel a couple levels below the lobby after quite a walk at the corner of the building. Hyatt advertises this room as 645 sq ft with the following description:
Indulge in the comforts of this spacious suite that offers more than 60-square-metres with one king bed and a balcony or terrace where you can enjoy one of the best views of the hotel. This suite features a large separate living room, two 65-inch televisions, dressing room, a marble bathroom with a rain shower, a bathtub as well as a separate toilet. Enjoy the exclusiveness of this rooms that includes private access to the Grand Club Lounge where you can enjoy a selection of complimentary snacks and beverages throughout the day and a host of Grand Club benefits to make your stay an unforgettable experience.
While I usually prefer rooms on the higher floor of hotels, given the layout of the property I was quite pleased with this room’s vantage point.
Club Suite Living Room
After stepping through the entryroom, the first room you’ll see is a spacious living room. It is equipped with a comfortable couch facing a TV, a coffee machine/minibar setup in the corner, and a pair of French doors into the bedroom to the right and doors to the terrace facing the golf course ahead.
Waiting on the coffee table was the welcome amenity. To the right, there was a sitting area with a table and two chairs.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Minibar
The suite had a stocked minibar along with a Nespresso coffee machine and kettle for tea set up in the corner of the living room.
Unfortunately, while the hotel provided six Nespresso pods, four of them were decaf. I never quite understand how this happens but this seems to be a recurring issue across all hotels. It seems to me that if anything, the ratio should be reversed or only real coffee left in the room with decaf only available upon request. Anyway, this issue was promptly resolved upon request.
There was also plenty of complimentary water in the room.
Club Suite Bedroom
Going through the French doors, you walk into the bedroom which is equipped with a comfortable king size bed, makeup desk, and sitting area. The terrace is also directly accessible from the bedroom.
While there is not walk-in closet, the closet does have ample space for most people.
There was a safe along with a shoehorn.
And extra pillows.
The bathroom can be accessed either directly from the bedroom or from the entryway into the living rooom.
Club Suite Bathroom
The main bathroom was spacious with a double vanity, shower, bathtub, and a bathroom separated off.
There were wall-mounted toiletries from Balmain in reusable containers in both the bathtub and the shower.
Along with two loofas.
And a selection of additional toiletries.
The suites have a second a small bonus bathroom off the living room.
Club Suite Terrace
The suite comes with a sizable terrace looking out over the beautifully manicured grounds of the La Manga Club golf course. It being December, it was warm when the sun is out and fantastic sweater weather when it was behind clouds. The terrace made for an excellent place to enjoy the scenery while watching golf parties make their rounds through the course.
It was especially a nice spot to enjoy a drink after the sun went down.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Welcome Amenity
To me, one of the things that can really improve a stay is a getting a nice welcome amenity from the hotel. While simply the gesture of a welcome gift is enough to make me happy, my favorite welcome amenity is a bottle of Champagne or at least sparkling wine (although I did love the welcome gift of boxed cocktails at Hyatt Centric Milano Centrale). In any case, as long as it’s alcoholic and not beer, I’m a particularly happy camper.
The Grand Hyatt La Manga delivered. Waiting on the coffee table was a welcome amenity consisting of a bottle cava and some macrons. This was accompanied by a high-end face cleanser from Natura Bissé, a Catalan brand based not far away in Barcelona. There was also a welcome note along with the GM’s business card.
The cava was the CodornÃu Ars Collecta. Not bad.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa Turndown Service
We left the hotel for dinner at a local restaurant. when we returned, we found the room turned down with a note and chocolate left on each side of the bed.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa Dining & Club
The Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa has a wide selection of dining options:
- Amapola, a fine-dining restaurant
- Le Buffet, the breakfast restaurant
- Don Luigi Trattoria, Italian food
- Asia Restaurant, serving Southeast Asian fusion
- Hatsune, sushi bar
- La Cala, beach club and restaurant
- Sol y Sombra, poolside restaurant at all-ages pool
- La Cascada, poolside restaurant at adults-only pool
- Terrace Grill Steakhouse
- 37 Spikes & Sports Bar
- The Last Green Sports & Cocktail Bar
You can review the details and some menus here on Hyatt’s website. As already mentioned, we drove to a local restaurant for dinner so I can only comment on the breakfast and the Grand Club selection.
We did walk past The Last Green a few times and it looked fun. While we planned to have a drink there on our second day before departure, it was closed for a private event. Next time. Both Sol y Sombra and La Cascada appeared to be closed during our visit, likely due to the season.
Grand Club at Grand Hyatt La Manga
Grand Hyatt La Manga is home to an impressive Grand Club which is open from 8 am to 6:30 pm. There are snacks and coffee available throughout the day (including espresso drinks — yum). In the evening, there is a cocktail and canapés hour.
Access to the Grand Club is included for club level rooms, suites, and to Hyatt Globalists automatically. You can also purchase access for 40€ a person or apply a World of Hyatt Club Access Award to a booking to get access.
This is one of the most impressive club lounges I’ve seen at any hotel in Europe, or realistically, anywhere outside of Asia and the middle east. Note that the selection of canapés in the photos are what was offered over two days since we were granted an late checkout beyond the 4 pm late checkout for Globalists (based on availability at resorts).
The space is also used for the Asia Restaurant. They start setting up while the space is still being used for the Grand Club, including with a vertical rather than horizontal placement of chopsticks.
This is, of course, incorrect, and is considered egrigiously impolite in Japanese culture since it results in the tip facing someone else. 😅 We had planned to try Hatsune for dinner but after seeing the chopstick placement at its sister restaurant, I couldn’t imagine that the sushi would be very good so we decided to head off-property. Luckily, there’s no paucity of options nearby.
Grand Hyatt La Manga “Le Buffet” Breakfast
Globalists get breakfast included at all Hyatt properties and La Manga is no exception. I believe the Grand Club also serves breakfast at times but we were directed to the Le Buffet restaurant. I’m not sure if this is standard practice or was due to low occupancy during our stay. We ordered off the menu.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Passes My Mimosa Test
Amusingly, the hotel had both cava and orange juice available at breakfast but the waiter wasn’t sure what I was asking for when I asked for a mimosa. Obviously, this wasn’t a real issue. As soon as I explained, he was more than amenable. So, I was able to enjoy my breakfast mimosa in hand — and promptly forgot to snap a photo.
While Hyatt offers what I consider to be the best elite breakfast to Globalists, it does not include a mimosa so hotels are going beyond what the benefits require when one is included. To me, it’s a good sign that the property will go beyond the bare minimum to make guests happy when something as simple as a mimosa is offered as part of breakfast.
Le Buffet restaurant is spacious and has a great view of the palm trees. There’s also an outdoor terrace seating area which looked quite appealing but I was dissuaded from sitting at due to the brisk weather.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa Adult Pool
The Grand Hyatt La Manga has two pools: one larger pool that is all-ages and an adults-only infinity pool overlooking the 18th hole of one of the golf courses. While the weather was brisk, I did take a dip and enjoyed some time in the December Spanish sun with the bucolic backdrop.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa Fitness Center
With all the dining options available in La Manga, a good gym is a must. As someone who spends a lot of time in hotels and relies on hotel gyms to continue having good workouts, I was pleased to discover one of the best equipped gyms I’ve ever seen at a hotel.
The 2,600 sq ft fitness center is located within the spa and has a variety of cardio machines and strength training equipment. The center is open 24 hours a day and definitely has everything you need for a solid workout while on the go.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Alma’s Spa
As part of the hotel’s transformation in preparation to become a Grand Hyatt, 18,298-square-foot wellness center known branded the Alma’s Spa. It is inspired by Arabian design and incorporates water as a central theme which apparently reflects the meaning of ‘alma’ in Arabic and Spanish. It is accessible from a side entrance from outside the hotel.
A 4,736-square-foot facility also includes a hydrotherapy pool and a multi-sensory circuit aimed at promoting physical and mental rejuvenation. These included experience showers along with a sauna, steam room, cold plunge, and an ice fountain.
The spa has six treatment rooms offering various therapies and beauty treatments using Natura Bissé products. While I didn’t have the chance to have a massage, I did take a look at the menu and there are a wide variety of treatments available with reasonable pricing. You can access the spa menu here.
Before closing this section off, I want to take a moment to shoutout the spa manager who really had amazing energy and was super helpful and friendly on each visit to the spa or fitness center. I was admittedly quite cranky when I went to the gym in the morning after not getting a particularly good night’s rest but her positive aura was palpable. I don’t want to name names here but I’m sure anyone at Hyatt who might read this can look it up and I want to say: this woman is fantastic.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa Grounds & Facilities
Beyond everything noted above, the hotel has extensive grounds and facilities all of which appear to be well maintained. While the hotel itself is impressive, I was not prepared for how large the entire La Manga resort complex is. The scale of it is quite clear looking at a map.
There are two electric car parking spots available at the hotel.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa Incident
While the hotel’s facilities are flawless, there was one hiccup during the stay. While my friend had already gone to sleep, I stayed up to get some work done in the living room. I finished up around 2 am and headed to take a quick shower before going to sleep. When I turned the faucet, there was no water. I called the front desk and service was… abysmal. The night agent’s English was barely serviceable. It took considerable back and forth and a manegerial escalation, before I eventually was given access to a nearby room to shower.
According to a conversation I had the following day, there was a maintenance issue that forced them to shut off the plumbing. While I understand that maintenance issues happen at hotels, ideally a hotel would proactively notify guests as soon as the issue is discovered with a plan to deal with resulting issues instead of leaving me to discover the issue when I stepped into the shower and pushing my already late bedtime another hour.
While the incident was highly inconvenient, the hotel did everything possible to make it up the next day sending a bottle of Moët & Chandon rosé as an apology. They also proactively offered the points equivalent of the maximum redemption of a Category 1-4 award (18,000) points in lieu of a refund given I used an award. Given the scale of inconvenience, I felt that this was an appropriate service recovery. This was all managed by the manager on duty (general manager was out of the country) who was very professional in handling everything which I very much appreciated.
I want to emphasize that outside of this incident, everyone I interacted with at Grand Hyatt La Manga was excellent and everything outside of this unusual incident was completely satisfactory. While the hotel could have made improvements in the lead-up and moment of the incident, the team acquitted itself well with the service recovery and I would jump at the chance to stay here again.
Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa Bottom Line
The Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa in Cartagena, Spain, opened in May 2023, marking Grand Hyatt’s debut on mainland Spain. This is really an excellent hotel for a holiday whether you’re a golfer or not and — despite a minor issue during my stay — I would jump at the chance to return. Located within the 1,400-acre La Manga Club resort, the hotel offers 192 rooms, including seven suites. It features amenities such as an all-ages pool, an adults-only infinity pool, a modern wellness center, and multiple fine dining options. The resort also boasts three golf courses, a tennis center, and proximity to Calblanque Natural Park. The facilities are well-maintained, the staff went above and beyond to ensure a good stay and Globalist benefits were consistently recognized.
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