StuartI stayed in the Barcelo Malaga in August for a couple of nights before I went travelling up to the Jaen region of Spain. Malaga is a very diverse city and has the benefit of having a beach as well as new and old parts of the city. It combines history with a beach holiday vibe.
Location of the Barcelo Malaga
The Barcelo Malaga is conveniently located next to Maria Zambrano train station. This makes it really convenient if you are arriving in to Malaga Airport or coming by train from one of the many towns on the Costa Del Sol. You can get from the airport by train within 10 minutes making this hotel very accessible.
You can drive to the hotel but traffic in Malaga can be very busy at times. Parking can also be expensive so public transport is my recommended option.
The Barcelo Malaga is in the newer part of Malaga. However, you can walk to the old town within 15 minutes and a taxi to the Port Area is around 10 euros. It is quite a pleasant and easy flat walk into the old town from the hotel. The hotel is also attached to the station shopping centre with a supermarket and food court.
Arriving at the hotel
I got the train from the airport to the main station and the hotel was a 5 minute walk from the platforms. I just had to follow the signs for Barcelo when walking through the shopping centre within the station.
When I arrived at reception, the staff member on the desk greeted me warmly. A nice touch was some cold water on tap which was very welcome after a very hot journey in August! Once he had taken a copy of my passport and completed the check in formalities, I was on my way up to my room.
My room at the Barcelo Malaga
I opted for the lowest category which is their superior room which was on the 4th floor. The corridor is a little bit strange as the doors are set flush in to the walls of the corridor. This can make it quite difficult to find where your room actually is. However, the corridor has illuminated room numbers.
My room overlooked rooftops but wasn’t a particularly unpleasant view. I think none of the rooms actually have a great view. One good feature of the window as the electric blinds which could be operated at the bedside and this blocked out a lot of light from outside.
The room itself was very modern and light. It had a smart TV including YouTube but the broadcast channels didn’t work on my TV. However, I’m sure if I had told reception, they would have fixed it. I was on holiday so I really didn’t need to watch it. There were plugs on either side of the bed which made charging my phone a breeze. The desk also had plenty of space if I wanted to do any work.
The bathroom
The bathroom was a decent space with everything I needed for a short stay. The towels were also very big which is unusual in a lot of hotels these days! The bathroom had a shower over the bath but the plug had been removed from the bath which made it a bit pointless. They said it was to save water but then, why have a bath in the first place? One nice touch was a sticker on the shower screen with a QR code to a 4 minute Spotify playlist for when you were in the shower.
One issue I did have was a bright green light by the main room door. This was so bright it light up the room at night. I presume this was needed for safety reasons but it would be good if it wasn’t so bright.
The B-Heaven rooftop
On the rooftop of the Barcelo Malaga is a pool area with loungers and chairs. The rooftop bar was also located here. The pool itself is quite small but it is nice to have a pool area at all in a city hotel. I went up here a couple of times during my stay and the bar service was really friendly. The bar had reasonably priced drinks, with a glass of cava only costing 4 euros.
The loungers were mainly occupied during the day but people were courteous by not leaving towels on them when they were not being used. I never had an issue getting a chair on the terrace. I think the pool itself could be cleaned a little more often as the water was starting to get cloudy.
The Lobby Bar in the Barcelo Malaga
The lobby bar in the Barcelo Malaga was a nice place to hang out. It had seats inside and also a nice terrace where I could watch the world go by. Again, this was reasonably-priced with the prices being the same as the rooftop bar. The service here was nice and relaxed.
The restaurant
With so many bars and restaurants in the area, I didn’t get a chance to eat in the hotel restaurant. However, from what I saw, it looked like a nice place to eat.
My verdict
If you are looking for a central hotel, near to public transport for a reasonable price then this is the hotel for you. It is about a 15 minute walk to the old town so if you want to stay right in this area then you may want to look at alternatives. However, for me travelling by train from the airport and the fact I don’t mind walking, this was the ideal hotel for me. Quiet, comfortable and friendly.
