Parador de Malaga Gibralfaro

The views are spectacular. I came hoping for a quiet Monday morning coffee, and found I could charge my electric car in the parking area. The dogs loved the green areas around the place too.

We left very disappointed. The view was only moderately good, and there wasn’t much else to like. Staying here doesn’t really give you an advantage for reaching Gibralfaro Castle, so don’t get the wrong idea. At check-in the staff kept chatting with each other and didn’t even greet us. Our room was cold, and some kind of machinery made noise until late at night, which made sleeping difficult. The worst experience was the café on the ground floor. The two waiters seemed to be trying their best, but there weren’t enough of them for the size of the place and number of guests. We waited 15 minutes just to pay. The food was expensive and awful, especially the fried squid. It was the worst dining experience of my life. We paid a lot to stay over the year-end holidays, and came away with a very bad memory.

On our departure day, there wasn’t time for breakfast, so the staff kindly packed picnic bags for us with fruit, freshly made sandwiches, croissants, water, and juice. Such a generous touch. We had a wonderful stay: parking was easy, and our spacious, spotless room was peaceful. The balcony had a lovely view over Málaga. We also enjoyed food and drinks at the bar and the walk down to the old town and back. The route’s best for people in reasonably good shape. We wholeheartedly recommend the place and would love to return.

The food was good, and there’s a nice little rooftop pool for summer guests. It’s easy to reach Castillo de Gibralfaro and walk down to the alcazabar. A lovely hotel, quite usual for a Parador, with one of the best views you could hope for over a city :o)