Barceló Malaga

Clean, modern and new - this is a well designed and very comfortable hotel. The beds are so comfortable! The pool area on the roof is really very nice indeed. Staff all very nice and helpful. Although hotel is 25 min walk from Centro Historico, it is next to the train station which is very handy for the airport and two large shopping malls. Really nice cafes for breakfast close by if you don’t want the hotel breakfast.

Only suggestions would be to open the pool bar in the week please! Guests all had to go down to the lobby every time they wanted a drink. Would be better for guests if orders could even be taken up at the terrace if the bar is to be closed. Same for pool towels, why not have them up by the pool area? I had to trek downstairs twice for towels as when I asked none were available.

Room was big and bed really comfy, good toiletries in bathroom, even though we brought our own. Pool area really nice, lots of space to sit/lay down and the bar was a plus. Service was good and you could order food up to the pool area. Staff at reception were really helpful and let me speak my pretty awful Spanish at them! Location good, short walk into town and bus to beach area plus lots of good restaurants nearby with very good prices, being a little further out. We didn't require this but the pool has wheelchair access with a hoist which is great to see I would definitely stay here again :)

Aircon units a bit noisy and cocktails round pool were not great and seemed to differ in price vs menu/day to day wine was nice though. Breakfast very expensive to add but lots of cafes nearby

The hotel is just above the Malaga Maria Zambrano transport hub including the main line high speed train station, the local rail network with direct links to the airport and the bus station again with a direct link to the airport and a shopping centre. Getting to the hotel from the airport couldn't be easier. Just hop on the C-1 train which is approximately 50m from the main entrance to the terminal building in the direction of Malaga Centro-Almedia (the other direction goes to Fuengirola) and get off at Malaga Maria Zambrano, the third station along. You don't even need to purchase a ticket as you can use your credit card to pass through the barrier to access the train and again to pass through as you leave, very convenient. Note, there is a discrete entrance to the hotel just to the left of the main line train station entrance at the end of the car hire booths. The breakfast at the hotel is exceptional and you don't have to worry about going down to the ground floor if you eat too much, just hop on the slide.

Be careful when you arrive at the station for the first time as, if you leave the building you may not be able to see the hotel since it is more or less above you. There is a fair walk to the old town or beach, but you can reduce the journey by going to the last station on the local C-1 train, just one stop along, or catch a bus.

I loved the fact that the hotel was joined at the back of train station & shops but you couldn't hear anything. Also it has a big slide in the foyer. You can slide down after eating a big breakfast . It was my husbands birthday & they delivered a bottle of bubbly with a cake & candle to the room. We didn't even tell them it was his birthday, they must have seen it on his passport.

Nothing much I didn't like apart from there was hardly any storage if you stayed longer than 3 days. Also the corridors was very dark because the doors was dark brown whereas everywhere else was light & airy.

* modern, luxury and grown up feel * clean and comfortable beds and rooms * amazing shower with massive rain shower head * we arrived to our room as a selected VIP for that day so we had a free bottle of champagne and lovely cakes * fridge has cold water in which was good after a long hot journey * breakfast buffet was very tasty and so much food to choose from * tv had English channels which is nice touch when wanting to relax in the room * welcome and staff were helpful and English was very good so no language barriers * room service was very good - quick service and food was tasty * easy to get to through the mall from the train station * staff were helpful when we needed to book a taxi * bedding felt luxurious and was so comfortable

* the rooftop terrace was so busy which meant no loungers to use and there were noisy kids in the pool - so we didn’t get to use the pool - the rest of the hotel is lush and has a expensive grown up feel so the noisy families / children doesn’t really fit that same vibe

Very easy to get to if you arrive by train as right next door. Room was very spacious. Plenty seating areas both inside and out and very decorative and unique. Fantastic slide inside lobby area where bar is located. Pool area very nice.

Bar closed early around 11 or 12pm. Not possible to get a drink after this time. Pool bar also did not open till 12 noon and closed by 9pm. We did no arrive till after 10pm and we had to check out by 12 noon, therefore never got to experience this. For the price of the room for one night, it was not exactly value for money. Think you are paying for the uniqueness of slide alone.

The breakfast was great - I especially liked the fresh smoothies and a selection on freshly cut fruits! Our room was clean, the bed was very comfy. The staff was kind and helpful and the gym was fairly well-equipped. The location of the hotel is perfect. The room window's handle broke after a cleaning lady had gave airing to the room (or how we assumed, because we hadn't opened the window ourselves and it was open when we returned to our room) and it was impossible to close the window. But it wasn't a big deal - the receptionist ordered a caretaker, and he came almost immediately and fixed the window handle in minutes. So fast and good service! Overall, very good experience!

In the breakfast, we found in a bit inconvenient (and problematic in hygienic- and allergenicwise) that there weren't servers/spoon/fork for all of the fruits or other dishes - we needed to use the same servers for multiple dishes/fruits etc. There wasn't a hand disinfection gel in the breakfast room at all (only in the entrance, which was quite far away. It could be a good idea to have it nearby the foods). There wasn't a toilet brush in a room at all, which was a bit weird. The price/quality ratio might have been a little better. The price/night was higher than average, which why our expectations might have been a bit too high and that's way the overall experience did not fully fulfilled them.

As we arrived by train, this was a perfect location. Although it was attached to the train station, there was no noise from next door and the area was not one that one sometimes associates with major train stations - it was clean and felt very safe. Breakfast was very good.

Although we liked the location for the reasons already mentioned, it was a bit too far from the main beach and cafes/restaurants. On balance, for a next visit, we would stay in a busier area. Coffee from the machines was a bit weak

Good location next to main train station and about 30 leisurely minutes walk from the center of the old town. Nice spacious hotel and rooms, with modern walk-in showers with massage jets. Beautiful chill-out on the rooftop with pool (not heated in winter). Scrumptious breakfast buffet. The gym was well equipped and with lots of natural light. Personnel very professional and helpful.

At the bar they did not prepare cocktails even though it was on the menu. Lacked apparently the knowledge…

Great hotel in central Malaga, perfect if you want to be close to the beach, the old city center and also if you want to travel outside of Malaga (just by the central station where all the buses go to Granada, Caminito del Rey, etc)! Very clean hotel, amazing breakfast and a really nice rooftop pool (the pool could be a little crowded in the late afternoon, but not at all between 10-15)!

Nothing, everything was great, would return here if I would visit Malaga again!