ICON Malabar, Málaga

Pros

• Your location in Málaga's Soho neighborhood places you steps away from boutique shops, restaurants, and cafés, as well as metro and bus stops.
• Dine on Mediterranean cuisine at Salsa Menta Café, which caters to various dietary preferences, including vegan and gluten-free options.
• The Málaga Tourist Office is around the corner, as is the port, and then about 10 minutes on foot gets you to the leafy Paseo del Parque, popular museums, and the Málaga Cathedral.
• Rooms are bright, some with balconies facing the street, while other units look into an inner courtyard.
• Families or larger parties can book the Quadruple Room and flip a coin to see who gets the top bunk.
• If you're tired of exploring the city on foot, you can reserve and rent a hotel bike to set out farther afield.
• ICON Malabar works with the Too Good To Go app to help reduce food waste by offering discounted "surprise bags" of unsold, perfectly good, food.

Cons

• There isn't a pool or spa, but the hotel's central location means you're just a short trip from La Malagueta Beach and local wellness centers.
• While on-site parking isn't available, you can access a nearby car park at a discounted rate as a hotel guest.

Authenticity

Though a relatively new boutique hotel (since 2021), ICON Malabar sits in a historic building once owned by a prominent merchant of the 19th century. The hotel creatively restored the Andalusian home with contemporary touches that nod to the colonial architecture found in Southeast Asia (like rattan bistro chairs and potted banana plants) and eclectic details that pay homage to the city's Roman and Moorish past. You'll find displayed neo-Classical busts and dizzying Mudéjar courtyards decked out in black and white azulejos. Salsa Menta Café serves up Mediterranean fare with locally inspired dishes, and its name is yet another tribute to Málaga's connection to the Roman Empire as the center of garum production.

Location

Sitting in Malaga's trendy Soho district, you're close to boutique shops, hip bars, international restaurants, and plenty of mural art. You'll also be right on a picturesque pedestrian street just a 10-15-minute walk from the historic center, which includes the Málaga Cathedral, Picasso Museum, and the Calle Larios shopping street. Another 5 get you to the Roman Theater and Alcazaba. The port is a stone's throw away, opposite of which is the nicer open-air Paseo del Muelle Uno shopping center (about a 20-minute walk), where you'll have to pass through the treelined Parque de Málaga to get there. 

Rooms & Bathrooms

Six room types, including two suites, beckon you to unwind. Large windows and glass French doors to Juliet balconies let in a lot of light, reflected off the white walls with tall ceilings and vintage-style wood ceiling fans. Round blonde wood or taupe upholstered furnishings, rose gold fixtures, light hardwood floors, and headboard triptychs of naturalistic fern and palm frond sketch drawings complete the décor. Spacious bathrooms are clad in wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling white marble and outfitted with Molton Brown products. Secure one of the Junior Suites on the top floor for added space and a furnished terrace.

Amenities

Salsa Menta Café is ICON Malabar's first-floor restaurant, serving a well-praised daily breakfast buffet (with hot and cold offerings as well as some traditional Spanish foods) and Mediterranean a la carte lunches and dinners. The hotel also provides a "MiFi" option for citywide internet access, courtesy reusable water bottles, and bikes you can borrow (for a charge). Relax in the common areas, such as the palatial lobby lounge or inner courtyard. And while there's no on-site parking, you can get a discounted rate for nearby parking spots. Accessible rooms and an elevator to the upper floors are available.  

Family-Friendliness

ICON Malabar can sleep families of up to four in Quadruple Rooms where children up to 12 stay for free. Cribs are available upon request (subject to availability), and the property is stroller-friendly with elevator access.