Gran Hotel Miramar had been a dream of mine for a while and last summer we went for the first time to Málaga. I have been to many places in Spain but never had the chance to go to Málaga. A lot of friends had told me the city is very nice to visit and has a lot of very good restaurants too.
Gran Hotel Miramar we are coming for you
We arrived at the Gran Hotel Miramar just in time for sundown. The check in was done in a minute. We were offered a glas of cava while checking in by the nice and prompt staff. They told us we could hurry up to the roof top bar for a cocktail as the sun would set over the ocean. And that is what we did
We never took a look at the room but just left our luggage to head up to the roof top bar.
Windy, cold and beautiful
The hotel is not that high, it is an old beautiful building and the roof top bar is located on floor 7 (I think). This night we were almost the only ones up there. We stayed at the hotel in late July of 2021, in the pandemic, so I guess that is why it was not many guests there.
Or maybe they felt it was too cold outside. It was a bit weird. We left Sweden with 17 C and landed in Valencia with 28 C but the wind was so cold we couldn’t stay long at the roof top bar. Luckily there were glass walls to hide behind. That is how cold the wind was.
Stunning view of Gran Hotel Miramar
The Gran Hotel Miramar has an long and interesting history, served as a royal palace to the spanish post office. Once it was turned into a hospital to and the justice department of Málaga had its head office here.
It was in late 2010’s the building was closed down and the renovation to build the hotel as we see it today was started.
The interior of the hotel is wonderful. The spansh, moorish style is everywhere. The arches, colours and symbols. The coart yard is the central meeting point, I guess once it was an open air area, now enclosed as a nice lounge.
Gran Hotel Miramar has one main dining room, breakfast room and two lunch restaurants.
The breakfast room has a view of the pool and during the nice and warm months it is also possible to be having breakfast al fresco. Very nice.
Excellent breakfast
The staff at the hotel is very friendly and helpful. We mostly met them for breakfast and lunch. The breakfast is very nice. There are so many options for you to choose from and I like that there are local food items too. I think I had the spanish tortilla every morning during our week long stay. I also love the sweet and fresh orange juice, so smooth and tasty.
If you want to they also have a chef preparing your eggs, waffles or whatever you would like. The strong coffee was very good to.
Dining in style
The terrace that belongs to the main restaurant is a very nice place for a dinner. The terrace overlooks the pool and the ocean, on the other side of the street. The menu is an international menu with a local twist to it.
We had a tasting menu of five courses with wine pairing. The starter course was the very local cold soup, Ajoblanco. It was tasty soup with a little sting to it, a hint of garlic and spices. It was a perfect start.
The view from the terrace is stunning and as the sun sets over the ocean the hotel transform in to an old luxury hotel with a great ambience. There were live piano music that night too. Wine pairing was perfect servings us local wines. It was a great experience.
Lazy days by the pool
Our days in Malaga was terrific, we had the most relaxing time. One day we took a tour to the scary mountain walks but from that we hanged by the pool, had lunch by the ocean and visited many good restaurants in Málaga.
The pool area is quite large, I guess when the hotel is fully booked and there is no pandemic going on, that area will be full fast. Even though there are many sunbeds they go very fast. I can recommend to use the beds at the right hand side of the pool. They are not as crowded and if you don’t want an umbrella, it is more easy to take it down.
By the pool is a small and popular lunch restaurant serving most common lunch items, inlcuding pizzas and burgers. However, I can strongly recommend to walk across the street towards the beach to visit Chiringuito Tropicana, an informal beach grill serving fresh seafood and local wines.
Remember to make a reservation ahead unless you don’t mind waiting for a while. The Tropicana is extremely popular for lunch. The fist time we went we had to wait for 30 minutes and while having our lunch we made a reservation for the next day again.
It was just super, everything was soo tasty. Starting with a classic gaspacho, some freshly grilled sardines and sallads to grilled scampi, all washed down with local ice cold white wine.
Luxury hotel for everyone
The Gran Hotel Miramar is part of Small luxury Hotels of the world. This hotel is a magic little gem in Málaga. Maybe the most premium location in the city. The hotel has a relaxed atsmophere and is very popular amongst families with children as well as Honeymooners and couples looking for a first class hotel.
I can highly recommend a stay here. We are planning a return visit already next year.
