Hotel La Bobadilla

An hour's drive northeast of Malaga, Hotel La Bobadilla is one of Andalusia's finest hotels, a former palace with panoramic views over 1000 acres of private estate. The property combines the rustic charms of rural life with an excellent range of activities (tennis courts, horseriding, trekking, mountain bikes, small game hunting, trekking and, crucially, a great children’s club) to keep you and your kids, or your partner, occupied. An extensive refurbishment was carried out in May 2006 and the result is out of this world. Together with a vast outdoor pool, newly completed spa, stables and 3 exquisite haute-cuisine restaurants, this enchanting hotel is a gateway to the cultural wealth of the region.

The hotel complex is built like an Andalusian village with a number of whitewashed casas beautifully arranged at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. They contain 70 luxuriously appointed guest rooms that are each individually designed and lavishly decorated, all with opulent bedrooms and bathrooms which provide exceptional grace and comfort. Fine dining is a mainstay of Hotel La Bobadilla, whose most select restaurant La Finca is also one of the best in the Granada province and specialises in innovative seafood dishes (La Finca Restaurant is closed every Monday and Sunday during the months of May and June 2009). There's also El Cortijo Restaurant for typical regional dishes, a Pool Bar, the Mirador outdoor restaurant, and an excellent spa. Finally, should you decide to get married at the resort, there's a Mudejar-style chapel with a 9 metre-high (30-ft.) organ and 1,595 pipes.

Hotel La Bobadilla is situated near the town of Loja in the centre of Andalusia, 60 kilometers from the city of Malaga and 70 kilometres from Granada, which are easily and quickly accessible by motorway, as are Cordoba and Seville. Santa Ana railway station (near Antequera) is only 20 minutes from the hotel, connecting with Madrid in two hours in the high speed train.