Location: Calle Tomás Heredia 11, Soho

Budget: €120-€180 / night

Date of Stay: September 2021

4* Hotel Icon Malabar opened its doors in July 2020 in the heart of Malaga’s trendy Soho district. I’ve been walking past the iconic building for the past couple of years, thinking what a shame it was that it wasn’t looked after, so when I saw works happening here I was delighted. 

And the end result doesn’t disappoint. With major kerb appeal, as well as stunning interior design, the place has the wow factor.

I stayed with two girl friends in a Junior suite – perfect for 3 adults. We arrived on a Friday afternoon and basically hunkered down in our fluffy robes for a relaxing girls’ night in! The junior suite was fabulous, with a huge bath tub in the room we had a real pamper party. Room service and reception took care of our every whim, from bringing us drinks and snacks, to arranging a late checkout. On Saturday morning we enjoyed the amazing breakfast buffet. My friend, who says she never takes the brekkie option, was blown away and said she would stay here JUST for the breakfast – praise indeed! (Breakfast €20 pp/pn) We booked our stay on a new opening deal and so we paid just €120/night. I believe at the time of writing, the junior suite starts at around €140/night for members of Icon’s ‘Tripster Club’.

Hotel Icon Malabar is perfectly situated: Just a 5 minute walk to Malaga’s historic downtown area; 5 minutes on foot from the cercanias trainline which links to the airport and to the west; 2 minutes to all main inner city bus lines; 10 minutes to the stunning port area, 15 minutes to the beach; and less than 10 minutes walking to most of Malaga’s 34 (and counting) museums! They also have bicycles available for guests to borrow – I recommend taking advantage of this and heading down to the local fishing village of Pedregalejo on the east side of the city to have some traditional seafood such as ‘espetos de sardinas’ – sardines cooked over a log fire on the beach. 

Icon Malabar Gallery