Malaga Travel, Parador Hotels of Spain

My family travels to Europe every summer for vacation, but in planning last year’s European adventure, there was some dissension among the ranks. “Why is every vacation a history lesson?” asked my oldest son. “Why can’t we be like other families and just go to the beach?” added my daughter.

Maybe our family—my husband and I, our sons (ages 18, 16 and 15), and daughter (11)—did need some beach time. But why just go to the beach when you can immerse yourself in another culture?

I knew just the place. My grandfather had retired to a villa near Málaga, Spain when I was a child. I had many happy memories of swimming in the Mediterranean, exploring the sites of Moorish culture and visiting sleepy fishing villages. Thus, I booked a stay at the Parador Málaga Golf (Autoria Malaga Algesidas Salida Coin, tel. +34 952-38-12-55) for our family’s Málaga vacation to explore Spain’s Andalucia region.

As we drove down the long private drive lined with palm trees, we came upon a group of low-rise hacienda buildings just steps from the Mediterranean Sea. The private beach was dotted with thatched-roof cabanas. The parador’s golf course beckoned the men in the family.

 

• The Aiguablava Parador is situated on an enclave on Spain’s Costa Brava.

Paddy Briggs

Spanish Paradors

Paradors (paradores, in Spanish) are a diverse collection of more than 90 luxury hotels run by the Spanish government. Spain’s parador system was created in the 1920s to promote tourism in the provinces and preserve the country’s historical buildings.

As a quasi-government/public enterprise, parador hotels enjoy privileged locations throughout Spain—along the coast, in historical hill towns and in countryside retreat settings. The paradors of Spain are often located in culturally important buildings such as monasteries, castles and fortresses, but some—like Málaga Golf—have a more contemporary design.

The vast majority of our fellow guests were Spanish families. Well-traveled Europeans have long known about the charms of paradors, and there were some British and German guests too, but surprisingly we were the only American family.

 

• A room at the Parador Málaga Golf.

Courtesy of Paradores de Turismo de España

You won’t find Spanish paradors in Spain’s big metropolitan areas like Madrid or Barcelona. We found that staying at a parador is a great way to have a more intimate Spanish-travel experience and well worth the small detour.

Parador Málaga Golf

The Málaga parador stay was also affordable. We paid €115 per room (about $160), which is reasonable considering that we were staying at a Mediterranean beach resort in August. Current rates start at €103 (about $145). The maximum room occupancy at Málaga Golf was three people. I opted for three rooms, because when vacationing en famille, my husband and I need some time without our kids!

Each room had a balcony with a seating area and views of the Mediterranean, the pool and the gardens. Our rooms were European beach chic—modern dark wood furniture, high-end white linens and a plasma television. The travertine marble-fitted bathroom was stocked with lots of pampering “smellies.”

 

• Test your golf skills at the Parador Málaga Golf 18-hole course.

Courtesy of Paradores de Turismo de España

Dining on regional cuisine is a big part of the parador experience. On the terrace, we enjoyed the prix-fixe lunch (€32 each; about $45) with fish soup and roast lamb with almonds, followed by exquisite desserts and fruit. For my appreciative husband and me, each course was expertly paired with a local wine.

Every afternoon my kids had their beach time. For families with American sensibilities, know that going topless is commonplace in Spain. I tried my very best to be nonchalant about the scenery. Every day my two youngest sons went for a run along the beach, “training for cross-country,” they said. My boys logged quite a few miles!

Next: Málaga Things to Do, Alhambra and Day Trips