Yzabelle Bostyn
THE Times has named a five star hotel in Andalucia as Spain’s best rural retreat.
La Bobadilla offers luxury accommodation in the Sierra de Lonja, a mountain range on the border between Malaga and Granada.
Run by the prestigious hotel chain, Barceló, The Times named it the ‘best rural escape for families’.
It was also named Spain’s ‘best boutique hotel’ in the 2019 World Travel Awards, otherwise known as the ‘Oscars of tourism’.
La Bobadilla is also a member of the esteemed luxury hotel collective ‘Leading Hotels of the World’.
Set over 350 hectares, the hotel is more like a small Andalucian town, home to a Michelin star restaurant, two swimming pools, padel and tennis courts, sweeping gardens and a spa.
The architecture draws on Andalucia’s arabic history, with nods to Granada’s emblematic Alhambra on every corner.
Each room is unique, with luxurious marble bathrooms, handpicked furniture and panoramic windows giving way to countryside views.
The hotel is popular with the rich and famous and was frequently visited by the former King of Spain, Juan Carlos I.
Surrounded by rolling hills and olive trees, it is a refuge from the nearby tourist hotspots of Malaga and Granada.
La Bobadilla even offers a range of activities to help visitors disconnect from everyday life from horse riding to Nordic walking.
The five-star venue also has a range of restaurants, but La Finca, which has recently been awarded a Michelin star, is certainly the hotel’s crowning jewel.
Led by two Michelin star chef Pablo Gonzalez and Malaga native, Fernando Arjona, the menu is inspired by local cuisine, including olive oil from the hotel grounds and caviar from the nearby Riofrío.
Not a budget getaway, prices start at €250 euros for a room and €1000 for a suite.
La Bobadilla is around an hour from both Malaga and Granada or five hours from Madrid.
Either way, visitors must rent cars to arrive at this isolated hotel for a quiet escape in the Andalucian hills.
