La Zambra Resort Mijas - The Unbound Collection by Hyatt

Fully refurbished hotel with historic past, beautiful decor throughout. Staff were friendly and attentive. (Special mention to the Spa therapists, who were fabulous). Good location within easy access to Mijas and/or the beach, and golf available on the door step. Definitely worth a visit, could not fault this hotel.

La Zambra presents itself as a luxury retreat, but beneath the polished exterior lies a poorly managed operation that fails to meet five-star expectations. Understaffing leads to slow, inconsistent service, making even basic requests a challenge. Breakfast, while decent, is overshadowed by frantic staff more focused on flipping tables than providing attentive service. The issue isn’t the employees—they’re clearly overworked—but the lack of strong leadership and organization. Nowhere is this mismanagement more obvious than in the hotel’s handling of private events. Large portions of the property are reserved for exclusive groups, leaving paying guests sidelined. Meanwhile, details that should reflect a luxury experience fall short—hasty repairs, subpar upkeep, and a general lack of refinement. Rather than a seamless five-star escape, La Zambra operates with the disorganization of a struggling hotel. During my stay, I interacted with a manager, Félix Córdoba, whose approach perfectly reflected the hotel’s larger issues. His handling of concerns was dismissive and unprofessional, adding to an already frustrating experience. His attitude was just another example of the broader culture of mismanagement at La Zambra—where expectations are set high but rarely met. For those looking for a true five-star stay in Málaga, look elsewhere—La Zambra simply doesn’t deliver.

We love La Zambra. We have stayed here twice now. Once last August and once this February and both visits have been amazing. The food and beverage stand is wonderful. Breakfast is 100% worth getting up for. The staff are all so lovely and attentive and it is great to see the same faces when you return. The whole hotel has a very understated, laid back luxury feel to it. The rooms are spacious, kept very neat and tidy and also perfect for families. The gym is 24hr and has all the basics you need. The kids club is really good. The staff there are always so lovely with the children. (The outdoor park could do with a little bit adding to it for families to go and play there independently to be honest. Maybe a small slide and climbing area?) In summer the pools and pool areas are perfect. In winter, the hotel is definitely missing a trick by not having them heated even slightly, as we found it can be sunbathing weather even in the depths of February. So it would be a perfect hotel to escape in Winter/Spring too for some blue skies and sunshine were the pools not closed/unusable. The indoor spa are was lovely too but the pools could have been slightly warmer, especially in the winter months. Its a great hotel for playing golf as there are two courses practically attached to the course which is handy and concierge are really helpful with storing bags by the entrance so you can grab and go etc. Customer service was very helpful via the whatsapp messaging service that the hotel uses. We could contact housekeeping, kids club, food and beverage and get help with restaurant bookings very quickly and easily with this service. Looking forward to visiting again.