Review: La Zambra Hotel - The Unbound Collection by Hyatt

Why book?

To rethink the Costa del Sol. This is a clean contemporary take on Andalucia, as seen through the eyes of Mallorcan architects Esteva i Esteva (Es Racó d’Artà) and Pablo Carrington, the Spanish-American founder of “distinctive” hotel management group Marugal. It’s named after a style of Flamenco that is danced in bare feet; the idea is that guests should feel free to do their thing.

Set the scene

The Mijas Costa area is not the prettiest, so you know when you’ve arrived. The gate is immaculately edged in lavender; it opens onto a white courtyard in which three soaring palms and high Moorish walls draw the eye up to the porcelain-blue sky. This leads to an airy lobby and a series of patios and fountains, with glimpses of leafy gardens through latticework and arches. The late-afternoon sun casts shadows on whitewashed walls, natural stone floors, and handcrafted ceramics, and the staff are coolly dressed in neutral cotton and linen designs that turn out to be by Cortana, the Palma-based brand of Tomeu Esteva’s sister Rosa. One shows me through a hushed cloister lined with cypress trees to my room, where an abstract tapestry hangs above a bed dressed in crisp white cotton and an L-shaped sofa is set with soft green cushions. An iron-frame door slides open onto a patio planted with succulents; basket chairs and loungers look over a silvery pool and golf course to the Andalucian hills. It all feels elemental and ethereal.

The backstory

In May 1986, Jean Veyssade Guy and Françoise Bobet (the ex-wife of cyclist Louison) hosted a four-day party for the 720 investors behind the new Hotel Byblos in Mijas Golf, an exclusive residential area between Malaga and Marbella. A sister property to its namesakes in Saint-Tropez and Courchevel, the hotel was a “faux-Andalucian palace with a glossy, Parador-ish atmosphere,” says Tomeu Esteva; a One Thousand and One Nights wonder with “lots of brass that required daily polishing,” recalls Theodora Bratopoulou, then a 19-year-old trainee. Wealthy Francophones came to play golf or take a thalassotherapy cure and the jet set flocked: Julio Iglesias was a regular; the Rolling Stones stayed when they performed in Malaga in 1998 (“They were perfect gentlemen,” says Bratolpoulou); Malagan local Antonio Banderas trained here with a fencing master for The Mask of Zorro.

When the hotel closed in 2010 and vandals moved in, Bratopoulou “could have wept.” So it was a “dream,” she says, when she read of its rebirth in a local newspaper. London-based Intriva has invested nearly €40 million in the new property, which is being marketed as part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt. Only the bones of the original have been retained, along with standout features such as the blue roof tiles and Moorish patio and pool at La Zambra’s heart. “It’s más cool, más relajado,” says Bratopoulou, now back as head of housekeeping.

The rooms

The 115 rooms and 82 suites range in size and all have private balconies overlooking the pools and golf course or gardens. TV screens are large; rugs, lamps, and chairs crafted locally. The master suite has a vast outdoor area with a private pool, as well as a private entrance, accessible from the hotel’s helipad. Bathrooms are minimalist sanctuaries.

Food and drink

Executive chef Iker Gonzalez Ayerbe is from San Sebastián. He has worked with Martín Berasetagui and Hilario Arbelaitz, and has been an ambassador for Basque cuisine abroad. He came to La Zambra for its proximity to the coast and mountains (he’s a hill runner) and says Andalucian cuisine is not dissimilar with its focus on local produce from the land and sea (he loves the local snapper, sea bream and cockles, jamón from pigs reared on acorns and chestnuts in Ronda and Payoyo goat’s cheese). He oversees four restaurants and bars at La Zambra—El Palmito brasserie, “neo-taverna” Picador, poolside bar Bamboleo, and chiringuito La Bartola—and combines a love of tradition with innovative techniques and influences from overseas. I particularly enjoyed the roasted avocado with crabmeat and kimchi mayonnaise at Bamboleo, and the salad of cauliflower and palm heart with aguachile of lime, coriander, and avocado at La Bartola. The Negroni, made with local vermouth and gin and drunk to live bossa nova, was so good I had it twice.

The spa

The Mood Spa is run by Sandra Reschke, the former head therapist at the Byblos. It wasn’t finished when I visited, but will be the biggest on the Costa del Sol, with a modern Moorish wet area, 12 treatment rooms, and a dedicated yoga salle. Instead of thalassotherapy, guests will be offered innovative, traditional, or holistic treatments from one of five spa “journeys” (relax, heal, reconnect, vitalize, and glow). Signature treatments include Anne Semonin aromatherapy, Natura Bissé Vitamin C facials, and a massage on a Swaywaver table that rocks and rotates through 360*C and is supposed to be supremely relaxing but isn’t for those who get seasick. The Evidens facial, combining Japanese massage techniques with collagen-enriched products, took years off.

The neighborhood

Mijas Golf is a 20-minute drive from Mijas Pueblo, a pretty white hill town with sweeping views over the coast. Sonia Lekuona, who runs a local handicrafts collective, introduced me to the local art of weaving esparto grass and the Museum of History and Ethnology, which includes a reconstruction of the house in which, from 1939 to 1969, Republican mayor Manuel Cortés Quero spent 30 years hiding from Franco in what was little more than a hole in the wall. There are 30 more museums half an hour away in Malaga.

The service

The 250-strong team balances youthful enthusiasm with experience and is overseen by Dutch GM Joost Kruissen, latterly of Marugal’s Gecko Hotel & Beach Club in Formentera. Reschke describes the team as “one big family”; Bratopolou says building up to the opening has been like “watching a baby grow.” They all seem genuinely excited to be here.

Who comes here?

Golfers: For direct access to two courses designed by Robert Trent Jones and 15 more within a 10-minute radius. Active types: This isn’t a health retreat as such, but you could piece one together from the Body Sculpt and personal training sessions, the Hatha classes and the Sunrise Yoga workshops with musician and Kundalini teacher Leticia, not to mention the swimming pools, tennis courts, pádel court, and gym. Party people: “Though not in an insane way,” says Kruissen, “more in the sense that there is no expected way to behave.” Also, sunseekers.

For families

Definitely. There are family rooms, as well as a dedicated family pool, a children’s menu, a Baby Club, and a Kids Club.

Eco effort

Concerted. Heat generated by the AC is used to heat the water, and when the balcony doors are open, the AC switches off. Lights are LED, bathroom products are refillable, and electric cars and buggies can be charged on-site.

Accessibility for those with mobility impairments

Yes. There are six adapted rooms, and all three pools and four restaurants/bars are accessible.

Is it worth it?

Yes—even if you don’t play golf. The light is out of this world, and La Zambra shows it off beautifully.