a Zambra is a 5-star resort nestled in the hills of Mijas, between Malaga and Marbella. The hotel is part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt and has 193 rooms and suites over four floors.
The hotel originally opened in 1986 as the Byblos Hotel. It was fully refurbished in 2022 and reopened as La Zambra Resort, keeping the Byblos Hotel’s distinctive blue towers and white façade, as well as its original stone fountains.
The resort is stunning, with beautiful architecture and interiors. There are soft tones used throughout, which reflect its Andalusian essence.
Check-in was quick and efficient and when we were being brought to our room, we were given a quick tour of the hotel.
Our room type was a Deluxe King with a small terrace which overlooked the pool area. The room was spacious with a lot of natural light. The interiors are aesthetic, with pale tones and natural fabrics. The walls are decorated with local artwork. The beds were incredibly comfortable, with soft cotton bedsheets.
Our bathroom was small and basic, with double sinks and a walk-in shower. The towels are embroidered with the La Zambra logo. Sustainability is a focus of the hotel, with shampoos, conditioners and soaps all in reusable containers.
Amenities in the bathroom were in short supply, just cotton buds and cotton pads were provided. The bathrobes in our room were ill-fitting, perhaps they had shrunk in the wash!
Tea and coffee making facilities were available, but no milk was provided. An iron and ironing board were available on request.
Our room was located across from a lift and next to a stairwell. Despite being advised that it would be quiet, it ended up being quite noisy.
There are a variety of dining options available within the resort, with four restaurants to choose from including Picador, Palmito, Bamboleo and La Bartola.
Picador is the premium restaurant in the hotel. It serves Andalusian cuisine and is open Tuesday to Saturday only. Palmito is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner and serves traditional Mediterranean cuisine. Bamboleo is a casual bar and restaurant which serves light bites and snacks. It is open daily from 11am until midnight (1am on Friday and Saturdays). La Bartola serves seafood tapas, salads and authentic Andalusian fried food. It is open during high season only.
Breakfast was served in Palmito daily. The breakfast buffet was plentiful, but the à la carte menu was quite limited, with only eggs, omelettes and ‘torrija’ available to order. On both mornings of our stay service, unfortunately, was very slow. It was difficult to get a server’s attention to order. The food, however, was excellent and all very fresh.
One evening, we ate in Bamboleo. It had a nice atmosphere with a beautiful view of the sunset. While eating our pizzas, we enjoyed live music and dance entertainment. The food was good and the service was efficient, albeit quite slow.
There are three swimming pools at La Zambra – two outdoor and one indoor. There is a heated indoor pool at the spa. Outdoors, there is a family friendly pool and an adult only pool which is split over two levels with stunning views.
There are numerous sun loungers, but only some with umbrellas. Unfortunately, the hotel has no policy in place to prevent people from putting their belongings on the loungers to reserve them. As a result, hotel guests had to sit on towels on the grass, despite the fact that there were many unoccupied sun loungers. This, in our opinion, should have been addressed and rectified by the hotel staff.
La Zambra focuses on wellness, and its ‘Mood Spa’ is one of the largest spas on the Costa del Sol. To access the Mood Spa and facilities there is a daily charge of €30 per person, which is very disappointing in a 5-star resort. Access is complimentary only for those who have booked a Junior Suite or above.
There are 12 treatment rooms in the Mood Spa. Treatments focus on ‘journeys’, where guests are asked to choose between five options – relax, revitalise, reconnect, heal or glow. Also available are Turkish baths, saunas, steam rooms, an ice bath, a relaxation area, a 15-metre heated indoor pool and 2 dynamic pools. A 24-hour gym with Technogym equipment is available complimentary to all guests.
La Zambra’s wellness area is a large studio full of natural light. Yoga classes are offered to guests daily and are adapted to all levels.
There are two tennis courts and a Padel court on site. There is a charge of €27/hour to rent a tennis court and €30/hour to rent a Padel court. Lessons are charged at €60/hour. Racquets are provided.
The hotel offers complimentary experiences such as Spanish wine tasting, olive oil tasting and gin tasting. When we checked in, the concierge provided us with a schedule of events outlining which day each of these was on. Unfortunately, they were only available Monday to Thursday, so we did not get to enjoy these experiences.
The Kids and Baby Clubs are available year-round from 10am-6pm daily and are complimentary to in-house guests. The Baby club is for infants aged 6 months to 3 years, while the Kids club is for children aged 4 to 10 years. Activities include pool games, hockey, soccer, basketball and art. Babysitting services are also available upon request.
As this resort is inland, there is no access to a beach. The nearest public beaches are 7km away (Playa de Fuengirola, Playa Alexis and Playa de San Francisco).
There are two 18-hole world-class golf courses located next to the hotel, Los Olivos and Los Lagos. Both were designed by Robert Trent Jones.
La Zambra is a pet friendly resort – dogs and cats are allowed provided they are under 10kg in weight. There is a charge of €75 per night/per pet.
There is complimentary on-site parking for hotel guests. The car park is conveniently located next to reception. We hired a car with Hertz, which we picked up at Malaga Airport. We found them to be efficient and the whole process was very easy. Hiring a car gave us the freedom to explore places such as Mijas Pueblo, which is approximately 20 mins drive from La Zambra.
If you plan on leaving the resort, there is nothing within walking distance, so you will need to take a taxi.
La Zambra has a lot of potential – it is a beautiful place. The overall service did not live up to the 5-star experience we had expected. We felt that the hotel was lacking in personal touches. For that reason, we would not return. There was a wedding on in the hotel for the duration of our stay. Unfortunately, this impacted significantly on the service, but really it should not have in a 5-star resort. Overall, we were quite disappointed with our experience there.
For more information, visit https://lazambrahotel.com/.