Review of Don Curro Hotel in Malaga
So I needed a bed for 1 night in Malaga. At 1 night, I couldn’t rent an apartment or villa, my preferred accommodation style for longer durations. Luckily, I found a cheap bargain in Malaga’s Don Curro Hotel, which I will review here.
The hotel room I was given in Don Curro Hotel was simple and clean, modern but basic. I may have had one of the renovated rooms as construction work was being done in other parts of the building. The bathroom was roomy and clean. Other places I’ve stayed in Europe have had small, stand-up shower stalls. The room I had in Don Curro Hotel has a full-size bathtub and shower. The room also had a free in-room safe for storing passports and other valuables – though travelers, as common practice, should always try to leave the valuables like jewelry locked up at home.
The room also had strong air conditioning, a large closet for hanging clothes, and a suitcase bench. There was a TV, but I didn’t even have a chance to turn it on. My time was dedicated to touring Malaga and by the time I was done for the night, I only had time to pack up and go to bed.
The location could not be better for a holiday-goer needing 1 night accommodation. It was half a block from the Marques de Larios, a pedestrian walkway with shops and dining lining it. The Centro Historico (Malaga’s Historical Center), the famous Malaga cathedral, Picasso museum and the Roman theatre are all nearby too.
A stroll down Paseo del Parque, alongside the gardens, leads to the Plaza del Toros bullring. Take a right from the bullring to walk to the beach, Playa La Malagueta, a basic but nice beach.
I found a deal online of less than 70 euros for a weekday night in June, below advertised prices and this seemed a bargain. Obviously, prices vary greatly depending on the season and room size and I had a sale price. For a double during high season, the advertised price is currently 115 euros.
I had a top floor room with a balcony. Ask for the top floor ahead of time. The view, though nothing special, is likely to be a lot better than the lower floors.
Between checking in, retrieving my passport and checking out, I only talked to staff 3 times, but each of the 3 staff members was friendly and immediately switched to English after picking up on my inability to speak Spanish fluently and in the correct accent.
Like any hotel, they’ll call a taxi for you if you need it. I needed one to take me to the Malaga airport. It seemed to take 15 minutes before the taxi finally arrived and then another 10-15 minutes to get to the airport. The ride to the airport was around 20 euros. There’s an 8 or 9 euro surcharge for driving to the airport, that’s why it is so much. From the central bus station to the hotel, I paid around 5 euros.
The only downside of the hotel for me was the lack of wired or wireless Internet access in the room. I had a laptop with me and would have liked free Internet access. I could not get any signal. The hotel claims to offer free WI-FI, but I would guess that it is only accessible downstairs on the 1st floor lounge.
There are several other hotels in this vicinity and some bargains can be had with some shopping around. Hotel Don Curro was a good deal. If you are looking for a good hotel location in Malaga, the historical center vicinity seems ideal, especially for shorter duration stays. If you are staying a week or longer and want a bargain, I recommend looking into rented apartments/holiday villas (as mentioned by guest author Mariangeles here), especially one with a kitchen.
