Set among the rugged greenery of a countryside landscape, La Bobadilla hotel in Andalusia, Spain, serves up both style and character
As you ascend the foothills of the Montes de Málaga, Spain, leaving the city behind you, what first strikes you about your surroundings is just how dry and stark the landscape is. Shrubs and bush littered sparsely across the ground are in complete contrast to the dense forest pines and abundance of wildlife, that come to later typify this 12,000-acre national park as you climb higher. Leaving the park behind, we headed north to the private estate of Royal Hideaway La Bobadilla, a 70-room, whitewashed luxury hotel that sits impressively against a backdrop of olive groves stitched into the countryside for as far as the eye can see. Best of both worlds
Although the hotel, which is part of the Barceló hotel group, is in a remote and rural spot (so much so that Spain’s King Juan Carlos has stayed here), its proximity to Málaga airport ? a 40-minute drive ? makes it a very achievable weekend destination from the UK.
Turn off the main road that goes to Granada and into the estate?s private entrance, and you are driving along a sweeping road that is lined with holm oaks, almond trees, olive groves and Mediterranean woodplants. The collection of palatial buildings that make up La Bobadilla ? including a bell tower and even a chapel ? with their sloping terracotta tile roofs so typical of the region?s architecture, slowly draw into view.
Abov...