AC Hotel Malaga: Very correct and good value for money

For this weekend with friends in Malaga, I chose the AC Hotel Malaga Palacio, located in the heart of the city. A look back on this very good stay.

As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:

#TypeReview
1LoungeEurostar Business Premier Lounge, Londres St. Pancras
2TrainEurostar Standard Premier, Londres St. Pancras – Bruxelles Midi
3RestaurantRestaurant Bocconi, Bruxelles
4HotelMoxy Brussels Center
5LoungeDiamond Lounge, Bruxelles Zaventem, Portes A
6FlightIberia Business, Bruxelles Zaventem – Madrid Barajas, Airbus A320 NEO
7FlightIberia Business, Madrid Barajas – Malaga, Airbus A319
8HotelAC Hotel Malaga
9RestaurantRestaurant Jose Carlos Garcia, Malaga
10LoungeAena Malaga Airport Lounge
11FlightIberia Business, Malaga – Madrid Barajas, Airbus A320
12FlightIberia Business, Madrid Barajas – Paris Orly, Airbus A321
This journey’s itinerary

Booking

I booked this hotel a few days before my arrival. There are only a few Marriott hotels in the area, the closest ones being in the resort town of Marbella. I chose this property, at a reasonable price of about 100€ per night, excluding breakfast.

Arrival

A few days before my arrival, I noticed an upgrade to a Junior Suite. This is the second highest category of the hotel.

I proceeded to the online check-in procedure, which was very simple, and requested a late check-outfor the day of my departure.

I arrive at the hotel around 6pm, after two excellent flights from Brussels.

The check-in formalities are very fast, extremely courteous, and I am very quickly on my way to my room.

My room card was not working, so I had to go back down to the reception, but the receptionist this time accompanied me to make sure the card was working. Very good service.

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Room

My junior suite was located on the eighth floor of the property.

Behind the door is a large entrance, and a hallway to the rest of the suite.

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Opposite is the living room, with a sofa and an armchair, a coffee table, and a desk. Large windows provide an unobstructed view of the port and the city of Malaga. The furniture is slightly dated, early 2000’s, but it corresponds to the standards of the chain.

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Back on our steps, still from the entrance, is located the bathroom, which, although its decoration is also dated with the traditional green marble of AC hotels, remains comfortable, with a shower and bath combo, quite rare in hotels of this category.

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Still walking back, there is also the bedroom which also has a large sofa, a large closet, a king size bed, and also has a large balcony overlooking the old city. The room will be extremely comfortable for my stay.

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To finish quickly, a visit in video:

Hotel facilities

The property is equipped with an unheated outdoor pool, located on the 15th and top floor of the property. This pool is surrounded by a bar, very popular with the locals. The pool is not heated in January, so I’ll skip it.

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On the third floor of the latter, the hotel has a very dated and blind fitness room, which I will not use during my stay either.

Restaurants

The hotel has several food and beverage outlets, including the Attico bar and restaurant located on the top floor of the property.

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Breakfast is located in a dedicated room on the second floor of the hotel, and a bar is also available in the lobby near the reception.

Breakfast service

For my second morning at the hotel, I will have breakfast in the dedicated room on the second floor.

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It is a very complete buffet, with hot dishes that will prove to be excellent, and a very good Spanish cold cut.

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The 19 € asked are not demerited, the quality being there.

Dinner service – Ático

The restaurant Atico is well known by the locals: it is therefore necessary to book in advance to be sure to have a table, especially in summer.

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Attention: it is more afashionable place than a gastronomic restaurant, the service is (very) relaxed.

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Nevertheless, the menu is not bad at all, and the service is serious even if it is “simple”.

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I would take in between the broken eggs and two croquetas. It was very good but a little too hearty.

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For the main course I will take the veal.

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For dessert, the pear tarte tatin.

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Departure

I will proceed with the departure formalities directly from the Marriott Bonvoy app. I will receive my invoice by e-mail a few minutes later, and the debit notification on my American Express card

Bottom line

An excellent stay. Although the interior design effort could be better, the location of the hotel is perfect, and its roof terrace allows you to enjoy the view and the sun for most of the day.

Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier has been into airline blogging since 2010. First a major contributor to the FlyerTalk forum, he created the FlyerPlan website in July 2012, and writes articles with a major echo among airline specialists. He now co-runs the TravelGuys blog with Bertrand, focusing on travel experience and loyalty programs.
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