Stay Report: AC Hotel by Marriott Malaga Palacio (Malaga, Spain - December 2011)

Stay Report: AC Hotel by Marriott Malaga Palacio
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photo courtesy of Marriott

I was going to be in Southern Spain for a couple of days, and was looking for a hotel that was nice and that I could also use as a base while I traveling around Southern Spain.  The AC Hotel brand is part of Marriott’s brand and it was my first time experiencing the brand, but I choose the hotel because of the Marriott connection as well as because of the location of the hotel.  The hotel is centrally located within the center of Malaga so it is walking distance to many sights and amenities.  Overall, the hotel provided great customer service, good rooms, and allowed us to store luggage at the hotel.

As AC Hotels are part of the Marriott brand, it was very easy to book the hotel through Marriott’s website.  Since I was traveling in a group, I needed to book two rooms as most European hotel rooms are small and can only 2-3 people; one room had a King bed while the other had 2 beds.  The hotel does not provide transportation to/from the airport so this has to be arranged personally; we took taxis which were efficient since the hotel is well-known.

photo courtesy of Marriott

The main entrance to the hotel is on the corner between the side street and a pedestrian-only walkway, so the taxis have to park on the side street close to the entrance.  It makes transportation of your luggage a bit difficult, but it does provide more of the ‘live like a local’ feel.  To access the lobby, at the street level you go through the main door and then go up a couple of steps to enter into the lobby.

The lobby of the hotel was stylishly decorated but was a bit compact.  Straight ahead were the check-in desks and to the right were the elevators, a sitting area, as well as the restaurant/bar.  Check-in was efficient, we received our key, and proceeded to our rooms with the bellman coming later with our luggage.

The hotel itself was modern and stylishly decorated, and this décor continued into the rooms.  I had booked two rooms, but both rooms had the same basic layout.  As you entered the room, on the left-hand side was the bathroom.  The bathroom was spacious, bigger than most European hotels and was as big as American hotels.  The bathroom was clean and modern and contained a toilet, a sink, and a tub.  Underneath the clear sink was a little stand that contained the towels plus a lot of complimentary toiletries such as combs, toothbrushes, tissue packs, and shoe polish along with shampoos and lotions.  The plethora of toiletries was a very nice customer service touch and was appreciated. 

photo courtesy of Marriott

The bathroom and the main part of the room shared a wall.  In the room, this is where the closets and storage were located.  The closets were very big and tall and provided a lot of storage, along with the shelves.  The closets were opaque so the light was showing through but you could not see in; another stylish detail.  The main part of the main had the beds, either two single or one queen/king bed, and nightstands on either side.  Each side also had individual lamps mounted on the headboard, which itself was mounted to the wall.  The beds were comfortable, a bit low to the ground, but they provided a good night’s sleep.

Across from the beds was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top of it as well as a desk.  Next to the bed were two chairs and a small table which faced the window.  Each room had a window and a balcony, and this was one of the best parts of the room.  The balconies were big enough that you could go outside, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea while enjoying the sights.  One room’s balcony faced the pedestrian walkway and the sea, while the other room faced the side street and the surrounding city and architecture. 

You could also see some great views of the city from the hotel’s rooftop pool.  This is one of the facilities that the hotel provided, along with a restaurant, a bar, complimentary wifi in the lobby, a fitness center, meeting rooms, and luggage storage.  We spent most of our time exploring the city so did not have time to experience all the facilities.  I did use the luggage storage, which was a nice convenience and the complimentary wifi, which was only available in the lobby at the time but was a decent speed.  

Overall, it was a really nice stay at the AC Hotel Malaga Palacio by Marriott.  The hotel provides a nice, clean, and modern room near the heart of Malaga.  From this hotel, you are within walking distance to all of Malaga’s city center (and the hotel is well-known by all taxi drivers and local restaurants).  I used this hotel as a base to go and explore Southern Spain, and it provided a great stay so I would definitely recommend this hotel!