After three fabulous nights in Málaga mid-December I realised I needed/wanted to extend my visit by one more night. Unfortunately the lovely hotel I’d been staying at had no availability and they asked me if I would like them to call somewhere for me. Well, back in July while I was on summer holiday in Málaga a friend of mine came to visit and spent the night at Hotel del Pintor. I’d seen her room and, while not as nice as where I’d been staying, I thought it would be fine for one night. But imagine my surprise when I showed up at the hotel and saw that my room was nothing like the one I’d seen before. In fact, it was barely a room at all. There was one single bed in a room just slightly larger than the bed itself, with two small windows looking into two other small windows across the patio. Small, dark and uncomfortable. There wasn’t even a place for me to put my carry-on suitcase and I ended up leaning it against the door. The (surprise!) very small bathroom was clean enough, though the toilet seat was soaking wet when I arrived, and the toilet made odd gurgling sounds throughout my stay.
I spoke to the receptionist who told me she couldn’t change rooms because they were fully booked and when I asked to speak to the manager I was told he was away in Sevilla for a meeting and couldn’t be reached. What? This was at midday on a Friday. I was pretty much resigned to spend my final night in Málaga in that dreadful room but certainly didn’t want to spend 54€ (the same price my previous – and much superior – hotel had charged per night) and so asked for something to be done. When I returned to the hotel in the evening to change for dinner (I’d stayed out as long as possible so I wouldn’t have to spend time there) I was told that the manager was still unavailable. I told the receptionist – a different one this time – that it was scandalous to charge so much for what was little more than a walk-in closet and was told that this was because of the hotel’s “excellent location”. Yes, on grimy calle Álamos, with no parking, no restaurant… all of which was available at my previous hotel (which is actually in an excellent location). Whatever. I left to meet my friends feeling very upset.
That night I had a terrible sleep on the small bed that creaked whenever I turned over (receptionist: “oh, that must be because the bed is new!”) on a too-soft pillow that was full of lumps. The next morning I got dressed and got out of there as soon as possible, and while checking out yet another receptionist told me that the manager – who was now unavailable because he was off for two days – had instructed her to tell me that they would not adjust the price for me. Unbelievable. What kind of hotel has no manager available from mid-day Friday until Monday morning?? Totally unprofessional. When my friend stayed there during peak season in July she paid 48€ for a room that was easily twice as big, yet management maintained they could do nothing for me. Trust me, there are plenty of other places to stay in Málaga where you will be treated much better than here.
Hotel del Pintor
Álamos 27
Málaga
tel 952 06 09 80
I have to admit that at first I had doubts 
The open kitchen was superbly equipped with high-quality appliances (Bosch, Whirlpool). There’s an electric kettle and coffee maker (and a good supply of filters in the cupboard), an espresso maker, toaster and stick blender. And the two-burner ceramic stove-top, microwave oven and full-sized fridge are more than adequate for holiday cooking needs. Oh, just across the street there is a supermarket and a greengrocer next to it. Also a pharmacy. Double-glazed windows and balcony doors keep out the noise, though I know from previous visits that this area isn’t particularly noisy, even at peak season. There are two terraces, one off the larger bedroom, the other off the livingroom with comfy terrace furniture. And there is light. This is the thing I probably loved the best (other than it was so clean – did I mention how CLEAN it was?). Nice partial views of the mountains and the sea and lots and lots of light. The Malgueta beach (see that photo above?) is a two-minute walk from the front door of the building. There are also lots of great tapas bars and restaurants in the neighbourhood, plus the newly revamped harbourfront, MuelleUno, is just another two minute walk in the other direction. And it’s about a ten-minute walk to the old centre. At first I had hoped to stay in the centre, where Justine had booked her place, but in the end it was great being back in my ‘hood next to the sea.