The Best Place to Stay in Malaga for Families: My Vacation Rental Review 2026

My family and I love doing one or two big family vacations a year whenever we can make it happen, and this year, our big trip was to Malaga Spain.

Malaga is such an amazing Spanish city because it’s right on the beach, there is tons of incredible food and things to do, and, more importantly for us, it served as the perfect base to explore a ton of Andalusia by car.

Today, I want to talk about the specific property we stayed at for over a week. We used it as a “base camp” to explore Malaga as well as cities like Granada and Ronda. We absolutely loved the property, which is why I wanted to write this little review.

I know it can sometimes be really difficult to find somewhere in a decent location that sleeps the whole family while still being affordable. That’s why I’m sharing this article on the best place to stay in Malaga for families, I think it’s a total gem that you might love for your family’s next trip to Spain!

In a Rush? Here Are Our Favorite Hotels in Malaga Spain

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Icon Malabar – Click here for rates & availability

⭐️⭐️ Well and Come Malaga – Click here for rates & availability

⭐️ Catalonia Molina Lario – Click here for rates & availability

The Best Place to Stay in Malaga for Families: My Vacation Rental Review 2026

Best Place to Stay in Malaga for Families – My Quick Answer

We did quite a lot of research on what and where we should stay because we had several requirements, including a great location, enough space for everyone, and a good outdoor area.

Ultimately, we chose Casablanca Malaga, which is the house we booked through Booking.com.

The house is located about 20 minutes outside of Malaga in the countryside, completely surrounded by olive groves. It was perfect for us because we could drive into the city whenever we wanted, head to the beach, or take off on day trips across the region.

At the same time, we had a huge private area all to ourselves with a pool and everything we needed.

Because we booked several months in advance, it was also super affordable. While there are of course larger apartments and hotels in the center of Malaga, they usually come with a much higher price tag when you need to sleep 6–8 people and they often don’t include a private pool or easy parking.

Our compromise was staying a little further out from the city center in exchange for our own beautiful, peaceful, and budget-friendly space.

Book Here: Casablanca Malaga

What The House Was Actually Like

The house is part of a farm, so while it’s not completely isolated, it felt incredibly private. It has a huge private outdoor area with a pool and a terrace that opens up toward the olive trees and the mountains.

The views are absolutely gorgeous and honestly, I would recommend staying here just for the outdoor space alone.

As for the interior, it’s fairly traditional and not “fancy.” This is a classic Spanish countryside house (a Cortijo), not a modern mansion, but it was very cozy and had everything we needed.

It has five bedrooms that can sleep up to 10 people (we were a group of six), two bathrooms, a large kitchen, and even a fireplace. While the inside was simple, we spent most of our time outside on the terrace or by the pool anyway.

There is more than enough space for parking, you could easily fit four cars on the property and it also features a BBQ area and a pizza oven. As much as we loved exploring Andalusia from here, we also had plenty of days where we just stayed put, used the pool, made pizzas together, and just relaxed. It was honestly the perfect balance, as a family we do like a space where we can just hang out together and enjoy some quality time.

What We Loved About the Vacation Rental

As I mentioned before, the absolute highlight for us was the entire outdoor area. Having a private pool that looks out over the Spanish countryside was just stunning, and the same goes for the al fresco area (outdoor dining). We spent every single night out there having dinner and wine, and enjoying the views.

Another huge plus of Casablanca Malaga for us was the outdoor kitchen, which came with a BBQ and a woodfire pizza oven. We had actually never used a woodfire pizza oven before, but we managed to figure it out, and honestly, making our own pizzas together was one of the most fun parts of the trip.

Logistically, the location was also way better than we initially thought it would be. Even though being 20 minutes outside of Malaga might sound like a lot, it actually worked in our favor.

We were very close to a small town with a supermarket, and it put us right near Torcal de Antequera National Park, which was an awesome spot for hiking. Also, because we were already based outside the city center, we skipped all the Malaga traffic whenever we headed out to Granada or Ronda, which saved us a ton of driving time on our day trips.

Would I Stay Again?

I would definitely stay here again. My family and I really enjoyed the space and loved being able to take things slow and spend quality time together at the house. However, if you are the type of traveler who wants to be able to walk to restaurants and shops every night, then a countryside stay might not be for you.

What worked perfectly for me was staying for two nights in the Malaga city center first at a cool boutique hotel called Hotel Well and Come. That gave me two full days to explore the city properly on foot before meeting up with my family and moving out to Casablanca Malaga for the rest of the trip.

FAQs: The Best Place in Malaga for Families

Is Malaga worth visiting?

Absolutely. Based on my experience, Malaga is massively underrated. It has a beautiful Old Town, amazing food, and a much more authentic feel than some of the more crowded Spanish cities.

What is there to do in Malaga with kids?

I know kids don’t always love visiting churches and museums, but there are loads of cool outdoor activities nearby too. Hiking the Caminito del Rey or spotting ibexes in the Torcal de Antequera National Park are super fun day trips!

Is Malaga expensive?

It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. In my experience, it was much more affordable than Barcelona or Madrid. Our holiday house was very reasonably priced, and because we bought our own groceries and cooked at home quite a bit, we saved a lot on food.

What are the best day trips from Malaga?

My personal favorite was Ronda because it is such a stunning town. However, if you are traveling with kids, I think the Caminito del Rey or Torcal de Antequera are the most fun and memorable options for a family day out.

Do I need a car in Malaga?

It depends! If you are staying strictly in the city center, then definitely not, in fact, having a car there is a bit of a headache because parking is so limited. But if you do what we did and stay in the countryside, then a car is 100% necessary!