Spectacular restored classic from Hoteles Santos will open its doors to first guests in December 2016

4 November 2016 – Luxury will make a long-awaited and welcome return to the ancient Andalusian city of Malaga in 2017, with the arrival of its first grand luxury hotel, Gran Hotel Miramar. A historic landmark building in the old city centre which has been painstakingly restored following a two year, 65m Euros overhaul, Gran Hotel Miramar is set to become one of Europe's foremost grand dames, and firmly establish Malaga on the global luxury travel map. Already confirmed as a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, this magnificent new hotel will welcome its first guests in December 2016.

Celebrating 90 years this December, the iconic building was designed by celebrated Spanish architect Fernando Guerrero Strachan, and inaugurated in 1926 by King Alfonso XIII as the Hotel Principe de Asturias.  It has undergone many incarnations since then, including a stint as a field hospital during the Spanish Civil Wars and a 20-year period as the city's courthouse.

The painstaking renovation has now restored this majestic edifice to its former glory, preserving or returning many of its original features, including intricate Moorish carved wood arches, a beautiful first floor gallery, Andalusian tiling, hand-painted frescoes and ornate stucco ceilings. Set amongst beautifully landscaped grounds, this latest addition to Europe's pantheon of grand dame hotels features 200 rooms and suites in three different designs - Classic, Mediterranean and neo-Arabic - a fabulous ballroom, five restaurants and bars including a rooftop chill out zone, and a spa spanning two floors with indoor and outdoor pools, as well as world-class meetings and events facilities including 19 function spaces.

Internationally renowned as the birth place of Pablo Picasso, and recently voted by the New York Times as the new 'must visit' city in Europe, Malaga is one of the oldest cities in the world, and gateway to Spain's beautiful Costa Del Sol. It is now also a burgeoning cultural centre, and has recently seen three major museum openings - the most significant being the five-year pop-up Centre Pompidou, housed in a futuristic building on the waterfront and displaying a changing selection of 20th- and 21st-century paintings by artists like Frida Kahlo and Marc Chagall.

Located in the cultural hub of La Caleta, within easy reach of the Picasso and Carmen Thyssen museums and boasting a fabulous seafront location with breathtaking views across the bay of Malaga, the hotel is just a 15-minute drive from Malaga Airport – easily reached via direct flights from 27 UK airports.

For a sneak preview click here.

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Notes to editors

Gran Hotel Miramar is part of the Santos Hotels network. For media enquiries or to discuss press trip opportunities please get in touch with Elena Toselli (elena@bacall.net), Nat Frogley (nat@bacall.net) and Flora Gandolfo (flora@bacall.net) at Bacall Associates. Tel: +44 (0)20 7630 2880.