Set on 1,000 acres of private grounds, Barcelo La Bobadilla is a picturesque white-washed village in the province of Granada in Spain’s Andalusian countryside.  

Conveniently surrounded by the cities of Malaga (60km), Seville (185km), Cordoba (140km) and Granada (75km), Barcelo La Bobadilla is the perfect stopping off point on a journey between any of these cities.

One of the Leading Hotels of the World, Bobadilla’s magnificent grounds are replete with hills and valleys covered in wild flowers, olive trees, almond trees and oaks

It also has stables with six Andalusian horses and two ponies that guests can hire to ride with or without a guide.

Form Guide An Andalusian stop off between visits to the nearby cities of Seville/Cordoba/Granada or Malaga.

Yearlings No age limit, but children ages 7 and over will probably get the most out of the activities on offer here.

Pace There are pony or horse rides – atop one of the six Andalusian horses that are stabled here – and you can either hire them as a hack or take a guided ride. Other onsite activities include quad-biking and off-road buggy driving, bicycles, pétanque, hiking, table tennis, tennis, padél, badminton, archery, plus there is a pool as well as a children’s playground and mini club.

Stables Decorated in typical – and stunning – Andalusian style, the hotel offers a family suite with two bedrooms (sleeping up to four) with private bathroom, a separate living rooms and direct access to the gardens. There is also a range of Junior and Deluxe Junior Suites that offer the space for additional beds or interconnecting rooms.

Feedbag There are three restaurants: the award-winning 5-star La Finca (adults only), El Cortijo, which offers gourmet Spanish and regional dishes, and the summer-only alfresco Mirador restaurant. The hotel also offers olive oil, wine and caviar tastings as well as group paella cooking lessons.

Purse  Two nights for a family of four costs from €840. A guided 30-minute pony trek costs from €15 per person.

Environmental Star  The hotel uses olive stone biomass fuel as an energy source for its heating and hot water systems for both the hotel and the award winning spa. The venue also has organic gardens.

Photography courtesy of Barcelo la Bobadilla