La Zambra, the old Byblos reborn as a golf hotel in Mijas

La Zambra is today the heir to the Hotel Byblos, which opened in 1986, and a golf hotel in Mijas designed for the traveller of today. After a long hiatus, the building reopened in 2022 as part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt. It has since recovered its golfing vocation. It is also the town’s only five-star Gran Lujo hotel, the highest rating in Spain.

Mijas, a whitewashed village ringed by golf

Mijas sits at the heart of the Costa del Sol. With its steep, whitewashed streets, it keeps its Andalusian character despite the courses of international standing around it. The municipality now has twelve, enough variety to avoid repeating a course in a whole week. La Zambra stands where the village and international golf meet, and neither takes anything away from the other.

A golf hotel in Mijas beside Los Lagos and Los Olivos

The resort sits within the Mijas Golf estate, beside Los Lagos and Los Olivos, the two original Robert Trent Jones courses. The golf begins more or less at the hotel door.

Los Lagos, the longer of the two, was completely renovated in 2012 and keeps the designer’s signature. At more than 6,500 metres (around 7,100 yards) and par 72, it has wide fairways and generous greens. Its nine lakes, which give the course its name, come into play on several holes. That makes it kind to golfers of very different handicaps, which helps when a group travels with mixed abilities.

Los Olivos, by contrast, is shorter and more technical. Its fairways are narrow and lined with trees, and its small, raised greens punish a loose iron. Play both in a single stay and you find the resort offers two quite different ways of approaching the game.

Rooms for travelling with clubs at a golf hotel in Mijas

The 196 rooms and suites all have a private terrace and can be set up with twin beds in any category. Groups travelling together for a golf week appreciate the detail. From Junior Suite upwards, access to the spa circuit is included in the stay.

Those arriving with their own clubs have space in the room and a dedicated storage area. On arrival there is private parking and a valet service. Resort buggies make Los Lagos and Los Olivos easy to reach. The concierge team arranges transfers to other courses nearby, among them La Cala, Santana and El Chaparral. That leaves a single decision to make, which is where to play tomorrow. The hotel’s experiences programme also includes a complimentary weekly clinic.

After the round at a golf hotel in Mijas

The Mood Spa, around 2,000 square metres and inspired by the hammams, offers an indoor pool, hydrotherapy, a sauna and a steam room. For those who prefer to keep moving there is also a gym, with padel and tennis courts. It is a useful counterpoint on group trips, because not every travelling companion wants to spend the day on fairways and greens.

Picador, Palmito, Bamboleo and La Bartola, the table at La Zambra

Juanjo Solano leads the kitchen. He became the resort’s culinary director in 2025 and works with an approach that joins technique, identity and respect for local produce. Each venue reads the Mediterranean in its own way. Picador follows traditional Andalusian cooking, and Palmito is the hotel’s Mediterranean restaurant. La Bartola, inspired by the Andalusian beach bars, opens only in summer.

Bamboleo, for its part, is the bar that inherits the spirit of the old Byblos. It revives the energy of the 1980s and 1990s with cocktails that mix creativity, technique and storytelling. From its terrace, sunset over the Costa del Sol with a cocktail in hand is one of the resort’s most memorable moments.

As a golf hotel in Mijas, La Zambra stands where the village and international golf meet. Neither takes anything away from the other.