*two of our three nights' bed and breakfast were complimentary, while the third was paid for by us.*
i booked my tickets to valencia on a whim - not even thinking about what and where i wanted to do and see until the days and weeks prior to departure, but the one thing i did put a little more effort in to was my hotel. not least of all because i was originally planning to go alone until my pal charl decided she'd like to join me for some fun in the sun, so the hotel i'd booked for me needed rethinking - especially as because it turns out it was nowhere near the city of valencia, and we would have had a tricky time sight seeing from our stay on the northern coast. but, when i really started to look into it properly, and found the gorgeous malcom and barrat via booking.com, i knew i was on to a winner.
botanic vibes
i'm not going to lie, the decor of the hotel is what initially drew my attention and made me choose malcom and barret when i was originally scouting hotels in valencia. the plant wallpaper, the forest green and grey colour scheme, the whole mid-centurey modern botanic-y vibe of the place was just so very appealing that i knew i wanted to make this my home for the few nights i was in valencia. and, with enough notice, i was even able to score a sweet little discount when booked via their website with a web code malcomweb - your booking needs to be more than 30 days away for that to apply. to be honest though, the small double room, the room we had on our first night, is less than 60 euro a night during the week anyway, which is pretty affordable for a three star hotel, in my opinion!
buffet breakfast
i mean, a buffet breakfast is a buffet breakfast, but the main difference with this one is that it is made all the better by the beautiful surroundings of the hotel bar and restaurant, and obviously the freshly squeezed valencian orange juice. i do love a buffet; it's the best way to start the day if you're lucky enough to score bed and breakfast in your hotel of choice. we were that lucky, though for an extra 9.50 you could easily upgrade if you so decided to on the day - a bargain for all you can drink coffee, in my opinion. there were also egg-cellent spanish options like cheese tortilla, and parma ham, and chorizo, and peppers, and all sorts of tasty local pastries, too. my fave were the raspberry donuts with jam filling. such a naughty way to start the day! and, if you're a bit late for breakky, no bother; the restaurant serves lunch and dinner too, as well as having a 24 hour bar. one of life's greatest gifts.
a superior night's sleep
i honestly was not expecting such a good night's sleep when i booked that room. the hotel's beds are completely memory foam, so when you lay down after a long day walking around the city, it's like a lovely warm hug. a nice and firm one, at that. no squishy springs, no lumpy pockets of down, no threadbare fabric covers - no, none of that. and i am notoriously fussy when it comes to my choice of bed, but the ones at malcom and barret (and we tried two while we were there!) were easily the comfiest beds i have slept on in a lonnnnnng time. and bonus points for the peace and quiet that came with both our rooms, too. didn't hear a peep from the cleaners, didn't hear the annoying banging of teh fire doors through the night, and didn't hear the elevator beeping from floor to floor. there was no hallway noise, and no noise from the next-room-neighbours behaving badly in the night. based on that, i can deduce that none of the neighbours heard us singing the greatest showman soundtrack until the wee hours...
key to the city
with every room booking, guests are entitled to one day of free bike hire from the hotel's reception. the bikes are super cute, too, with their wee milk boxes all attached to the bright orange bikes so you don't lose them in the city. we had planned to pick a bike up each on our second day in the city, but with us starting the day a little later than planned, we missed the sweet spot between "lots of bikes" and "no bikes left" and so took our day by foot instead. still, with other bike hire companies in the area charging upwards of ten euro an hour to take out a bike, this is a massive bonus from the hotel. on the same point, the hotel is right by the hipster area of ruzafa, so taking a bike out for the day is a really easy way of seeing the local area and its colourful attractions. except: consider what your day plan is, as - if it includes cava or sangria.. maybe leave the bike behind.
the friendliest of staff
the very best part of our stay, was being so attentively looked after by the hotel's staff. from lenka at the desk the day we checked in, to the friendly cleaners we bumped into in the elevator, every single person we encountered could not have done more to help, or offer a recommendation. actually, the lovely lenka suggested so many amazing bars and restaurants to us, that we didn't reeeally manage to do many of the touristy things we planned to do! not that we could blame her, of course, but genuinely the places she suggested for us were unique, interesting, and exactly the sort of place we would have hoped to find on our own, so her pointing us in the right direction was a total god send. if you want to know what good service is but don't want to pay through the nose for the pleasure, then i can't recommend this place enough. and, i'm told malcom and barret are part of a chain of hotels around valencia, so.. maybe i'll work my way around them all to compare..
find the hotel here: avenida ausias march 59, valencia 46013
