Hop on a plane to Malaga, and you might expect to see passengers in flip-flops and sun hats, ready to spend a week on a lounger with a cocktail to hand. But in recent years, a different kind of traveller has set their sights on the Costa del Sol. Instead of staying by the sea, they head inland, to cycle the mountains of Sierra Nevada.
As a childless woman in my early 30s, I rarely seek out family-friendly beach resorts. But when I was invited to the new Oku Andalusia, I immediately said yes. I'd heard rave reviews about the brand's design-forward outposts in Ibiza, Spain; Bodrum, Turkey; and the Greek island of Kos, all ritzy seaside idylls synonymous with grown-up fun and swanky seaside environs. So even though the new hotel in Andalusia marks Oku's first family-friendly concept, I felt confident I'd find the same chilled-out coastal atmosphere.