We selected Room Mate Lola on the basis of reviews on Trip Advisor and as always, they were pretty accurate. The hotel is spotlessly clean, the staff pleasant (all speak perfect English incidentally) and the continental breakfast is very good. If you are looking for a stylish place to stay then you won't be disappointed. There is a laptop provided for guests' use in the lobby and Wifi in all rooms. If a cable is required it can be provided free of charge. On the final/night morning of our stay we noticed that the hot water was only tepid for some reason. However, it had been fine on all other days (including the lovely shower) and this may have been a 'one-off'.

A few people have made adverse comments on the location of the hotel in earlier reviews, but I would point out that my 3 star rating for 'location' is due entirely to the noise outside in the early hours of the morning, although the hotel is situated in a relatively quite side street. Malaga is a very clean city due to communal rubbish and recycling bins all over the place, used by businesses and residents alike. They are emptied daily (even on Sunday whilst we were there). The downside to this is that outside the hotel this happens at around 3am and it is VERY noisy. Afterwards, another team arrives to hose the area down ... more noise. I am usually a very sound sleeper yet this ensured I was woken up every night of my stay. We were at the front of the hotel so it may be better at the rear. Something to bear in mind if booking directly with the hotel.

On the subject of noise: the doors in the hotel seemed very noisy every time they were opened and shut. Also, piped music is played throughout the day, and it would seem late into the night through the common areas. This in itself was not unpleasant (light acid/smooth jazz syle) but was quite loud and audible in the rooms.

The location itself is ideal, just a few minutes from the main Alameda Principal and the No. 19 bus to and from the airport (Euro 1.10). A couple of people have commented on the 'red light area' but to be honest this appeared limited to a couple of sex shops that you don't pass en route to the hotel in any case.

Malaga is a nice city and ideal for a short break, although note that a number of attractions are closed on Mondays. We were surprised that so many shops were open on Sunday, although this may have been due to Christmas being only a few days away. Being from the UK, the weak pound against the Euro was very evident and meant that shopping and dining out was more expensive than anticipated. That said there are plenty of restaurants around the Larios area, although we found a cheaper (and very good) seafood place not far from the beach.

I was surprised at how many Spanish people smoke and as another reviewer has commented there is as yet no bans on smoking in restaurants etc. However, we didn't find this a particular problem. The hotel lobby incidentally, is no smoking.