THE FLAG Costa del Sol Marbella

We were very lucky to stay in this hotel for the whole month of August. We were so happy, comfortable and well looked after. They do a special rate for a monthly stay, includes breakfast, cleaning every 3rd day (although you can request daily change of towels) and a car park space. We thought this was great value, specially in the low season, compared to the daily rate.

As soon as you enter the hotel, there's the most wonderful fresh scent. I'm obsessed with this perfume, whatever it is, I miss it, LOL. Everything is spotlessly clean. So much to say I'll split it into sections.

The Staff - Everyone is super friendly and helpful. Customer service is amazing. The receptionists are all great and always have a big smile. The cleaners do a brilliant job and happy to leave extra towels or anything you need. The breakfast staff were fabulous. The general manager is obviously doing a great job and was really kind to us. There's just a "feel good" factor about this place.

The Bedroom - I wouldn't describe it as a bedroom, it's more like a studio flat! It is BIG. Has a good size kitchen, with a microwave/ oven, induction hob and all the utensils you might need to cook a basic meal. We loved this, as we don't like to eat out all the time. Good size fridge/ freezer and a dishwasher. There's a small sitting area with a sofa and huge TV (Netflix and many other channels), table and chairs. THE BED! I fell in love with that bed.I have never slept so well in all my life! The mattress and pillows are the most comfortable we have ever slept in, wish I could replicate them at home! I think they are all German made and sadly can't find in the UK. Also the hotel is very quiet, you don't hear a noise from the other rooms and the air-con works really well and you can set it at whatever temperature you want. There's a huge wardrobe and lots of storage. Finally, there's a big balcony with more seating and lovely view to the pool and garden.

Breakfast - It was fabulous! We so looked forward to it every morning. There's a good size selection of good quality, seasonal items. I much prefer this (small and quality) to the huge selection you get in most hotels, where everything is below average. Every morning there is a different juice shot, fresh orange juice, coffee machines and kettle with great quality tea selection. They have delicious variety of a high quality local bakery fresh breads, that you cut and toast to your taste. Lovely yogurts with lots of different seeds, granola, nuts and other toppings. Selection of local honey, homemade jams, French butter. Very tasty seasonal fruit, cold meats and cheeses... I could go on! Best part is that you get eggs cooked to order, you choose these from the menu and the cook does these beautifully. We had breakfast around 9 and it was always quiet and fully stocked.

Pool area / Beach - We didn't use the pool much, but there were always loungers available when we went and all very clean. There's a drinks and snacks bar with a selection of nutritious smoothies, juices or alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, they all looked great. We preferred the beach, which is only a 4 min walk through some lovely gardens straight from the hotel. That was a really nice walk every morning.

Gym - Again beautiful quiet gym. I worked out 3 times a week at 8 am and I was on my own most days. It's very clean and well equipped. I was able to follow the program I do at home. The spa looked incredible and the only thing I had was a body composition scan. Fascinating information and Berta was amazing explaining it all. They have a good selection of treatments and gym classes. Wish I had made it to one of their sound baths.

The Area - We love this area, been holidaying here for 20 years! and much prefer it to the super busy Estepona, Marbella or Puerto Banus. The local beach is fantastic and there's a much bigger proportion of Spanish to tourists, avoid the Chiringuitos along the beach, they are all awful tourist traps. Even in August, there was plenty of space in the beach. We had a car and we were only 10-20 min drive from all the near by towns of San Pedro, Estepona, Marbella or Puerto Banus. We tried some restaurants and I would recommend Aba (Asian fusion, 5 min away by car), La Locanda (great Pizza in wood oven, 5 min away), UMI Marbella (sushi, 10 min away in San Pedro) El Ancla (best traditional Spanish fish/ seafood restaurant 10 min away in San Pedro), Asador Guadalmina (best traditional Spanish meat restaurant, 10 min away in San Pedro), don't miss Ambrosia for ice cream in Estepona. We didn't eat at the hotel, but heard good things about the food, next time!

All in all, a faultless stay! Really hope we can come back next summer. Thank you to everyone at The Flag for making our stay so special.

I enjoyed staying here. The atmosphere here is good, the hotel is cozy and the staff is nice. Breakfast here is delicious. Fruit especially! Just had one incident. My bed was removed by staff, so it was a surprise🙈 But the hotel rooms are clean. The location is not bad at all. I recommend staying here if you want a quiet rest.