Room Mate Shalma

Reviewed by Michael Soffe


SIMPLY RED ..............

Location is something that is so important when planning a Hotel and I must say, the Room Mate Hotels certainly find the best ones. There are now three Hotels in Granada and this one is located just up the hill from Plaza Nueva and Plaza Puerta Real. The newly opened Room Mate Shalma (August 2008) is in an ideal location. Situated off a small square (meaning less noisy than many city locations) and just a few hundred metres from bustling side streets with nightlife, bars, cafés and restaurants. The number 32 bus even stops right outside to whisk you up to Granada’s main tourist attraction – The Alhambra. The Cathedral and Albaicin are no more than a ten minute walk. We now feature their Hotels in Madrid, Malaga and Granada with Barcelona, Oviedo and Salamanca coming soon.

A smaller Hotel than most in this trendy chain of boutique/design Hotels, it has just 19 bedrooms. It is small and compact. “Red” is definitely the order of the day and even from the street the passionate colour beckons. Entering into reception you will be greeted by a happy member of the “Room Mate-schooled staff”. All their Hotels are gaining a reputation for their customer service and the receptionists will arrange dining reservations, provide you with maps and things to see and do and generally point you in the right direction. Nice to see in this day and age! A small seating area looks over the square.

A glass-sided lift leads you upwards to the reddening interiors – then the corridors open out with a touch of purple, pink or orange – a real splash of an artist’s palette (in this case the “artists” being the "interior designers" Clara and Lorenzo de Castillo). The odd swathe of black completes the effect.

The 19 bedrooms, whilst not the largest (obviously confined by the size of the original building) are the usual tasteful mix of design and colour that have become the by-word of the chain. Beds are comfortable and the rooms come equipped with min-bars, safety deposit boxes and plasma screen TVs. Not too many non-Spanish channels at yet. Bedrooms have ambient heating and air-con for the hot summer months. Wi-Fi access is also available free of charge throughout the Hotel. Bathrooms (or shower rooms in many of the bedrooms) are functional and have the obligatory design Hotel features of contemporary wash basins and tap fittings. Toiletries, towels and hair-dryers are provided as standard. The Executive Doubles were my favourite as they had exterior views of the street and more light. The Standard rooms face the interior wells and are therefore not as luminous. They have two Deluxe/dDuplexes also, but the extra space afforded on the upper levels has little space for more than a couple of chairs – an extra bed for a child might have been a better idea although the staircases are very steep! There are also some single rooms. Another trade mark of Room Mates – your “apple a day” is in your room.

Breakfasts are served at your leisure (until mid-day if you have been in the nearby bars partying!!) in the red and black breakfast room on the ground floor. As with all the Hotels belonging to the group, the ample buffet breakfast is included in the room rate thus adding to the value.

Exceptionally, the Hotel has a basement car park for a handful of cars (a space must be reserved in advance) and do be warned, the cars descend to the basement in a lift and the small spaces will challenge many experienced drivers!).

An ideal Hotel for those who want a simple design Hotel in a great location in the city at an excellent price/quality ratio.