I have always believed that a good hotel designer helps the operator sell his product through the way in which the design lays it out for a guest. The views a guest has on walking through a property are an important aid to doing this, and it is one of the reasons that the interior designers should be on board as a part of the building team from the beginning. Too often designers are brought in to decorate the mistakes at the end

At the Intercontinental La Torre it appears that either the architect was exceptional or the interior designer had major input to the planning of the hotel from the beginning. In the arrival area the reception area has been raised up to first floor level, so that as the guest arrives there is a view from inside the entrance across the lobby through to the pool and the golf courses beyond. This lays out in front of the guest the resorts' major attractions. The double height reception area also creates a cool spacious feel to counteract the Mediterranean sun outside.

Is it coincidence that there is a 'W' in one of the lobbies, or is this a reminder of the increasing competition Intercontinental may feel from Starwood's trendy brand? This hotel is not a 'W', although it has the potential to be on that trendy level. This is a beautifully tailored hotel that just lacks a little personality to carry off the funky panache of its Starwood rival. Stylish and well detailed the property just fails to generate the excitement of a more urban trendsetter, although that may have been due to the quiet of an out-of season visit to its rural location, with occupancy in the low 40 per cent.

The building's wings wrap themselves around the pool or the lake giving most of the rooms a view across the water to the golf course. Balconies line the area, and their harsh whiteness in the bright sun will no doubt moderate as the bougainvillea gains a hold as it has done on the sister hotel at Mar Menor. Ground floor gives access to the poolside and out to the golf course. Guests are able to go from their rooms to the pool without passing through reception. The restaurant terrace, whilst on the same level as the lake, is discreetly separated from it allowing diners to be close to the water but set apart from it by garden areas.