My husband and I spent a month here October-November. Maria, the owner, is simply excellent, always on call to deal with any problems - the hot water boiler broke down late one night and she arranged for a new boiler to be installed the next day with no fuss at all. The flat is very clean and well furnished, equipped with everything you need, including fast and free wifi and all the BBC/ITV channels on the television, plus BBC News and CNN. The beach is about 300 metres away via an underpass, or you can take the car down there (although the access road is a bit rough). The shopping centre - Lidl, Supersol, cafes, banks, chemist, Chinese bazaar - is about the same distance, maybe a bit closer. A bit further away is a McDonalds, again within walking distance, and a bit further again is another shopping centre, with more cafes, a big Mercadona, and a British Supermarket (owned by Waitrose and Iceland) selling a really good selection of British goods like HP sauce, Heinz baked beans, Robinsons squash, British sausages, bacon, yogurts, bread, and much, much more. The Calahonda Royale complex is gated and very well maintained. As with most complexes like this, walls are rather thin, so you can hear doors slamming, furniture being moved etc, plus there were quite a few dogs in the area while we were there and these seemed to enjoy a yapping chorus every so often. The apartment has easy access, being close to the gate and on the ground floor, thus having the added bonus of a sunny garden out the back. We hired a car for the month (although the bus stop Malaga/Marbella is just about 200 metres away), and at this time of year were able to park on the street.
Overall, we had a thoroughly enjoyable stay here and I would heartily recommend to anyone considering it.