Hotel, Guesthouse and B&B Reviews

These are my personal notes on some of the places I have stayed on my travels. I have chosen to only comment on those places that I was generally satisfied with; I see no point on this website in describing accommodation that I would not recommend to anyone else. For the same reason, I have not attempted to rank or score the places. However, where I have particularly liked somewhere, I believe that the tone and content of my review will make that obvious. The opinions below are my own and are just that – opinions formed on the occasion of my visit. For this reason, I have given the date of my visit at the bottom of each comment; things may have changed since.

Spain: Andalusia

Hotel Mezquita, Cordoba. In an excellent location, right next to the Mezquita in the heart of Cordoba's old city. The hotel was great value for money. I stayed in a very clean, characterful, good-size double room looking straight out on the Mezquita. The Old City/Jewish Quarter of Cordoba is one of my favourite places and simply lovely at a quiet time of year. Breakfast did not start until 9 am and, as with many Spanish hotels in the winter, some warm clothing was required, even in my room.

Date of stay: 28 January 2009 and 21 January 2010

Hotel Plaza Nueva, Granada. The location, on the edge of the Albaicin and at the foot of Alhambra, is superb. The staff were very friendly, especially a young lady who spoke excellent English and advised me on restaurants. Granada is quite an expensive city by Spanish standards and the hotel prices reflect this. My room was very clean but faced into an internal courtyard; I was a bit disappointed about the lack of a view. However, when I returned with a friend a year later, our room faced out over the square but was extremely noisy at night. I guess that is the price of staying in the centre of a lively student town.

Date of stay: 29-30 January 2009 and 22-23 January 2010

Hotel Maciá Plaza, Granada. I was delighted with this hotel, despite my room not having an external view. The hotel is situated on the Plaza Nueva, on the edge of the Albaicin and at the foot of Alhambra. The room was clean, spacious, quiet and well-equipped and I considered the value for money to be excellent.

Date of stay: 25 and 28 August 2010

Hotel Goartin, Malaga. A great favourite of mine, because of its proximity to the main bus and train stations (just 10 minutes walk away) and the availability of inexpensive and yet characterful eating places in the vicinity. The hotel is clean and comfortable, I get a good night's sleep, and the reception staff are friendly. Other than a small lobby, the hotel has no large reception or other public areas and does not serve breakfast.

Date of stay: 3 June 2011, 17 April 2013, 22 April 2014, 7 February 2016, 27 October 2016, 19 March 2017, 13 January 2018 and 6 June 2019

Hotel Peñón Grande, Grazalema. The hotel is very well situated near the village centre. My room was clean but very dark, with poor lighting, and had a double bed pushed against the wall on one side. The receptionist was very welcoming.

Date of stay: 4 June 2011

Hotel Fuerte, Grazalema. This was a very nice 4* hotel and I got an excellent deal. I had no complaints about my large, modern room and it had a beautiful view across a valley towards the pretty village of Grazalema (perhaps an hour's walk away). Somehow, however, a large, modern, luxurious hotel seems a bit out of place in such a stunningly beautiful rural landscape, even if there were lots of nods towards environmental friendliness. When I visited, the hotel was very busy with families with children and this meant that I avoided the pool area, which was a pity. The hotel dinner was a buffet but, to my surprise, the food was excellent, although I found the drinks a little pricey.

Date of stay: 5 June 2011

Posada Del Fresno, Montejaque. This calls itself an alojamiento rural, a sort of rustic B&B. The host and hostess were very friendly, although they spoke no English. The house is traditional in style and there is a nice lounge for guests. Because of the paucity of eating options in Montejaque, I accepted the offer of dinner and it was excellent. In contrast, I found the breakfast the next morning to be a little spartan.

Date of stay: 6 June 2011

Hotel Al-Andalus, Cueva de Nerja. Another favourite of mine. The first time I visited I wanted somewhere to stay close to the Nerja Cave, so that I could walk to Frigiliana the next day, and this hit the spot. The appearance of hotel is slightly off-putting: it is next to the main road and looks rather like a Little Chef. But, in fact, although not luxurious, it was very good. The rooms were perfectly fine, quiet, and very reasonably priced. I had probably the best meal of my trip in the restaurant that evening. Two years later, I returned and stayed two nights on a “DB&B” deal, climbing Pico del Cielo the first day before walking on to Frigiliana as before.

Date of stay: 1 February 2012 and 11-12 February 2014

Hospederia El Caravansar, Frigiliana. I have stayed here on two occasions. Both times, I had a small room with a single bed and was impressed with the cleanliness and the traditional local character of the establishment. The first time I stayed, I found the room a little chilly (but the weather was unusually cold for Spain) but a simple breakfast was served. On my second visit, I was fine temperature-wise but no breakfast was served.

Date of stay: 2 February 2012 and 13-14 February 2014

Hotel Balcon, Competa. I was perfectly happy with this friendly hotel. There were very good views from my bedroom window down to the coast. The breakfast was excellent. I found the hotel very hard to find on my first visit, when I arrived (very footsore!) in the village; only the chance discovery of a map board in one of the town squares saved me from wandering forever. My second visit was every bit as good as the first.

Date of stay: 3 February 2012 and 28 March 2018

Posada La Plaza, Canillas de Albaida. This guesthouse is beautifully situated in the main square of this pretty village. On both visits, my room was pleasantly characterful and clean. On my first visit, I felt the price I paid was a little high in view of the fact that I could not take breakfast as I had to catch the 9 am bus the next morning; no rebate or packed breakfast was offered. It was February and, unusually for Andalusia, freezing cold (the fountain in front of the hotel froze at night!) yet my single bed was made up with just one sheet. Fortunately, for my life and limbs, there were two blankets in the cupboard and I remade the bed – but should I have had to do this for myself? On my second visit I was able to take a pleasant breakfast in the restaurant opposite.

Date of stay: 4 February 2012 and 27 March 2018

Hotel Colón, Ronda. A personal favourite. The hotel "does what it says on the tin". It is very good value, clean, well located for both the bus station and the town centre, and breakfast is included. It even has a lift (an "elevator" for the colonials) if needed. The staff are very friendly and accommodating – they allowed me an early breakfast on both mornings of my first visit and gave me a take-away breakfast on my second visit.

Date of stay: 5 and 8 December 2012 and 12 November 2015

Hotel Rural Los Pintores, Benaojan. The hotel is quite traditional in its layout but with some rather quirky modern touches. It was run by two friendly and helpful (artistic) painters and their occasionally eyebrow-raising works decorated the walls throughout. I had a single room which looked down the pretty valley towards Benaojan Estacion. Breakfast was included but a very good three-course dinner with wine was only an extra €10 a night and I enthusiastically signed up for this. The hotel seemed to be newly opened and there were a few areas which could have been improved: I had to ring a doorbell to get into the hotel and it was not always answered, plus I had to run the bathroom tap for 10 min before any hot water came through.

Date of stay: 6-7 December 2012

Hotel Las Calas, Agua Amarga. This is a nice hotel by any standards. It was clean and comfortable and included a decent breakfast. The only disappointment was the poor state of some of the furnishings in my room: the bedside lamp had been snapped in two and the hose on the French-style hairdryer in the bathroom was full of holes and non-functional. Perhaps I was just unlucky with my room allocation.

Date of stay: 18 April 2013

Hotel de Naturaleza, Rodalquilar. This is the type of Spanish hotel I have been rather wary of before (e.g., in Grazalema or Arnes) – a very modern, concrete, supposedly "eco" hotel built in the middle of nowhere. But, in this case, the scale of the place is very modest (only 22 rooms, I think) and it won me over. My room was clean and lovely and I had the small hotel swimming pool to myself when I arrived. I paid 18 euros (+ modestly-priced drinks) for the nice 3-course dinner, and 8 euros for the breakfast. The hotel staff were very pleasant, especially the lady who served me breakfast and checked me out on the Saturday morning.

Date of stay: 19 April 2013

Motel Sierra Nevada, Granada. I chose this hotel because of its location: it is adjacent to the bus station, which is some way out from the city centre, and I was getting the 10 am bus out to La Alpujarra the next day. My room was inexpensive and basic but clean and it suited me in every way for a one-night stay. The establishment is mainly a camping and caravan site with the US-style “motel” part attached to it.

Date of stay: 17 May 2013

Hotel Rural San Roque, Pitres. The hotel was good value, with a simple breakfast included, and clean, while my room was large, well furnished in traditional country style, and had a very nice view. I planned to eat in the restaurant but no one came to greet me when I walked in about 8.30 pm and so I left and went to the bar down the road instead. All in all, I was content with my hotel choice but it would be improved by a few smiles from the person who checked me in, served me breakfast, and checked me out.

Date of stay: 18 May 2013

Hotel Rural Poqueira II, Capileira. The hotel was new, I think, and seemed to be an annexe of the "Meson Poqueira" on the opposite side of the street, where the reception and restaurant were situated. My room was clean, comfortable and quiet, although rather small. A simple but good breakfast was included. I would have had dinner in the "Meson" in the evening but people were smoking in the bar.

Date of stay: 19 May 2013

Hotel Mirasol, Orgiva. The town is an odd place, full of hippies and ex-pats. It is larger, a lot busier, and more business-like than the mountain villages higher up the slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The hotel was comfortable, clean and good value. It felt more like a commercial hotel than a tourist one but I had no complaints at all – it suited me perfectly for one night.

Date of stay: 20 May 2013

Hotel Los Castaños, Aracena. The rooms are very functional, as was the breakfast, which was included, but everything was very clean on my visit and I considered it to be very good value. I would not visit the hotel for for a romantic weekend but otherwise it "does what it says on the tin" and cannot be faulted.

Date of stay: 23 April 2014

Posada del Castaño, Castaño del Robledo. This British-run B&B is in a lovely big, old Andalusian townhouse, packed with character (and a few cats). My room was very spacious and I was served a decent breakfast. In addition to being a B&B, it is also a busy family home, of course, and there was a lot going on that generated a somewhat chaotic feel at times. The village, like others I saw in the area, does not seem to be thriving and I found it difficult to find somewhere open to eat and drink in the evening.

Date of stay: 24 April 2014

Hotel Rural La Posada de Alájar, Alájar. Both the hotel and my room were small and rustic and suited my needs perfectly. An excellent breakfast was served for an additional €5 at the twin establishment, La Posada de San Marcos, a few minutes walk away. The English-speaking owners were very knowledgeable and forthcoming about the local area and its food.

Date of stay: 25 April 2014

Hostal Puerte Carmona, Seville. This is a small, budget hostal on the edge of the old city. It was exceptionally good value for Seville. My room was clean and surprisingly large, with twin beds and a very good sized bathroom. There was at least one excellent budget eatery nearby where I enjoyed a very good dinner for €12 (including drinks, dessert, coffee and a tip). If I had to find one negative about the hostal it would be that the lock on my door did not look as secure as I would have liked in a busy city centre establishment. However, the front door of the hostal appeared to be manned 24 hrs a day and only opened when "buzzed" by the receptionist.

Date of stay: 26 April 2014

Huerta de Nelson, near Monda. This British-run B&B is in a beautiful location in the countryside midway between the villages of Monda and Guaro (about 2 km from either). My room was very comfortable. My host was very friendly and helpful, giving me a lift back into Monda for dinner in the evening. I had an excellent English cooked breakfast in the morning. The owner has two Great Danes: alarmingly large but very gentle and good natured.

Date of stay: 9 November 2015

Cerro de Hijar, near Tolox. The hotel is gloriously situated on a mountainside high above the village of Tolox. Horizontally, it is 3.2 km from the village and, vertically, several hundred metres above it: luckily, the hotel were happy to send a car down to collect me. The views are stunning and the atmosphere one of great peace and quiet. The hotel is not luxurious but tries hard to maintain a certain standard - its 3* rating is about right, I would say. My room was very pleasant. I enjoyed a very good dinner in the hotel restaurant in the evening – this was fortunate as there was nowhere else to go! In the morning, I had to leave at 8 am, well before a Spanish hotel serves breakfast of course, to walk down the hill to catch the 9 am bus from Tolox to Yunquera. I would definitely go back.

Date of stay: 10 November 2015

La Rejertilla, near El Burgo. The establishment appears to be a riding stables with bunkhouse-style accommodation attached. It is in “the middle of nowhere”, some glorious countryside on the edge of the Sierra de las Nieves Parque Natural. It is about a 30-minute detour on foot from the GR243 long-distance footpath, which I was following. I was the only guest and so had an en-suite room with three beds all to myself. I was able to obtain a very simple dinner in the evening and a basic breakfast in the morning.

Date of stay: 11 November 2015

Finca la Campana, near El Chorro. This is a hang-out for rock-climbers about 1 km outside of the small village of El Chorro. Expect to feel out of place if you are over 25 years of age and do not sport a beard and braided hair! It consists of a bunkhouse plus a number of separate cottages for larger groups. I had a private, lockable room inside (and through) the bunkhouse. It was clean but a little noisy until the small hours and I had to share the general bathroom facilities.

Date of stay: 8 February 2016

Hostal Vista a la Sierra, Valle de Abdalajis. Lovely, clean accommodation on the very outer and upper edge of the village of Valle de Abdalajis. The staff were very friendly. It is best to bring a map of its location within the village: I made the mistake of heading for the village centre and then had to climb back up the hill. Do not be worried by the hostal designation – basically, it is a small rural hotel. I was provided with an oil-filled radiator but it still took a long time to take the chill off my room. For dinner in the evening, I went to the adjoining bar and restaurant next door and had a very good value meal.

Date of stay: 9 February 2016

Hotel Toril, Antequera. Excellent, budget hotel, well situated in the old town of Antequera. My room was clean, quiet and – importantly for February – heated! The staff were friendly and helpful, allowing me to leave my rucksack in the hotel for the day after I checked out. I was served an adequate breakfast in the morning.

Date of stay: 10 February 2016

Gastrotel Inz-Almaraz, Jimera de Libar. This small village hotel was very good and met all my needs. It is in the upper village, that is, not the railway station part, from which it is a further 20-25 min walk. The night I visited there was nowhere else open in the village and so I had no choice but to eat in the "Gastrotel". The food was very good, and clearly freshly prepared, but I still felt it was – perhaps – slightly over-priced (although the pound had recently slumped in value, which did not help). The hotel Wifi did not extend to my bedroom and so I could only use it in the restaurant.

Date of stay: 28 October 2016

Hotel Rural Buitreras, El Colmenar/Gaucin Estacion. I had booked a "bunkhouse" bed (I think there are conventional hotel-style rooms available) in advance by email. Initially, I was told that the place was fully booked but then I was told that I was lucky and that there had been a cancellation. When I got to the village of El Colmenar, I discovered that the hotel was quite hard to find and was misdirected by a couple of locals (probably the fault of my rubbish Spanish!); it is on the "other" side of the railway from the main village. I eventually found it, hot and very tired after the walk from Jimera de Libar, and was given a friendly welcome. There were perhaps ten bunks in my (very clean) room and I had high hopes that I would be the only one staying (so I am not sure where the "cancellation" business came in). I had a good dinner in the restaurant, went to bed, and was woken at 2.20 am by someone coming into my room to sleep and then – about an hour later – by two of his friends; all of them needed showers, some food, and a good natter before they went to sleep. They were very apologetic (in Spanish) in the morning but I already knew (from many years experience) that bunkhouses were not really my cup of tea. In the morning I had a rather average breakfast and then paid a very modest bill. Next time, I will try and get one of the hotel-style rooms!

Date of stay: 29 October 2016

Hostal El Anon, Jimena de la Frontera. As so often, in the "white villages", I found the hostel very difficult to find in the maze of small streets; there seemed to be one sign, positioned for the benefit of car drivers, not tired, footsore walkers. My room was off-puttingly dark and gloomy with a damp atmosphere but it had an excellent shower and so I guess it suited my needs well. The Wifi was good. I did not have dinner in the "Hostal", which seemed to be mainly a lively bar and restaurant, because it was Halloween and overrun with excitable children, but I returned for lunch the next day after I had looked at the most interesting castle.

Date of stay: 30 October 2016

Hotel Sierra de Ubrique, Ubrique. My plan had been to walk the 9-10 hours or so from Jimena de la Frontera along the GR7 but all sorts of things went wrong and, instead, I took the train to Ronda, the bus to Ubrique, and was then given a lift by a friendly Spanish man out to the hotel, which lies about 2 km south of the town centre. One of the things that had gone wrong was that I was feeling very unwell and so I was perhaps not in a position to make the best of the hotel! But it seemed a nice place; very clean and well looked after. It has Wifi. It is extensively decorated with hunting trophies (i.e., dead animals), which might not be to everyone's taste. The restaurant was closed the evening I arrived and I was not feeling well enough for breakfast the next morning, so I cannot really comment on the food. I must stress that I brought my illness with me to this hotel and that the hotel was not responsible for it.

Date of stay: 31 October 2016

Hotel Royal, Ronda. At the end of my walking trip down the Guadiaro valley I needed a place to stay for one night in Ronda. The next morning I wanted to catch the 7 am bus to Malaga and so I did not want a place that included breakfast, thus ruling out my normal choice in Ronda (the nearby Hotel Colón). I booked the Royal because it was central and because the value for money was absolutely excellent. My room was a little dark and quite simply furnished but it was clean and suited my needs perfectly. I had a very good night's sleep.

Date of stay: 1 November 2016

Casa Finola, Competa. This is a very friendly Dutch-run B&B. My hosts were very helpful with advice about walking in the area. My room was very clean and easily spacious enough for my needs. It is a typical village house and there are a couple of tight turns on the stairs if one is tall or a bit larger than average. There is a delightful roof garden with excellent views. The continental-style breakfast I was served was fresh, varied and very filling.

Date of stay: 20-21 March 2017

Hotel Mirador, Canillas de Albaida. This hotel appeared to be newly built... in fact, it looked not quite finished and there were a few teething issues (no shower curtain!) with my bathroom. But my room was very clean and I had a balcony with a stunning view across the village to La Maroma. The price I paid was excellent but no breakfast was offered, even at additional cost. It had free Wifi, which worked well. I seemed to be the only person staying and, once I had been let in and given a key by the owner/caretaker, I was left to my own devices.

Date of stay: 22 March 2017

Apartamentos Las Yucas, Torre del Mar. It was semana santa and I could not find anywhere suitable to stay in Malaga ready for my 11.45 am flight home on Good Friday. Instead, I found this smart, clean, comfortable apartment in Torre del Mar, which is only 40 min by bus from Malaga. The apartment block is next to the lively Cafe Las Yucas, which lies on the main road through the town rather than on the sea front. But I heard no noise at all during the night. An unusual choice for me, especially for just a one-night stay, but a good choice nonetheless.

Date of stay: 29 March 2018

TUGASA Hotel La Posada, Villaluenga del Rosario. I had been looking for somewhere to stay in nearby Benaocaz but could not find anywhere and I chose this friendly hotel and restaurant in Villaluenga del Rosario instead. It is similarly on the GR7 path as I desired. I arrived from Ubrique along the beautiful Roman road (calzada romana) and departed for Grazalema across the mountains the next day. My room was clean and a good size, with just one small window in the thick stone walls. In the evening I had a good dinner for a fair price. The restaurant did not start serving food until 8.30 pm, which is later than ideal if one has been walking.

Date of stay: 7 June 2019

Hotel Villa de Grazalema, Grazalema. This is a nice hotel situated just outside the main village. It is quite a bit larger (and more family oriented!) than the type of place I normally stay in rural Andalusia, with a pool and a large lounge area. I had an excellent view over the village and the mountains from the small balcony of my pleasant, clean room. Of course, it was a little bit pricier than my normal choices as well. I ate in the hotel restaurant one evening but found the food and service rather average; there are much better options available in the village, which is just 10 min walk away.

Date of stay: 8-9 June 2019

Apartamentos Sierra del Hacho, Montejaque. This was a good, clean apartment in central Montejaque with a living area, a kitchen, a bedroom with twin beds, and – best of all – a nice terrace. It is situated directly above the bar and restaurant El Altillo, from where I collected the key from the friendly and helpful proprietor. Obviously, I did not need an apartment all to myself, even a small one such as this, but there seem to be very few other options in the village at a reasonable price. The brisk walk on to Ronda took me precisely two hours in the cool dawn air.

Date of stay: 10 June 2019

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