Hotel Rural Centro de las Arribes

The accommodation is lovely, with great rooms, a comfortable mattress, and a clean, well-equipped bathroom. The restaurant was a different story. At dinner we ordered an Iberian cured meat platter for €14, but it had four slices each of chorizo, salchichón, and lomo, plus one slice of Serrano ham cut into chunks. NOTHING WAS IBERIAN. We told the waitress, who said she didn’t know whether it was Iberian, but they still charged us as if it was. The walnuts in another dish were incredibly rancid. Breakfast is supposed to start at 8 am, but when we went down then, nothing was ready and we didn’t get started until almost 9 am. Also, bring earplugs: several roosters start crowing at 4 am and keep going all night.

Diana made lunch especially enjoyable, always smiling and cheerful. I only tried the restaurant, not the hotel, on a Saturday. The Iberian meat platter was tasty and generous, with ham, salchichón, chorizo, and lomo plus breadsticks. I also had oxtail with fries, then pistachio and white chocolate cream for dessert, which was wonderful. I’d happily recommend it and come back to Aldeadávila.

The food was beautifully presented and packed with flavor, and you could tell the ingredients were high quality and the kitchen took real care. We also felt welcome from the minute we arrived. The staff were friendly, attentive, and thoughtful throughout the meal. We had a wonderful evening and would gladly return. I’d recommend it for a special night out.