El Bálsamo – Hotel Rural 5*

A quiet village and a great castle, with a perfect hotel. I'd recommend it. The only issue was the steps in the cave pool, where I fell and hurt my leg. Everything else was 100/100.

The hotel is beautiful, and I think I took a photo of every corner. Our room was very clean, the staff were kind and helpful, and the products at breakfast were very high quality. The cave pool is super cool, too. I don't regret staying, and it was a memorable experience, but I wouldn't book again at that price. I care about knowing what to expect, and I would have enjoyed the stay more if I'd known these things beforehand, or perhaps not booked at all. English really isn't an option with the staff, though, so bear that in mind. The cave pool seems to be a big draw, but we didn't realize it had to be booked for just one hour. Since we were there for one night, that left us with a slot before breakfast the next morning. I appreciate the chance to use it privately, but the booking process should have made this clear so we could reserve ahead. There were barely any rooms occupied, yet the hotel wouldn't give us more time, and I couldn't understand why arranging a slot was so difficult. I felt a bit misled. In the end, an hour was enough because the water was nowhere near 34°C. It was cool, but not comfortable for swimming. Breakfast was meager, even though the food itself was excellent. I don't eat much, but I still left hungry. It wasn't a buffet, and we weren't offered more, just the portion served. The price wasn't too high proportionally, but I expected more from a five-star hotel and would have gladly paid extra for a breakfast that filled me up. Our room had no actual outside window. To me, being able to let in fresh air is a very basic feature. I understand the hotel is too beautiful not to use every opportunity for rooms, and I'm not saying these rooms shouldn't be offered. But the lack of an outside window should be made clear when booking, and those rooms should cost less. I've only had one other room without an outside window, at a basic zero-star place in Vietnam, not a five-star hotel in Western Europe. If you want sunlight too, ask for a room with a window. Several minibar products were expired by weeks, not just days, which made me question the attention to detail. The room decor was very basic. The outdoor pool was closed because it was winter, even though it was 26°C outside. I understand the nights are colder than in July and the water might not be ideal, but I would have liked the option to swim, even for 10 minutes. The website didn't say the pool would be closed, or at least I couldn't find that information when I booked. I gave the location three stars because the hotel is pretty, but there isn't much to do nearby, and the hotel didn't offer enough to make up for that. I also don't understand how this qualifies as a five-star accommodation, given how high the requirements are. Hope this helps!

You can't tell from outside how lovely this hotel is. Open the entrance door and the beauty of it becomes clear, with everything clean and smelling fresh. We had two little kids and were glad to find a perfect play corner for them. The staff were amazing, and the welcome felt warm and friendly. Highly recommended.

After six weeks traveling around France and Spain, and plenty of tourism over the years, we came across this little gem. The rooms are spacious, quiet, and private, and the beds are comfortable. Fresh food, a clean place, and kind staff made this an easy five-star stay. The homemade food was fantastic. Thanks for having us.