Hotel Rural Altogredos

A good restaurant with a nice atmosphere.

It was quiet and very clean, but the room felt tiny. There was a little window, though it sat so high that you couldn’t see outside.

The reception was nicely decorated, smelled pleasant, and the receptionist was friendly as we chatted about the area. The hotel itself looked lovely. We had booked a month ahead for the May bank holiday weekend, and after they called twice on Friday to check our arrival time, we said mid-afternoon. We left Madrid very early, hiked through Puerto del Pico, and arrived at 6:00 PM as planned. We hoped to sleep before dinner, but the coffee machine in the restaurant kept making noise. When we went to shower, we found bedbugs throughout the room and hallway, with even more in the bathroom. Two towels were badly torn, and there were traces of... in the toilet bowl. With the long weekend planned and few options in small towns at that time of year, we resigned ourselves to not wanting to lose the trip. The person who checked us in was also the one I complained to. First she blamed the room cleaner and said she’d pass it on to her “boss.” Then she said she’d clean the room herself and that the bedbugs were because of the wooden ceilings. We realized she was the cleaner. The result was hardly better, aside from getting new towels. If bedbugs are still there after cleaning, either the room wasn’t cleaned properly or there’s an infestation that needs attention. It felt like everything was sold out and they thought anything was acceptable. I’ve traveled for work and leisure for 35 years and stayed in all sorts of hotels and hostels, but this was SHAMEFUL!!

The best parts of the apartment were its location, the generous supply of firewood for the fireplace, and the new mattresses, which made for a quiet night. The bedrooms have charming sloping wooden ceilings. It’s a shame the furniture hasn’t been updated, because with some work the place could justify its nightly rate. As it is, it felt VERY expensive for what you get and needs a full renovation. There’s little worn furniture, an outdated kitchen with dishes that weren’t properly washed, and an old sofa under a cover that looked dirty and neglected. The TV sits on a chipped cabinet, though you could get a new one from Ikea for €15 and it would look much better. The bathroom has a curtain instead of a shower screen. Right now, it feels like paying €80 to stay in an old village house.