Hotel Balneario Sierra Alhamilla

The terrace has an amazing view, and the restaurant feels cosy, with very nice meals. Our room was pleasant and basic, with a lovely big bathroom, though the hot tap only gave us cold water. Nobody was at reception when we first arrived, but someone came along soon to check us in. As English speakers, we did have some trouble with the language. The hotel is tucked away in a very, very small village.

The panoramic views from the outdoor seating were great, and the staff were excellent. We’d only planned to stop for tea and coffee, partly to use the restroom, but the menu and the meals we saw other people having persuaded us to stay. Glad we did. We had a chicken curry-style main, fried eggplant with honey to start, then lovely desserts and really good coffee. It was all very reasonably priced for Spain, and this place is a real gem in such a small village.

We started with a very relaxing hour-long massage in a dim room with chill-out music. After that they covered us in local medicinal mud, wrapped us up for 20 minutes, then took us to separate marble baths with warm thermal water and red algae to wash it off. The thermal pools had just been filled for us, and we had the antique chamber to ourselves for an hour. The whole place is old and charming, with lots of character. The water is comfortably warm and has no smell, unlike some other thermal baths I’ve tried that smelled of boiled eggs. Afterwards we had a beer on the terrace with lovely views. They included a tapa, and we ordered some Pinchos too. Everything was excellent, and the service was good. The staff are nice, professional and practical. If you’re after the chlorine smell and brand-new look of some hotel spas, this probably won’t be your kind of place. It’s ancient, original and full of character. We’ll go back.

We took one look around and cancelled our stay right then. The place could be an oasis if it were refurbished to a higher standard, but the hotel and treatment prices felt excessive given its poor condition. The spa area looked sad and uninviting, and we didn’t even look at the thermal bath. Getting to the spa meant going down a flight of steps, so it wouldn’t work for people with mobility issues. On arrival we were very disappointed: the rooms were sparse, one toilet pan was broken, and the curtains didn’t fit the windows. A derelict building overlooking them also seemed accessible to anyone.