Hospes Palacio de San Esteban, Salamanca, a Member of Design Hotels

They tried to move us to a cooler room, but that meant sleeping with the window open above the entrance. We had no privacy, lots of noise, and smoke from people below came into the room. The replacement room wasn't properly set up either, with no water or cookies. In the morning there was a long black hair in the bath, and the body wash and shampoo were completely empty. We arrived on a warm day and the air conditioner wasn't working, so the room was too hot to stay in. Management should be embarrassed.

Jerico at the front desk was one of the nicest and most informative people I've met, with lots of historical knowledge about the town. The staff were attentive to every need, and the hotel was very clean, spacious, modern, and incredibly luxurious. The restaurant is beautiful, though sadly the food doesn't live up to the setting. There's also a lovely bar on the first floor, but it's always empty; unless you go up the stairs to the front desk and ask him to call someone, you're out of luck. I'd definitely visit again.

The location was excellent, just a 5-10 minute walk from all the historic center sites. Parking was available for our rental, though the spaces were tight and the charge went on our room. WiFi worked well throughout, and breakfast, included in our rate, was excellent and started at 7:30 am. We loved Salamanca and would stay here again if we return. We had a Deluxe room, and it was just right. The bed and linens were great, everything was spotless, and the bathroom had both a tub and a separate shower. There were plenty of outlets, a small mini-fridge with chargeable drinks, a hot water kettle, and a safe in the large closet. We worried that room 14, above the lobby and overlooking the parking lot, might be noisy, but noise wasn't an issue. The AC worked well. The staff were wonderful, especially the kind and helpful reception team. On arrival, they gave us maps of the historic center and explained the sights and made recommendations.

We got a nice welcome and an explanation of the city, and there was a good breakfast selection. The room was okay, though very warm. The AC didn't make much difference; opening the window helped, but brought early morning noise. The location is great and there's parking. I would have liked more than two coffee pods a day!