Salamanca Forum - Hotel Doña Brígida

The room was spacious and comfortable, and the hotel itself is beautiful, about 12 minutes by car from Salamanca’s city center. But the air conditioning didn’t work, which isn’t acceptable for a 4-star hotel. There’s no microwave for guests either, which surprised me for this category, and breakfast was mediocre at best. The biggest letdown was the service: the staff were unfriendly and even spoke badly about guests behind their backs. Great facilities, but poor management and service spoiled what could have been an excellent stay.

The hotel looks lovely at first, but we had a very disappointing stay. The service was the main problem for us. Staff were unfriendly at check-in, in the bar, and in the restaurant. They call themselves “pet-friendly,” yet our dog wasn’t allowed in the restaurant while another guest’s dog sat at the next table. With children and a dog, we were put in the former smoking wing, and the rooms still smelled strongly of cigarettes. Looks like bad management. The fish rots from the head. Good service matters most to us, and this hotel fell far short. We wouldn’t recommend it.

There was lots of parking and easy access for caravan travelers, which I loved. Just bring a cooling fan if you’re stopping here. The hotel is beautiful, but the heat and humidity made it hard to sleep. The lobby was cool while the hallways and bedrooms were stuffy and warm. The room’s AC was off when we arrived. It worked, but even after running all night it was weak and barely helped. Luckily, we’d brought a fan, so I slept somewhat comfortably. At 24 degrees C and humid, it’s uncomfortable without airflow. I’m from the USA, where stronger cooling is more normal, so that’s my two cents: maybe improve the bedroom AC or offer fans. The beds were small and uncomfortable, worse than what I’d consider a good twin bed, even allowing that they’re often small here in Spain. The front desk attendant was a bit rude at first. It was late and quiet, and she was on a break in the back room. When we came up, she started counting money into her drawer, then snapped at me to wait when I asked about my reservation. It seemed odd to put that before greeting a guest. Afterward she was helpful sorting out a booking confusion. We’d reserved through booking.com for two adults and one child, but her system showed a room for only two adults. She got us the room we’d booked at no extra cost, which we appreciated.

Dona Brígida is our regular stop on the way to and from the UK, and it offers good value for money with an adequate range of breakfast choices. Reception staff have always been helpful. They provided a kettle when we asked, with no fuss or charge, and kept our Oat milk in the kitchen fridge since they don’t stock it themselves. The bar and restaurant staff don’t speak English, but we don’t speak Spanish either, so we can’t complain, and we manage without too much difficulty. The beds are quite firm, though that doesn’t bother us for a one-night stop.