Alda Mercado de Zamora

A classic Spanish hotel beside the market, in a beautiful town and a great location. Its art nouveau touches give it extra charm.

We spent two nights in this beautiful Art Deco building, now part of the Galician Alda Hotel Group. It’s right in the centre of Zamora, across from the Central Market, and the main attractions are an easy walk away. The rooms are comfortable and nicely decorated. I hardly wear a tie these days, so finding a full tie rack in the bedroom cupboard made me smile (see photo!). The staff are charming and helpful. Breakfast is served in the basement, in a rather peculiar setup that’s been contracted out. I’d suggest one of the two cafés on the market square instead. They make their own 'churros' and serve good coffee for half the price.

The rooms are clean, tidy, and quite nice, though nothing especially beautiful. I can’t say whether the other hotels nearby are better or worse. In the room there are towels and soap on the shower wall, plus a hair dryer and refrigerator, but not much else. Tap water is drinkable, though it doesn’t taste good. They don’t provide bottled water, coffee, or tea, and there’s no kettle for making coffee, tea, or soup mix. There is a restaurant, but it doesn’t open early enough for coffee. The receptionist is there around the clock, and if she’s kind enough, she may make you a coffee even while it’s closed. Otherwise you may have to really plead, and maybe he’ll make one for you. There are lots of stores nearby, but they’re usually closed from 14h to 16h and shut for the day at 20h.

The room itself was nice, but the carpet was heavily stained and smelled awful when we walked in. I normally don’t wear slippers in hotels because the floors are clean, but I did here. For a 4* hotel, the carpets should be cleaned at least every 12 months. These stains looked like years’ worth. The aircon was noisy, and things generally need updating. We asked to move rooms and, as usual, were told they were full. Same old story!