Hotel berhampiran Colonia urbana cigüeñas, Caceres

Six nights at the Don Carlos Hotel in Cáceres were delightful in every way. Lovely room with balcony and street view, clean, very comfortable bed, quiet. The public spaces are also very nice, with attention to detail to keep an essence of the past, with artwork and furnished spaces to sit. The price is very reasonable for the quality of the hotel. The location on a pedestrian street is wonderful, with many restaurants, shops, and cafes within a couple of minutes’ walk. It’s maybe a 7-to-10 minute stroll to the Plaza Mayor and the main gate to the World Heritage Monumental City, which is simply amazing. A key bright spot of the many was the staff of the Don Carlos who were friendly, helpful, professional, and accommodating. Their purpose really seemed to be that my stay be as best as possible and that I was happy with the hotel and the services. (I don’t tend to eat an earlier breakfast and didn’t reserve it so cannot comment on that aspect of the hotel’s services.) I booked directly with the hotel and that was easy to do. I would not stay anyplace else when in Cáceres, and it’s such a wonderful city (and province) that I plan to return time and again.

We last stayed here four years ago and liked it a lot. This time we really loved it! We came back on the strength of the hotel being so close to all the historic sights and because of the fabulous apple cake at the breakfast buffet. Both were still as good! We had a room facing the street on the 2nd floor and, thanks to two sets of double glazed windows, it was nice and quiet. Modern and with everything we needed: a safe, fridge, nice toiletries, comfy beds. All the staff were so friendly, especially the young man on reception from Zafra. Highly recommended. Check out my earlier review of Exe Ágora Cáceres on Tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g227852-d572802-r678964694-Exe_Agora_Caceres-Caceres_Province_of_Caceres_Extremadura.html

Lo positivo: - Esta limpio - Esta céntrico - El personal de recepción es muy amable Lo negativo: - No se puede aparcar y tengo que pagar 9,50 al día - El baño es muy pequeño con una dicha de 60x60 y cortina de plástico que se te paga al bañar te - Dentro no hay cobertura y para llamar tengo que salir del hotel. El wifi es inseguro y el Iphone no me permite la conexión estoy desaparecido cuando entro y incontestable - Todo es muy viejo y la habitación es muy pequeña - El muy insonorizado se escucha las gentes de la calle, los borrachos, los gritos y incluso cuando pasan gentes del pasillo tienes la impresión que están dentro de tu habitación.

We have stayed in a lot of different Paradors over many years and this time was the only the second time that we had been disappointed. The first was only eleven days earlier. Two old aristocratic town houses have been combined to create this Parador in the historic centre of Caceres, which is an UNESCO Heritage site. What the website fails to mention is that no traffic is allowed into the historic centre so you cannot drive to the Parador. This was only explained to us, by email, three days before we arrived. Fortunately, I had access to email and was with my wife. We were therefore able to follow the instructions that were given. If I had been on my own or had not been able to check my email I may well have gone into the prohibited zone, the signs were not large or particularly clear, and been fined. My wife had to walk to the Parador to check us in. I was then collected and taken to a car park in centre of town. I was charged €23 to park a motorbike there which was more than twice the amount of any other hotel, but I really had no choice. If I had known these arrangements beforehand, I probably would not have booked this Parador but one of the many hotels in the main town instead When we got to our room it had high windows with shutters. It was difficult to see out of these and the room felt a bit like a cell. Although it had everything we needed it was dark and it was almost impossible to get the air conditioning to cool the room, there were no instructions. The shoe shine pad in the wardrobe was just an empty box so the room had not been properly serviced. The bathroom sinks were a triumph of design over practicality. Instead of a normal drainage hole, with a plug of some sort, these had a whole section that moved forward to “seal” the sink when you pulled up the lever behind the tap (see first photo). One worked reasonably well. However, the one by the shaving mirror continually leaked water meaning I had to run the tap while I shaved. Given the water shortage there (see second photo) this was particularly wasteful. There were English speaking staff on reception but not in restaurant. We were not given the complementary drink which, as an Amigos de Paradores, we normally receive. The service in restaurant at dinner was rushed. We ordered two veal dishes but only one arrived. The waiter said that there had been a mistake and another was being “prepared”. It was not clear whether it was his mistake or that of the kitchen staff. Meanwhile, the first dish was left with us to get cold. Within less than five minutes the second dish came. As we had asked for it cooked medium we were surprised it was this quick, that is until my wife cut into it. It was virtually raw and inedible. I refused to pay for that it was so bad. The menu said that the dish was served with “mashed sweet potato”. Technically it was, but as there was less than a dessert spoon full on the plate, that was something of an exaggeration. There was no option to ask for f

Nuestra estancia fué de solo una noche pero estuvimos muy muy a gusto. La atencion a la llegada con las indicaciones del parking para el coche (muy importante). La cena fue un placer desde la ensalada a los postres, asi como el bufet del desayuno. Y la habitacion un lujo para el reposo del viajero.

Las habitacion no estaba mal, pero la limpieza de la misma dejaba mucho que desear, el wc lo encontramos completamente meado al igual que un bar de mala muerte. Tras avisar a recepción nos dicen que van a mandar a una limpiadora mientras nosotros comemos, tras volver de comer habían limpiado un poco, solamente la tapa, pero seguía estando chorreado hasta abajo. Nuevo aviso a recepción y vuelve a pasar limpiadora que nos pide disculpas y nos dice que no es normal, limpiandolo un poco más a fondo pero nada del otro mundo, balleta en mano y a refregarla por todos lados. Hicimos uso del spa, que la verdad está un poco justo. La ubicación es buena, a pocos metros del centro.

Really basic hotel, nothing fancy. It could be a good option if you want something inexpensive. We paid 70€/night for 2 people with breakfast included. It has a free car park which is good and you could walk to the center if you're used to walking. It takes about 15 minutes. If you're looking for nice and comfortable accommodation, keep on looking.

This parador is certainly not the most beautiful parador (but the town is superb) but very good and comfortable. What really stood out was the service, at front desk, at breakfast and in the (excellent) restaurant. Efficient, polite and professional. Perfect thus.

The Parador de Plasencia is one of those wonderful historic Paradors with cloisters, wide open spaces for walking and delightful social areas. It’s a great place to hang out and be. The rooms are well appointed , large and welcoming. Breakfast is reliably good and the bar and restaurants excellent. It’s a great place to stay the only excitement is with car parking which uses a car lift to transport you to the ground floor. SUV owners need to take care with this as the lift space is tight but doable….watch those wing mirrors! Brilliant place