Parador de Mérida

This made a wonderful stop over on the way to Portugal. The property is a former convent and old. It is in the centre of town so makes walking everywhere easy. Being 300 years old it is quirky, the long corridors and 300 year old floor tiles remind you that it was formerly a convent. Our room was large and super quiet. The bed was very comfortable and the linen best quality. I would not hesitate to stay here again. Breakfast was quite a feast with a very good selection. The town itself is interesting and there are good bars and restaurants. It has a good vibe and mixes roman structures with jazz bars and funky tapas bars. The aircon and everything else in our room worked fine. We used the underground parking which was great with a lift straight to reception. We could have easily parked in town to save the charge but frankly, theirs was just too convenient to bother with anything else. If we come this way next year we will definitely stay here.

The location of this hotel is excellent. It is in walking distance of many of the Roman attractions as well as a massive selection of restaurants and shops. The only real downside was the major landscaping project which was an unscenely site to look out to . My wife was also very disappointed with the run down outside pool. Neither of these issues had been made known to us when booking. The rooms themselves were quaint, clean but maybe a little dated. The bathroom in particular needs a bit of grout work and refurbishing of the shower. There was noise heard from other rooms. Especially when someone was running a shower or tap in their bathroom. The food at breakfast was a typical continental with the normal paradore offerings of some hot choices. It was quite entertaining watching guests struggle with the coffee machine when all they had to do was read the instructions. Please remember that you need to ask for tea from the waiting staff. In the restaurant at night there was a good selection to choose from and the service was polite and professional. The bathroom was a pleasant are to relax in. The staff seemed to work in the restaurant and the bar so sometimes a little patience is required so they can give you their fullest attention. All in all this was not one of the best paradores we have stayed in. On e they have completed refurbs it might get there though. All of the staff made it something special. The staff were all very courteous, warm and friendly.

Below-average Parador. A beautiful building with nice and very spacious rooms. Dinner was good and service was fast. But the air conditioning system doesn’t work: it's certainly not noisy (as advertised) but doesn't cool the room at all: the temperature rose to 24.8°C, which was hotter than outside. As a consequence, we slept badly. As for breakfast, the coffee capsule machine on the right doesn't work at all, the one on the left only once in five times. So there was basically no coffee. Considering that there is also no tea, it’s not great start of day after a rough night. The checkin and checkout were efficient, but they should give directions to the room and elevators, as they do in every hotels.