I wanted to visit my great grandmother's town and made a trip to Nijar. Following the advise of previous visitors I decided to stay at this pretty hotel. I am so thankful to those reviewers!!!

The hotel is just like an oasis in the middle of nowhere. It is located 30 minutes away from Villa de Nijar, the town I wanted to visit, in the middle of a National Park, (Parque Nacional Cabo de Gata Níjar, a outstanding peaceful park, all arid desert, huge rocks and solitary beaches), just outside Rodalquilar, a tiny town with a mixture of abandoned miners houses and new tidy homes.

The gentleman in the front desk was very nice and helpful. There is no wifi (there is only wired internet, but our laptop only works with wifi), so he gave us access to a computer in a living room for the guests, complete with a small library, a TV and DVD player and movies, board games, magazines and comfortable sofas for the guests to hang out if they want to. There is a beautiful pool surrounded by the desert, and a spa (which we did not use, but looked nice).

Each room has a different name, ours was clean and comfortable, with air conditioned. Nothing is luxurious or fancy, but every detail shows thought and care. The bathroom is nice and clean, with a wonderful shower. Breakfast was included in our rate. There were many options, everything was served with care. Fruit was delicious (the best melon I have ever had, white flesh with a dark green skin).

This place really exceeded my expectations.

My partner and I stayed for one night at the Hotel Rodalquilar, in the village of the same name, last weekend.

Rodalquilar is a stangely haunting and melancholy place - when the gold mine closed in the 1960s, the population plummeted and there is a prominent area of abandoned miners' houses. The mine workings and buildings can still be seen in the mountains. In additon, many Holywood 'Spaghetti Westerns' were filmed in the area.

Rodalquilar is very well-situated for exploring the stunning Cabo de Gata National Park, and highlights for us included Nijar, the tiny mountain village of Huebro, the abandoned 18th century Embalse de Isobel II (reservoir & dam), the Playa de los Genoveses, and the idyllic seaside village of Isleta del Moro.

The hotel sits in an enclosure just outside town, near to a fabulous beach, and in a desert with strangely-flowering cacti. It consists of a kind of courtyard with Islamic water features and a swimming pool.

The rooms are large, comfortable, and stylish - not high luxury, but appropriate for the area. The hotel sits well in its location. The service was friendly and professional.

We would certainly stay there again...