Second time in the lovely city that is Zaragoza.

Picked Hotel Goya because of the location. Arrived to find a historical re-creation of some battle with Napoleon happening in the main street not 50 yards down the road - hilarious, fun and loud.

Room was decent size and clean. Hotel staff were friendly. Hotel is quiet and well run.

Having stayed in the 5 star Palafox in Zaragoza I was expecting similar, just at the 4 star level (it was considerably cheaper). It was a little old-fashioned with no iron or ironing board in the room, but apart from that no complaints.

I teach in Zaragoza every two years, and have always been booked into the Hotel Goya (one of the Palafox chain) by the institute which I visit. It's always been a positive experience. The hotel is centrally located very close to the main shopping area and the historic centre of Zaragoza, so it's easy to get to the museums, cathedral etc. Because the Goya is located on a side street rather than a main thoroughfare, it isn't too noisy, though nightlife in the area does tend to continue till the early hours of the morning, as in any Spanish city, especially at the weekends.

The rooms are clean, comfortable and fairly spacious, with plenty of storage space and a desk to work at. The bathrooms are good, with excellent showers over the full-size baths. Each room has a safe, on which you can set your own combination, and overall the hotel feels secure and safe, a big advantage for a woman travelling alone like myself. My only criticism of the rooms is that in order to use electrical appliances such as laptop, phone charger or styling brush, it's necessary to unplug the light or minibar provided by the hotel, as there are no spare sockets except the shaver point in the bathroom.

The hotel has a no-smoking policy, in accord with current legislation, but I get the impression that not all guests comply with this in the privacy of their rooms! The breakfast buffet is ample and wide-ranging enough to cater for many different tastes. I did not eat an evening meal in the restaurant as there were no vegetarian options, but the menu looked attractive for meat or fish-eaters.

Overall, I can recommend the Hotel Goya, Zaragoza.