We stayed for two nights over Christmas while visiting family in Ciudad Real, so finding the hotel was easy for us as we know the area very well but Ciudad Real is a small, friendly city so if you didn't know it, I should imagine it would be easy to find. It's location is very central and as another poster said, very easy to use public transport from the AVE station.

Parking was free on the streets because it was a fiesta day but sometimes it can be a struggle to find street parking spaces. The blue zones are pay zones, red are for residents only and white are free.

The reception staff were very welcoming on our arrival; very pleasant and helpful. The reception area is lovely and was very warm to come in to off the very cold streets, however, it seemed to be the only area in the hotel with sufficient heating.

The room was a good size with a small balcony overlooking the street. It's not really a noisy city and our room was very quiet and peaceful. The bathroom was good with well stocked complimentary toiletries. A very, very nice touch was a Christmas welcoming card and lovely little package of chocolates.

The buffet breakfast was very reasonable; lots of choices of cheese, as you would expect in La Mancha. Also a wide range of bolleria (pastries and cakes), cold meats, and drinks. However, the breakfast room was cold and you have to walk through the even colder bar and past the front doors which automatically opened letting in blasts of icy air.

The real downside was the temperature of the room. Freezing! The heater is one of the hot- air blowers which was incredibly noisy to have running but, especially on our first night, was the only way we could get some sleep. There were no spare blankets in the room but when we asked at reception, some were sent up but the second night was still a bit of an endurance test and both my husband and I ended up wearing some of our clothes on top of pyjamas.

The only other word of warning I would offer is be very careful when getting into bed. The headboard is a nightmare and very easy to bang your head on the ledge. Also, the position of the light switches means you often turn the lights on and off when you move in bed.

However, I would recommend this hotel, especially at the price we paid but it might be better to wait for warmer weather.