Arriving on a Friday and finding our first two hotel choices and most of the city hotels booked solid for the weekend, we headed across the river to the edge of town and found the Emperatriz III. A friendly, English speaking receptionist surprised us with availability of a room for two nights at 60 Euro/night including breakfast and free on-site parking, a bargain. Liberal use of marble, a spacious lobby, and a grand stair case to the second floor gave witness to past glory of this hotel, now primarily catering to bus tour groups from neighboring countries. Plaza Mayor is about a two mile taxi or bus ride away (#3 bus stop around the corner at the end of the block).

Our second floor room looked out over the rear hotel garden, pool, and playground, and was shielded from street noise. The room came with twin beds, traditional furniture, terrazzo tile floor, 18"TV, Fridge( not stocked), desk and only one chair. A plus was an in-room A/C system we controlled with a remote, and which stayed on during the night. On the minus side we noted the service directory was in Spanish only, and there were no glasses, except two plastic cups in the bathroom. The well lit, floor to ceiling marble tiled bath room had a tub/shower combo with a sliding glass door enclosure, a granite top counter with his and her sinks, WC and bidet. Grout seams gave away the age of the property, but an absolute disgrace were the towels frayed at the edges and hard as a board. Even though it appears the hotel has recently been refurbishing rooms and baths as is evident in double pane windows, new doors, fixtures, and furniture it nevertheless is not a 4-star hotel.

On the positive side of the hotel was its restaurant fitted out with chair covers and floor length table clothes, and linen napkins as if a wedding was to take place. We chose the price fixe menu at 16 Euro and found the food delicious, the portions gigantic. Breakfast was served in the same room buffet style and offered an adequate selection to get one started. To sum it up, the Emperatriz III is not the best choice for a Salamanca stay for its location and for what is offered.