Strictly speaking I am not sure this hotel is in Valladolid (think Ryanair's approach to airports!). On the plus side they did not blink and eye when we turned up at 07:00 in the morning to check in - if only more hotels were this flexible - I was much relieved. The building is very smart inside and out and has a very new, airy & spacious feel to it. The room itself is modern and we had an excellent view over the gardens and river. It is very corporate and the vast majority of the other guests looked like they were on business.

Apart from the fact that this hotel is at least 5 kms from the centre of town my only gripe relates to the service and quality of the food in the restaurant. The restaurant does not open until 19:00 (this is Spain after all) so my wife and I chose from the bar/snack menu as we wanted an early night. The choice is very limited so we went for what should be an opportunity for any decent hotel to show they do the basics well - the ubiquitous burger. It was a thin as a pancake, obviously mass production bought in and burnt. Not great for a 5 star hotel. We sent it back and the kebabs were much better. (I know, I know - you are thinking Spain - burgers/kebabs? - that was all there was).

The following evening we plonked ourselves down at about 18:00 for a drink in the open 'bar' area. There was no other guest or member of staff around. When a manager type did turn up we were told someone else would attend to us soon. After a 5 minute wait I decided to vote with my feet - grabbed a cab and took a cab in to town. It is worth noting that there is virtually nothing in terms of bars/restaurants in the area, and certainly nothing of note within walking distance.

Overall this place just didn't float my boat. If I was on business then maybe things would have worked, but I was not, and it didn't.