The situation of the hotel was idyllic and the rooms we stayed in were very comfortable (although rather badly lit). It is a peaceful haven in the middle of the country and we went there because of this and also because the food had been classed as “Gastronomic”.
We arrived in time for lunch but despite the many beautifully shaded terraces there were no facilities for eating al fresco. We either had to eat inside in the depths of the restaurant or in the conservatory that was far too hot to even consider – it was such a shame as it was a lovely spring day. Due to this we decided to go and eat at a local venta in the nearby village which rather defeated the purpose of staying in such a wonderful place.
Come the evening we were then very much looking forward to eating in the hotel restaurant next to the beautiful altar. Sadly we were very much disappointed. The menu was rather limited and expensive for what was actually on offer. My father chose a beef carpaccio with foie which would have been lovely had it not been frozen in the middle. The main courses we chose were not available (there was only one other couple eating) and what we did have was very simple and just served with crisps and a grilled pepper. The food was much more like typical Spanish venta food – not bad but not what we had been led to believe was waiting for us.
We ended up complaining three times about the food and in particular the frozen carpaccio, however the only comment we had was that they were sorry. In the end I had to insist that we wouldn’t pay for the starter. It was clear that we weren’t going to be offered any recompense at all.
All in all it was a real shame particularly as we had taken my parents there as a present to them. The setting and atmosphere were wonderful – shame about the food!
- Rocamador Hotel Badajoz
