What a slice of heaven in the Extremadura region of Spain! My husband and I stayed a glorious week at this 16th century monastery turned 5-star hotel. It's a splendid time to visit, as the tourist season hasn't started and one can enjoy the small towns with the locals. Keep in mind that staying here is a splurge-- we had reserved a superior double at 190 Euros/night (the price for a moderate room). But what a room! #32 had a king-size bed with a sitting area and fireplace; a spacious bathroom with full tub and large deluge shower head. A large armoire for your clothes and plenty of space for toiletries in the bathroom (which I always appreciate). Both rooms had exposed walls throughout and 3 wide windows in the bedroom/sitting area which overlooked the valley and meadows. There is a narrow hallway from the door leading to the bedroom, so it was very quiet. British soaps (even a shaver kit and toothbrush set) and large, absorbant Spanish towels are provided. The hotel has many nooks and crannies for curling up with a good book; there is a salon on the top floor with a good view of the resident stork family on their chimney! A small, outdoor swimming pool with a view of the valley is available for the guests; towels are available at the front desk.

The staff was friendly and professional; very understanding of our destruction of Castillian Spanish! We had 4 breakfasts and 3 dinners during our stay; the food was impeccably prepared and delicious. The main dining room is an enclosed courtyard with natural lighting; another dining room is in the former chapel. There is also dining available on the second floor which overlooks the courtyard. Note that the restaurant is open to the public. Our last meal was their fixed-price 9-course Spring offering; expensive but worth the variety of flavors and visually stunning. The Iberian ham and pork filets are divine!

Room service is available; we tried their cheese plate and it was lovely. Their wine list is very reasonably priced and has local and Rioja regions represented. They also provide laundry service (which is not readily advertised).

We didn't have a problem locating this gem; it's about a 4-hour drive from Madrid. My suggestion would be flying in to Seville or Badajoz, which cuts down on the driving. Do visit the larger cities of Merida and Caceres; we did day-trips to both. And the best thing to do is explore all the roads around Rocamador and say "hi" to the famed pigs of the Region.

I've been ther with my wife last easter holidays, we've been in a superior room (nº23) 190 euros per night breakfast not included. The room was close to the reception, noisy and very dark. The breakfast is really expensive, is a menu breakfast and a simpli juice it costs from 3 euros. The hotel is in the middle of the nature, the view is wonderful, but is impossible to do some trecking or to have just a walk. There's only a little road the go to the nationl road where you can have a walk, all around are private zone really closed.

The dinner was good, a little bit expensive, we taste it 1 time, then we've been in other restaurants in Olivenza (very good) and other cities, close to Almendral there's a restaurant for Tapas and Barbecue called "La Fabrica" that is cheap and good. Finally I thinkl that the first problem on this hotel is that the owners are never on spot, and there are many persons coming to stay in this hotel just to say: "Ive been in the hotel of the sister of Miguel Bose".

Good to try, but too expensive for the quality.

This 16th century former monastery, now a unique luxury class rural hotel with 31 guest rooms and an outstanding restaurant serving exceptional local cuisine, can be found just off the highway at Km marker 41, a short distance down the road from the village of Almendral and a short drive south of Mérida. It is an extremely quiet location in the countryside, the perfect get-a-way and a destination for many of those in the know from Madrid and Sevilla. Owned by Spanish actor Carlos Tristancho and his wife Lucía Dominguín, the daughter of renowned matador Luis Maguel Dominguín, the Rocamador offers a level of service unsurpassed. We stopped by to check it out and have lunch on the 27th of March, not really knowing what to expect, but where immediately impressed with everything we experienced. The staff is outstanding and the lunch was on a par with the best nuevo regional cuisine Extremadura and the Basque Country have to offer, especially when you consider that the chefs (a husband and wife team) got their training at Arzak in Donostia-San Sebastian.

I've been to many five stars around the world, and Rocamador was one of the most divine experiences. The room was cosy, bathtub huge, the bed gigantic and the countryside around it beautiful. The restaurant in the hotel is Michelin starred and yet they had a wine list that included dozens of bottles for less than twenty euros. One word of caution, as they seem to make little attempt to advertise, it's very difficult to find unless you pay very careful attention to their directions.