A good location and a lack of hotels in Badajoz make the Zuraban a good choice. It cannot do anything about its horrible 60’s architecture, but it could be a much better hotel if the front desk staff could manage a smile every once in a while. And we communicated to them in native Spanish, no Lost in Translation problem here. There was a Taurine Feria when we were there so the only restaurant offered six specials of Toro de Lidia, (bull meat), for the entire week, therefore the selection was quite repetitive and limited as the normal menu was quite restricted. The beautifully appointed restaurant has one waiter who is quite capable, but sorely understaffed.
However, sandwiches are available at the bar and the waiter, Pepe, is a smiling and pleasant employee as is the porter. Restaurant Los Monteros or Dosca II a couple of blocks away are excellent. Breakfast is quite good and plentiful. The rooms are comfortable and clean, but there is a big noise problem. In order to run cables, there is a large space between rooms (above entry door grills, not seen except if you happen to look up and your light is off and your neighbor’s is on) about 6 inches by six inches, that allows every sound to travel. Speaking of sound- I wanted to kill an animal. A peacock lives in the park across the street and wonders around freely, often in front of the hotel’s breakfast room and it screeches at dawn or dusk. It sounds like a cat is being murdered. Get a room that faces the back or better still, in the wing that faces the river. Another huge problem was the fluctuating water temperature as you shower. It can go from warm to scalding instantly and happens all the time. Internet access was an expensive12 Euros for 24 hours.
- Husa Zurbaran Badajoz
