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El Juncal Hotel Ronda – reviews, photos

4.0 of 5
Ctra de Ronda, El Burgo, Km 1, 29500 Ronda, Spain
Hotel amenities
El Juncal Hotel Ronda
Ranked #24 of 34 hotels in Ronda
4.0 of 5 stars 28 Reviews
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28 reviews from our community

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pittsburgh
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
61 helpful votes 61 helpful votes
“A mixed bag.....”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 November 2007
4
people found this review helpful

Depending on what you are looking for, you might love or dislike (but definitely not hate) El Juncal. The setting is majestic with pools, outdoor seating areas, and right next door, a working vineyard. We happened to be there on wine harvest day and the wine-making process was to begin immediately but unfortunately we had to leave. Those who live in urban areas and rarely get to see a starry sky will be in heaven! It was so magical to actually see even the Milky Way!
Our room was spacious with a very large private terrace convenient for reading or just enjoying the perfect weather. As a destination, El Juncal could keep you happy and relaxed for many days. But, and here is "may dislike" part, you will not be able to walk back and forth to the town of Ronda. So if that is what you want to do, you'll have to take a taxi or try to figure out where on earth you could possibly park. In season, I'm sure parking would be impossible. Because of the terrain and that it's a hundreds of years old town, cars just are not easily accommodated.
Rondo is one of the fabled "white towns" so named for the painted houses on the top of a sheer cliff. The history is fascinating, with Ronda being the last stronghold of the Moors, who were there until 1485! The Catholics had long since overtaken the Moors in other areas and once you see the topography, you will see why Ronda was easily defended. In fact, up to about 60 years ago, Ronda was a favorite hiding place for bandits and other criminals. A delightful museum in town pays tribute to them, including some women who were as bad as the men!
El Juncal contains a restaurant that attracts guests and outsiders too. It is quite a surprise given the almost rural setting to find such splendid offerings presented in a quite cosmopolitan style. The food was delicious, among the best meals we had in Spain, but you need to know that there is a set menu. The wine from the vineyard is offered and purchase of past vintages is possible as well as other wines.
All in all, we very much enjoyed El Juncal. We liked the very modern hotel in the country setting. There was clearly an attention to detail in the choice of materials used and the furnishings both indoors and out. The hostess, from Czech Republic, I believe, was fluent in many languages and therefore could converse and be helpful to the guests from countries from Germany to UK to Latin America. The small trading library was a godsend since we had run out of reading material and still two days left before flying home. The varied books left behind spoke well of the previous guests! Quite a lovely time.

Stayed October 2007
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Northamptonshire, England
Senior Contributor
41 reviews 41 reviews
Reviews in 32 cities Reviews in 32 cities
74 helpful votes 74 helpful votes
“Excellent service”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 August 2007

We stayed at this hotel as an emergency as my wife had been taken ill and could not travel immediately upon leaving our hired villa.

The staff here could not have been nicer or more helpful. Even though we pitched up at 1100, long before normal check in, they diverted cleaning staff to get one of the two rooms ready. They were prepared to provide anything that my wife wanted by way of drink or to eat and even went to the lengths of replicating a commercially available lemon drink which she particularly fancied and they did not stock.

The suite we had (room 3) was just about perfect for some recuperation with a big bathroom, a sitting area and its own private terrace. Our children had room 8 on the first floor which was spacious and had a roof terrace just across the corridor.

As we had not planned to go there I had not read any of the comments on here. I agree that it is between a school ( the hospital is beyond the school) and an industrial site but both are a respectable distance away and it is in within its own vineyard. Clearly we were there in school holidays and only stayed Saturday night so it would be inaccurate to say we had experienced any problems which these buildings might create. It is only a short taxi ride into Ronda.

The set dinner menu was five courses for EUR 36 which was very good and their own wine was excellent. Breakfast was superb and I recommend having the the full version if you can.

This is a stylish and well run boutique hotel which will appeal to many travellers who want luxury at a reasonable price.

  • Liked — Beautiful room
  • Disliked — Nothing
  • Stayed August 2007, travelled with family
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
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Andalucia
Top Contributor
55 reviews 55 reviews
Reviews in 38 cities Reviews in 38 cities
58 helpful votes 58 helpful votes
“Mad dogs go out at midnight...”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 August 2007
2
people found this review helpful

This boutique hotel, with contemporary decoration, offered very friendly service; great food; delicious yet pricey wine; a very comfortable room - but a poor night’s sleep. Thanks to almost continual barking of dogs that were kept in a kennel near the hotel property, we had to close our bedroom windows, crank up the air-con and put in ear plugs.
To be fair to the hotel, I don’t think the dogs have always been there. Next morning, when we commented about the poor night’s sleep, the receptionist apologised and explained that the neighbouring land owner was keeping hunting dogs in an improvised kennel. We were invited to write a comment, to help the hotel in its legal action against the neighbour.
So the peace & tranquility promised on the web site were not there the night we stayed but during the day the pool area was peaceful and luxurious. The inspiring views described on the web site were there but it is worth noting that this hotel is not as isolated as it appears from the web site photography.
It is located not far from Ronda’s hospital, just off a main road and it is in the shadow of a large building, army accommodation I believe. Having said that, it does offer views from the garden and from many rooms and during the day, lazing by the pool, I didn’t at all feel close to the town, but then again, I didn’t feel deep in the countryside either.
The hotel is elegantly furnished in a clean, contemporary style that makes a very welcome change for the rustic charm or chintzy coziness of other boutique hotels in the area.
The staff were all Spanish and very helpful. I was there with my Spanish partner to celebrate a birthday, so I booked the luxury, duplex house that stands alone in the garden, as a special treat. It was a lovely room and I was offered a superb rate that represented a significant upgrade from one of the other standard rooms.
The bed was on a mezzanine level, with crisp white linen, bathrobes, slippers and candles. After a genuine welcome, great quality bed and linen is way up there on my list of priorities when staying in a hotel! This was a really comfy room and we could have stayed for days!
Fresh flowers decorated the living area that had a WiFi, TV and sofa. The bathroom was elegant but on arrival really smelt. Plumbing is an issue in Spain sometimes and in Ronda especially one can sometimes expect drain smells due to the town’s sewage system that is somewhat overloaded (as of late 2007 the town is having a new system installed, so things should greatly improve). I mentioned the issue of the bathroom smell to the staff, and the team swiftly came with bleach as well as a plug in air freshener, so it was taken care of.
Dinner in summer is offered on the romantic terrace, with atmospheric lighting and candles. I asked if we could have our meal served on our private terrace and the staff were more than happy to oblige. A table was set up with champagne and candles. The food was innovative, tasty and the service natural, friendly and professional.
I took the wine recommendation – a house red from the property’s own bodega; but be warned the wines here are pricey!
So, although I didn’t sleep well, we still had a great time. The warm welcome and friendly service, lovely room and great food compensated for the problems with the dogs. Let’s hope peace is restored to this corner of Ronda soon.

  • Liked — Clean, crisp, contemporary
  • Stayed July 2007, travelled as a couple
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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london
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
21 helpful votes 21 helpful votes
“this place is odd”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 November 2006
1
person found this review helpful

This hotel is beautifully designed and situated just outside town in a nice quiet place. It should be ideal for combining a trip into the city with being able to get away and lounge around the pool in the afternoon.

However, this place just doesn't seem to be able to decide what it is. It's a vineyard and this is the only excuse I can find for the appalling staff. They ignore you when you arrive and ignore you when you're there. You can't get anything to eat unless you want the big set menu in the evening or they will maybe make you a ham sandwich if pushed! This is a problem given that you absolutely cannot walk anywhere else and need to take a car/cab wherever you go. There are no price lists anywhere so you don't know how much a coffee or a G&T is. Bizarre, especially in what is not a cheap hotel.

The decor is lovely, but the wooden floors can be noisy so make sure you stay on the first floor, it's too noisy on the ground.

  • Liked — beautiful decor and combining city with rest
  • Disliked — staff, no service, no food
  • Tips/Secrets — take your own drinks and food if you don't want a full on dinner, stay upstairs not down
  • Stayed May 2006, travelled as a couple
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Hamburg
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
“Disappointing!”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 October 2006
6
people found this review helpful

After the positive reviews and great website, we were thouroughly disappointed by this hotel.

Location: On the website you get the impression that the hotel is like an old finca in the mountains around Ronda. However, it is in the outskirts of the city and close to the industrial area and compared to other hotels the views are extremely limited. There is open space in only one direction, which is where the hotel terrace and pool are facing. Our room did have a terrace, but with only a concrete wall separating it from the parking lot.

Hotel: When you first arrive at the hotel, it looks like a adesign hotel but if you take a closer look it shows that it is not properly maintained-the paint is peeling on the terrace furniture, dirty reception carpet, etc. Note that there is no bar or lounge area (besides two couches in the entrance area) so if the weather does not permit being outside you can't really go anywhere but your room.

Room: The room does look like in any good city hotel but is lacking any personal touch and attention to detail that are normally the trademark of boutique hotels. Also, the room had clearly seen better times: stains on the carpet, worn bed sheets, no sink plug in bathroom, hole in the wall from where a clothes hook had been,... stuff that would generally not be an issue but is definitely not ok at this price. Even the fruit on the complimentary plate was half-rotten and only the green was left of the orchid that was supposed to be flower decoration.

Restaurant: The hotel's restaurant offers a menu at 36€ which we didn't try, the restaurant itself also does not have a view and does not look special. Breakfast was comparatively expensive at 12€ but was ok one morning, the next we first got orange juice which tasted foul (which was of course replaced) and the fresh fruit plate from the morning before had chnaged into canned pineapple and canned apricots.

The overall impression might have been better if we had had more time on pool and terrace but we left a day early since we did not enjoy the stay and felt like it was overpriced.

  • Stayed October 2006
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
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Additional Information about El Juncal Hotel Ronda

  • El Juncal Ronda
  • Ronda El Juncal Hotel
Address: Ctra de Ronda, El Burgo, Km 1, 29500 Ronda, Spain
Price range (per night):* INR4,291 - 6,409

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