The Parador is set within the old city walls of Avila with a pretty garden in an old building so has lots of character. The room was spacious but rather plain, not as interesting as younwould expect in an old building. Avila is a completely walled town with lovely views of the countryside from the walls which you can walk around. The town has a number of interesting buildings such as fine noblemens houses and churches. There were storks nesting when we went there in May 2011. There are a number of good restaurants in the town so we recommend you eat there. We rarely find Parador dinners very exciting. We booked a special offer thorugh the Parador website. Although we are Amigos, sometime we find better offers on the normal Parador website so it is best to check both.

The restaurant opens at 1pm.As we had a young child to feed before her nap,we arrived at 12:57, hoping to just relax as the restaurant doors were open.We were asked by the waitress to leave until the restaurant opened and she locked the doors as we left!We came back at 13:10 and ordered a vegetarian lasagne of spinach and cheese, judias verdes and a traditional stew.The descriptions on the menu sounded amazing.The aperitivos that arrived were unimpressive;potato salad from a tin in a pastry cup,and a mushy potato dip.We were the only people in the restaurant for nearly a hour, yet the waitress still managed to get our order wrong.The judias verdes were either frozen, or from a tin - they were utterly tasteless and watery.There was nothing else on the plate to accompany the vegetables.The lasagne had no spinach, but a layer of duck pate inside - perfect for a vegetarian!When we brought this to the attention of the waitress, she didn't even apologise or offer to take it back, but instead said "Ah but it's still good, yes?"The traditional stew was a small bowl of watery mutton broth - with flakes of meat and vegetables.THe only memorable thing about it was how miserable it was.I've generally avoided eating in hotels, as their restaurants never live up to the rest of the hotel, but this has to be the worst I've encountered.And the prices are astronomical in comparison to even the most expensive restaurants in Avila.My advice:don't eat in this Parador if you want to enjoy a good meal.

We had a superior twin room and were really pleased with it - very spacious, lovely big bathroom and a nice view over the gardens and wall. The location was great for everything we wanted to do in Avila, including sightseeing and nightlife - we were easily able to walk everywhere. We didn't eat at the parador, so can't comment on the restaurant, but we did use the bar and loved the outdoor seating area for early evening drinks (reasonably priced). Would definitely stay here again if back in Avila.

I was so looking forward to our stay and on initial viewing it did look a fantastic hotel. I totally agree about the garden area over looking the old city wall. It is a beautiful sight.
Our standard room was pretty average. Clean and an average size, it didn't have the feel of something special
The staff were ok and the late night staff pleasant. However we returned to the hotel in the late afternoon and sat outside in the garden. We ordered a drink and the waiter then approached another couple and began chatting. Now I din't mind this but he carried on for over 10 minutes. I eventually left, went to my room , returned with my book and he still hadn't served my friend. I had to remind him we were waiting and he eventuallt returned sour faced and gave us our drink. This was a complete contrast to the young waiter at the Siguenza parador that we visited for lunch
Overall, I really wanted to love this place but sadly though it was fairly average.