Vina Las Torres - Reviews, Photos - very pleasant well kept hotel let down by breakfast

ianbradshaw

London, United Kingdom

1 review

2 helpful votes

“very pleasant well kept hotel let down by breakfast”

Reviewed 15 May 2011

2

people found this review helpful

We had previously stayed at the nearby Finca Santa Marta but recent ambivalent reviews of it made us try somewhere else this time . Vina Las Torres is a large private house hotel with delightful gardens and courtyard, set in a charming rural location which as birdwatchers was ideal for us. The owners are very friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean and the en-suite bathrooms large although the minibars were no longer stocked and I couldn't work my television but these were very minor problems . However the three rooms we were given weren't the spacious rooms shown on the website although as single male occupants of double rooms it is perhaps understandable that we weren't given the best rooms. So it should have been perfect but somehow wasn't. Compared to Finca Santa Marta the hotel lacked a certain charm and atmosphere, having only been built in the last 30 or so years and the dining room is a far cry for the Finca's ancient olive oil press but this is hardly the owners' fault. More disconcerting however, was being told on arrival told that there would be no evening meals available as the chef had been given a few days holiday, especially as this was the principal reason for chosing this hotel as opposed to others. To be fair their website doesn't seem to mention evening meals but many of the reviews attested to the delicious home cooked food available. Breakfasts too were disappointing with a limited selection. We would arrive late for breakfast after having been out birding, (so it is possible that had we arrived earlier it might have been better). There was no fresh fruit other than oranges and the piled toast/fresh bread slices were cold, hard and unfresh. This could have been easily remedied by providing a toaster in the dining room and a loaf to freshly cut ourselves. The orange juice appeared to be from a carton which was odd given that oranges grow in abundance in the garden. Coffee was individually poured by the owner instead of coffee pots being provided which meant you had to ask everytime you wanted a refill. Sufffice to say that i did not look forward to breakfast which is virtually unheard of for me! So to sum up; a pleasant and well kept hotel with friendly/helpful owners but let down by lack of evening meals and poor breakfasts.

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14 October 2011

We thank you very much for taking the time to write such a detailed comment about your stay with us and we specially appreciate your overall evaluation. We have taken good note about your comments so they are useful for us to improve some details.

Regarding to the accomodation we would like to point out that single rooms are not available at our place. They are all spacious enough for minimum two people and more if junior suite are requested (naturally at a higher price). Despite this, when needed, as in your case, we specially rate double room/single use at a low price (56eur plus tax) and never mind to send information with description, photo and rate details as well as about meals to anyone on request.

On the other hand, we are pleased to attend any claim or doubt from our guests at the very moment they ask to us for.
Every room has a properly working TV. Since digital terrestrial television recently came to the area occasionally retuning still is needed.
Two years ago we decided to keep the mini-bars unplugged after 8 years offering this service. In fact, we do not include any reference about this facility on our website. We are conscious of global warming and in this case low consumption of items in comparison to electricity needed for the mini-bars maintenance it seemed tu us a non responsible use of energy. They still remain in each room available for any guest who wants to plug-in it and make use in their own convenience. Moreover, although we do not have a bar, beverages can be ordered and a price list can be found in the bedroom.

Full breakfast we serve consists of fresh milk, yogurt, cereal (2 types), slices of toast (2 types), white bread, sweets, butter, pieces of fresh fruit, boiled eggs, cold meats (2 types), cheese, home made quince, chorizo pate, chocolate, honey, a selection of jams including 3 home made jams from the fruits of our garden, olive oil, garlic, coffee (cafetiere method so we serve it in the moment), tea and orange juice. Unfortunately, we can’t take profit of the oranges growing in our garden since they are too sharp and not always mature enough for a natural juice. However, we now serve authentic orange juice with pulp, not from a carton anymore and although this is expensive for us any increase have been done on our rates. We honestly think it is a good selection of savory and sweet items for a breakfast included in a country inn prices. It is not easy to fit everybody liking but we do our best to improve. Best regards.

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Bridget-Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Contributor

13 reviews

Reviews in 13 cities

12 helpful votes

“Beautiful House and Rural Charm”

Reviewed 21 April 2011

My husband and I really enjoyed our stay at Vina Las Torres. We also really liked the city of Trujillo and the Extremadura region, which were beautiful, rustic, and not over run by tourists. There was a relaxed feel at the hotel as well as the general area.

The positive aspects of the hotel greatly outweighed any negatives.
Pros: quiet, relaxing, close to nature, spacious room, nice location for birdwatchers, mini-refrigerator, outdoor pool, wide selection of breakfast items (cold meats, cheese, two types of juice, coffee/tea, cereal, donuts, bread, hard boiled eggs, fresh pieces of fruit, etc.), and the best the behaved outside dog, The owners were kind, friendly and enthusiastic. Furthermore, they allowed us to check-in early since we arrived directly from the Madrid Airport very early in the morning.

Cons: quality of the coffee (I think it was instant but not sure), no wi-fi in the room, and lack of access to the indoor living areas late at night from the tower rooms.

In closing, we would not hesitate to recommend Vina Las Torres!

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30 September 2011

Thank you for your comment. Always something to improve, we’re on it. Coffee we serve is not instant, we make it following ‘French press’ method, ‘cafetiere’ in UK. Sometimes we make it less strong…. Thanks again.

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malcolm70

Thetford, United Kingdom

1 review

1 helpful vote

“A FAMILY RUN SMALL COUNTRY HOTEL EXCELLENT IN EVERY ASPECT”

Reviewed 28 October 2010

1

person found this review helpful

This was our second stay at this hotel where the owners are the staff and treat you as one of the family whilst respecting your privacy. As a retired couple we travel widely making as many as 6 tripa abroad each year.
The hotel is situated in a very quiet location in the countryside just 10 minutes south of the ancient hilltop town of Trujillo. Mature gardens surround the hotel which retains its' former grandeur as a stately home. A swimming pool is available for the use of guests.

The room and its' en suite bathroom were of the highest quality with all the facilities one would expect., cleanliness was perfect.

One of the highlights of the stay is the restaurant where the owner/cook serves up the most superb traditional fare together with local wines.

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luv2travel272

West Sussex

Reviewer

3 reviews

Reviews in 3 cities

“Very welcoming and beautiful family hotel in unspoilt Extremadura”

Reviewed 29 September 2010

Juan Pedro and Belen made us so very welcome in their lovely family home a few miles from Trujillo. The room was spacious with a good size en suite bathroom. They have a beautiful garden filled with fruit trees and flowering bushes and a swimming pool. A very relaxing place to be and very good value. Juan Pedro and Belen do speak very good English and were very helpful in their recommendations. Extremadura is a wonderful unspoilt part of Spain and well worth visiting and Vina las Torres is very well placed not only for day trips to Trujillo, Caceres, Merida and Guadalupe but also to the beautiful national park, Parque Natural de Monfrague where we saw eagles and vultures. We would highly recommend a visit.

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Barnes2000

Newcastle

2 reviews

Reviews in 2 cities

1 helpful vote

“Great food in the Wilds of Spain”

Reviewed 5 June 2010

A great wildlife retreat with good surrounding countryside for getting to grips with the real Spain.Juan Pedro speaks excellent English and Belen's food is second to none in the 'Home made local fayre' category.
Our room was spacious and comfortable. The owners did everything possible to help us . They have 3 species of orchid in their grounds and many great Spanish birds in the area!Far,far superior to the nearby Finca in which we have stayed in previously.