Alfonso XIII

I was torn between giving it a 3* or a 4* rating. I think my stay overall was good, but not great and definitely not what I expected. The good: the building is amazing, very beautiful and with a lot of history. Excellent location. Big room, comfortable, spotless. The not so good: I had to wait until after 5pm for my room to be ready because the guest in my room “asked for a late checkout”. This has never happened to me before, even in lower category hotels. The hotel looked empty, so not providing me with a different room seemed unreasonable, particularly since I was asked for my arrival time the day before. No a la carte breakfast. Individually, the staff were nice, friendly and professional, but I didn’t not feel there is a culture of delivering outstanding service and going above and beyond. Perhaps there is too much reliance on the building’s reputation.

This is a truly beautiful building, extremely well located, and everything can easily be reached on foot. The hotel, the service and the overall experience were excellent. My only major disappointment was that the entire property is 100% non-smoking, including all outdoor terraces. As a cigar smoker, this unfortunately affected my stay quite significantly, as there was nowhere at all to sit outside and enjoy a cigar. Apart from this point, everything was perfect.

Check your bill. Get it fully itemised. Items added that were not agreed or ordered. The hotel is very loud with no soundproofing between rooms. There are current building works that guests are not informed of. Many mistakes made with room and ordering. Apologies don't exist in the Hotel Alfonso, just the toxic reply of 'we're sorry that makes you feel bad', Julia Castillo, Operations. Bathrooms have poor ventilations and showers smell of damp. Doors heavy, loud, and difficult to open. Can't tell the difference between 'celeriac' allergy and coeliac disease when preparing food. Dangerous incompetency they couldn't not be trusted with safety. It's a beautiful building, but lacks a luxury expectation which the price tag commands. I truly regret finding another hotel the first time they lied.