Hostal Puerta del Alcázar

The house

A guesthouse in a 17th-century building on calle San Segundo, next to the Puerta del Alcázar of the city wall and the east end of the cathedral. It opened in August 2004 with its own restaurant, and its website says it is recommended by the Michelin Guide. The house presents itself as a place to feel at home, and what counts most is the location: you step out of the door and the wall is in front of you.

Rooms

The website distinguishes three types. The single rooms have a full bathroom, television, individual heating, air conditioning, towels and their own gel and soap. The doubles have two 90 cm beds or one 135 cm, and look onto the wall or calle Los Leales; they have the same equipment. The triples take extra beds for three or four people, so they suit a small family or a group of friends.

The windows are new, aluminium, and the house insists that they insulate against noise and cold, something you will appreciate on a central street and in Ávila's winters. The website does not publish fixed prices: they can be checked in its booking engine, linked from the home page, next to the cancellation policy.

Breakfast and meals

Breakfast is a continental buffet, from 8:30 to 10:30, with local products according to the house. The restaurant in the same building serves Ávila cooking menus at midday, from the menu of the day to menus with Ávila beef rib steak, and has a dinner menu: you will find it on the page for the Puerta del Alcázar Restaurant. Sleeping and dining without going out into the street is the great convenience of this guesthouse.

What it does not publish

The website does not give check-in and check-out times, nor whether it has its own parking, nor its pet policy. If you are arriving by car or with a dog, ask beforehand on 920 211 074 or 667 231 998, or at [email protected].

Who it is for and what is nearby

For families and travellers who want to sleep next to the city wall at guesthouse prices. The cathedral is two minutes away, the Basilica of San Vicente a short walk and the Monastery of Santo Tomás, outside the wall, a walk of a little while. At dusk it is worth crossing the river to the Cuatro Postes to see the wall lit up.