Hotel Batuecas

The house

The Hotel Batuecas opened in 1959 and was La Alberca's first hotel. It is on Avenida de Las Batuecas, a few metres from the historic centre, so you walk to the Plaza Mayor but sleep away from the bustle of the narrow streets. It now has new management and keeps its traditional air, with a stone façade and porch, a social lounge, reception, café, a panoramic terrace with tables and sofas, a garden with tables and even a ping-pong table.

The rooms

There are 34, spread over five types. The family junior suites have a living room and sleep up to four people, with views of the garden or the countryside; the superior doubles take two or three; the standard doubles are air-conditioned and have different layouts; the basic doubles have a double bed or two beds, and the singles measure 16 m². The hotel provides cots free of charge in all rooms if you ask when booking, which, together with the suites, makes it practical for families with small children.

Services and hours

It has no à la carte restaurant: it serves only breakfast and a café. Breakfast is a buffet, from 8:30 to 10:30, and costs €10. The café is open from 9:00 to 24:00, with no table service or service on the terrace. Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00. Pets are not accepted.

What is most appreciated in La Alberca is its private car park, because the old town is pedestrianised and parking in season is hard. It is paid and the website itself gives two different rates for the weekend (€2 on other days), so confirm it when you book. It also has four electric-car chargers. The website states that the online rates are the same as by phone.

Who it suits and what is nearby

It suits those travelling by car who want to get around the Sierra de Francia without struggling to park, and families who need a large room. For dinner you will have to go out: the Plaza Mayor and its restaurants are a short walk away.

From the village itself starts the Camino de las Raíces, a circular route of about 8 kilometres and low difficulty among oaks and chestnuts with open-air works of art, one of the sierra's Art in Nature Trails. By car, nearby are Mogarraz, Miranda del Castañar, San Martín del Castañar and Sequeros, all historic sites, the climb to the Peña de Francia, at 1,727 metres, and the Las Batuecas valley.