Hostal Emilia

A family hostal

The Hostal-Restaurante Emilia opened in 1929, almost a hundred years ago, and is still a family business. It is in Plaza del Campillo, at the lower entrance to Trujillo, a few minutes' walk from the Plaza Mayor and near the bus station. Downstairs it has a bar and a home-cooking restaurant; upstairs, the rooms. It is an unpretentious place, designed for a good rest and an early start to see the city or the countryside.

The rooms

All have a window to the outside and natural light, and the hostal describes them as spacious, suitable for resting or working. They are equipped with a 32-inch television and free high-speed wifi. They are simple, with wooden furniture. The website does not publish the number of rooms, the types (single, double or triple), the prices or the check-in and check-out times, so all of that is worth asking when you book by phone or email.

The house restaurant

The cooking is home-style, with grandmother's recipes passed down from generation to generation and local produce bought in the town's shops. On the menu there are Extremaduran migas with La Vera paprika, scrambled eggs with wild asparagus or desert truffles, golden thistles with ham, torta de la Serena and Extremaduran cheeses; among the spoon dishes, white beans with Iberian chorizo, picatostes soup and, in season, tomato or egg gazpacho. From the charcoal grill come Iberian presa, secreto and sirloin, lamb chops and beef entrecôte, and there is lamb caldereta. The wines are largely from the Ribera del Guadiana, with Habla del Silencio, from the Trujillo winery HABLA. You have all the detail on the page for the Hostal Emilia Restaurant.

Eating and sleeping in the same house is handy when you arrive late or come back tired from an outing across the plains.

For those who come to watch birds

The hostal belongs to the Extremadura Birding Club, the network of businesses committed to birdwatching tourism. It offers route maps, lends binoculars to guests and helps book excursions with local guides. You do not need to go far: Trujillo's historic centre is a special protection area for birds, and in spring the lesser kestrels breed in the gaps in its façades. The lesser kestrel walk through the historic centre starts in the Plaza Mayor, a short stroll from the door, and is best done from February to July, early or at dusk.

What is nearby

From Plaza del Campillo you walk up to the Plaza Mayor, the church of Santa María la Mayor and Trujillo Castle and its cisterns. If you want someone to tell you about the city, the guided tour of the medieval town is a good first afternoon. Bookings on 927 320 083 or at [email protected].