Hesperia, Zaragoza

It’s likely that most of you have never heard of Zaragoza. Well, it’s situated in northeast Spain at the foot of the Pyrenees and is not very far from Barcelona. At the moment it is not known as a foreign tourist destination but it is big with the Spanish because of the holy significance of the Basilica where the Virgin Mary was supposed to have descended from heaven on a pillar. Hence the common Spanish girl’s name, Pilar. The attraction of the ...
...other tourists, prices are not jacked up in the summer, and the new Ryanair route has made travelling there easy. However, this may change because Zaragoza hosts Expo 2008 next year.

The problem with visiting a city that is not well known is that there are very few reviews on the hotels there. So you are a bit of a pioneer for other tourists. In the end, I chose the hotel Hesperia Zaragoza after reading a short review by Andy Symington ... more

It’s likely that most of you have never heard of Zaragoza. Well, it’s situated in northeast Spain at the foot of the Pyrenees and is not very far from Barcelona. At the moment it is not known as a foreign tourist destination but it is big with the Spanish because of the holy significance of the Basilica where the Virgin Mary was supposed to have descended from heaven on a pillar. Hence the common Spanish girl’s name, Pilar. The attraction of the place to me was that it is not overrun with other tourists, prices are not jacked up in the summer, and the new Ryanair route has made travelling there easy. However, this may change because Zaragoza hosts Expo 2008 next year.

The problem with visiting a city that is not well known is that there are very few reviews on the hotels there. So you are a bit of a pioneer for other tourists. In the end, I chose the hotel Hesperia Zaragoza after reading a short review by Andy Symington in his book on Northern Spain who described the hotel as “An efficient modern hotel set up for the business traveller. It’s much less stuffy than many of its kind and reasonable value for its price bracket”. This is true as far as it goes but, unfortunately, there are things about the Hesperia that are not so nice which I shall describe in this review

~~~~~ Location ~~~~~

On the face of it, the location of the Hesperia is very good being just a five-minute walk to the historic centre where the Basilica, the Cathedral and the Roman ruins can be found. On the way there is a covered market called the Mercado Central, where all sorts of food produce are sold. In the other direction, it takes an equally short time to reach the bullring, around which a flea market is run in Sundays, and the Palacio de la Aljaferia which was once a sumptuous Moorish palace. But, as I was to find out, the Hesperia is located in one of the rougher areas of Zaragoza with a lot of immigrants, most of whom, are unemployed. It is a safe enough to walk around during the day but, at night, it is a different story. I don’t know if it has always been like this but I suspect it is something quite recent because I can’t imagine anyone choosing to build a nice hotel in area with such a problem.

~~~~ Checking – in ~~~~~

There was no sign of any problem on checking in. In fact, I was really quite impressed. The lobby is more reminiscent of a four star hotel than a three star with a nice bar and cafeteria and a place to use the free internet (including a printer). There are some free newspapers to read but they are all in Spanish, as you would expect in a city that does not have many foreign tourists. Some of the staff can speak English but it is not so easy for them as in more familiar destinations. Actually, it is a good idea to swot up on Spanish before coming to Zaragoza. It makes life a lot easier because there are going to be several occasions where you will have dealings with someone who knows no English and it will start the moment you get off the plane with the taxi driver.

Anyway, check – in went without a hitch. The friendly receptionist answered all my questions and I was given an electronic card key for my room.

~~~~ The Room ~~~~~

As I came out of the lift the lights came on as I walked down the corridor to my room. The electronic key worked perfectly and, after I put the card in its slot, the lights and TV with a welcome message came on. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised because the room was very spacious with a wooden floor. One thing I didn’t like was the lack of natural light in the room because the window was quite small. Fortunately, the lights in the room were up to the job of keeping the room illuminated. Everything was very clean but some of the furniture had seen better days. This is a trivial complaint really because it wasn’t that bad. I then checked out the efficient air conditioning which had two boost settings, none of which were very noisy and, best of all, the air conditioning did not turn off on leaving the room. My attention then turned to a large mirrored wardrobe with a safe on the floor. After fiddling with the safe for a bit, I realised I needed a key to operate it. So I had to traipse all the way back to reception to get the key. Why I wasn’t given it in the first place, I don’t know. It’s not as if there was any charge for using it. When I returned to the room, I realised there was a trunk to put your things in but this also needed a special key. This irritated me even more but, luckily, I had no need of it because there was space elsewhere.

My mood improved when I tried out the beds, which were very comfortable. Next to them was a good quality radio if you tired of the good sized TV. The TV, by the way, had 23 stations, one of which was SKY news. There were also 4 pay (porn) stations but it was made very clear what these were and you could arrange to have them blocked if you have children with you. Then, for those who like such things, there was a very well stocked mini bar with everything you could possibly want. Personally, I avoid mini bars because of the rip off prices. There was absolutely no need to use it anyway because of the nice bar and café in the lobby. And literally right next door was a supermarket with plenty of stuff to keep you going between meals. You might not like the fact the Chinese owners watch you like a hawk but, given the area, it is not surprising. Obviously, a lot of shoplifting goes on.

A feature of the room that was really good was the free WIFI internet access. Full instructions in English were provided in booklets for use with a PC or a Mac laptop. Most hotels charge quite a lot for this.

~~~~ The Bathroom ~~~~

The bathroom was very impressive, good enough to compare with anything you would find in a four star hotel. There was a large sink, a huge mirror and a good hairdryer. On one side there was a toilet and bidet and on the other a bathtub with shower. The shower was really powerful and easily controllable – no unpleasant cold or hot surprises. And, as you would expect, soap and a range of gels were provided. There was even Nivea face cream for men! One thing I can criticise, though. The towel rack had some rust on it. But that is all.

~~~~ Dining ~~~~

Eating breakfast in the dining room was a really nice experience. The room was light and spacious and the waitress gave a pleasant welcome. What was not so pleasant was when I was presented with a bill for breakfast, which I should not have been given because it had already been included in the price of my room. The waitress quickly apologised for her mistake and it was hard to be too annoyed because she was very attractive. Anyway, it allowed me to find out the price of a breakfast – 10.70 euros.

The range of food supplied in the buffet was quite comprehensive and it changed slightly from day to day. This included bread, rolls, cereals, ham, bacon, egg, sausages, fruit, yogurt, cake and several types of fruit juices. I have seen better but not in a three star hotel. Coffee was served by the waitress and you could have as many cups as you liked.
The times for breakfast were 7.30 to 10.30 but it was possible to arrange for something simple as early as 5 am.

The hotel also serves dinner, and snacks in the little café. But I did not take advantage of this because there was a wide choice of drinking and eating establishments nearby.

~~~~~ The Bad Bits ~~~~

And now to the part you really want to know. The big problem with this hotel was noise – lots of it. During the day there was no problem but, as soon as it became dark, shady characters amongst the largely immigrant community emerged who spent the whole night shouting and sometimes fighting with each other. It certainly did not appear safe to go out at night. In addition to this, the walls of the rooms in the hotel were very thin. One night a neighbouring guest decided to have a shower at 3 am in the morning. What with the constant racket going on outside, it was impossible to sleep. I hoped the noise would be a once off but it was like that every night. If you want to stay at this hotel, make sure you bring earplugs.

~~~~ Summary ~~~~

Unfortunately I cannot recommend this hotel despite all the good features it has. A fundamental requirement of a good hotel is to give the guests a peaceful nights rest and you won’t find it at the Hesperia. I believe the problem that exists in the area surrounding the hotel is fairly recent which is why I couldn’t find any mention of it. Most of the immigrants are unemployed which means they have all night to stay up making a noise when they have no job to go to in the morning. It was noticeable in the hotel that not a single immigrant was employed in any capacity – not even a maid. However, I don’t want you to think that Zaragoza is overrun with immigrants and crime because it isn’t. Most parts are very safe day and night. I was just unfortunate to choose a hotel in a relatively small spot where they are living. But even without the immigrants I would think twice about returning to the Hesperia because of the dreadfully thin walls. To be at all acceptable, the hotel needs to install soundproofing. It’s a shame really and I wonder how long the hotel will stay open in area where it looks increasingly out of place.

Finally, my experience should not put anyone off from visiting Zaragoza. It is a beautiful city and very different from the Costas del Plonk. 

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