Sercotel Córdoba Medina Azahara — Hotel in Córdoba

I arrived at noon and was checked in and given a room without hesitation, which after the 10 minute walk from the bus was a huge plus. The room was small but functional, as was the bathroom. Both were clean, although I later noticed some dust on a few surfaces in the bathroom, but nothing significant. One small catch - as a green hotel you have to insert your room key into a slot on the wall to activate the lights and AC/heat. I immediately turned down the thermostat, prompting the air to stop. Huh? Oh, it was set heat. In July. On a 90°(39C) day! I flipped it to AC, droppeed my bags and headed out to sightsee, "forgetting" my key in the little slot.

When I returned to the hotel at about 8:15 there was a pitcher of water near reception- a welcome touch on such a beautiful day- and the room was nice and cool! I quickly headed for the rooftop pool before it closed at 9. While not heated it was the perfect way to end a long hot day!

Apparently I'd booked the included breakfast, which was a huge assortment of hot and closed breakfast foods , fruit, meats, cookies , donuts, etc, as well as juices, and hot beverages. After eating I headed to see the last sight before heading out of Cordoba.

Returning to the hotel around 10 and check out is why I had to give 4 starts and not 5. First, I made the egregious error of grabbing a glass of juice and a donut from the deserted breakfast bar. I was immediately accosted by a waitress who scolded me , as I'd already eaten. At checkout the woman who checked me in advised me on a "faster" route to the bus terminal, before asking me to pay for the room . I unconsciously handed her my card, which she ran, before remembering that I'd prepaid. Ugh, what a hassle. After pulling up my credit card bill showing I'd paid she got a manager, leaving me just enough time to bolt to the bus station. Thank goodness for her "faster" directions, right? Wrong. They landed me (and my large suitcases at the bottom of a rather tall staircase.

Overall I enjoyed the hotel and...

Stayed several nights in May.||||The bed was comfy, reading lamps are excellent, and the room safe fits a 16 inch laptop. ||||The maid service was daily and great! ||||The bathroom has great water pressure, although the bathtub is delaminated, the finish is coming off. ||||Hair dryer is hard to hold down the trigger also had a short cord. ||||The makeup/shaving does not swivel up and down, and it lacks lighting. it’s also too high, so someone under 5 foot 7 cannot view themselves.||||The hotel does not have a laundry service so we used Solymar TINTORERÍA LAVANDERÍA, just a 10 min walk away.||||Our room had a terrace so it only had a door with no screen so we could not leave it open at night and our air quality was quickly into the unhealthy range. Yes we traveled with an air monitor! ||||The lights and the electric outlets go out when you remove your room card from the holder… ask for a second key to leave in the room so you can keep charging your watches and battery packs while you pop out to breakfast etc. ||||We had a terrace which is nice t when you have some time in your room. ||Patio would be more useable with a bistro table and chairs. Loungers are ok, but they are a large target for the birds! ||||They give you complimentary water only the first day! Convince stores close by if you want to save some €. ||||Hall lights are motion censored which is good for the environment but not for an anxious person entering a dark hallway.||||The elevator is not key activated so anyone could make their way to a dimly lit hallway. ||||Location convenient to train station and major...

The hotel's location close to Mercado de la Victoria is what this hotel has going for it. It lacks cleanliness in too many areas. We had to transfer rooms as soon as we stepped in because of a terrible tobacco smell, the second room had hairs all over (bed, bathroom and floors), and on our second night a horrible smell got into our room from the bathroom vent. Breakfast was ok, the greatest downside of the breakfast buffet was having to navigate through dishes and cups to find a clean one (they had juice residue, finger marks and what seems like lipstick, YES LIPSTICK). Very dissatisfying, especially when they have such a nice reception area. Also, the walls are paper thin. I could hear conversations from both adjacent rooms #LackOfPrivacy. Beds aren't good I could barely get a good night's sleep. If you can find...