Hotel el Cid — Hotel in Morella

Stayed here May 2016 for 1 night to have a look at the scenic town of Morella. Our room was #405 and it had a nice view with small balcony.||||We had a comfy double bed room with TV, phone, small desk, heating, free toiletries in private bathroom with modern walk in shower. Water pressure was really, really good. Clean, neat, modern room. Lots of power points. ||||No fridge or tea/coffee making (but we discovered this wasn't common in Spain anyway). No safe. Hairdryer not kept in room but was offered at reception at check in.||||Free wifi in public areas inc. nice public lounge area, bar & restaurant. Water & wine inc. with meals, gluten-free was available.||||Parking outside hotel is free and looked plentiful, no reservation required. We had a BMW R1200R motorbike which we wanted locked up securely which they did in their own small garage next door for €5. It appeared to be the only hotel where one can drive right up to front door & park in front of hotel. Other hotels all seemed to be walk-in only.||||ADVANTAGES OF STAYING HERE: in heart of Morella, by ancient city walls. Ideal for walking up to Basilica & hilltop Castle. All sights within short walk. These inc. 13C Castle & Santa María Church. City is within very pretty area of Maestrazgo and the view as you drive up is stunning. ||||May be not so great if you have mobility issues. ||||We had dinner in the restaurant which was lovely and reasonably priced. Eurovision was on and they had a kiddies room next to the restaurant where diners could let their kids watch TV or colour in, etc. Given no children were using the room the waitress turned Eurovision on for us so we could watch our Aussie gal, Dami Im, perform. This was really appreciated.||||We would definitely stay here again if we were in this area again...

Hotel El Cid was easy to find, just inside the wall gate and check in was quick and welcoming. There is apparently lots of free parking on the streets of the village, but you should note that there are only a few spaces in front of the hotel. If you want to find street parking you have to turn left immediately before the hotel, and that street is where you should look for space.||As things looked a bit busy on the parking front, when the receptionist offered us a space in the hotel garage for 10Euros we jumped at it, and I have to say that as far as entry space and the actual parking bays are concerned, it’s probably the best hotel garage I’ve ever used.||The hotel is probably what you would rate as 2 star, which is reflected in the fact that instead of air conditioning there is a ceiling fan. Whether this becomes a problem later on, only time will tell! ||Our room on the 4th floor is spacious enough and very nicely furnished and decorated. It has a modern en-suite bathroom And it also has a balcony overlooking the valley below, with a couple of chairs to sit on.||Our bed was very comfortable and, with some cool air coming in the partially opened window and the fan on, the lack of air conditioning wasn’t an issue and we slept very well.||Breakfast was very nice and was brought to you. It consisted of orange juice, yogurt, melon, pane con tomate, cheeses, ham and, of course cakes (which is still a strange concept for me!). It was all very nice and was taken in a nice dining room overlooking the village walls.What a lovely way to start the day.||Morella is a lovely village and Hotel el Cid is a perfect place to stay. Service has been warm and friendly and we would certainly...

Where in the world? So I am here in Spain out of the Spanish stereotype world of sun, sand and sangria. A stone-built town Morella lies at crossroads between the Ebro Valley and the Mediterranean. It is a shimmering castle sprawling out of centuries of history that makes you catch your breath in wonderment. I have been walking "The Three Kingdoms Trail" ending up at Hotel El Cid, probably the best standard to stay.||||Though other places get much of the fairytale glory, for the intrepid traveller Morellas’s romanticism offers the set for hundred tales capturing the spirit of the country’s epic historical past: one of the main was The Carlist war and the Tiger of Maestrazgo in 1835. And now I am lost in tales and streets and my steps diverge and converge like labyrinth spiral.||||A walk through Morella’s romantic shadows offers so much more than a pleasant trip of shopping. It is a bastion of delicate pleasures and devil’s whispers while the isolated backcountry of El Maestrazgo is truly one of Spain’s most delightfully forgotten corners.||||When the tour guides disappear and I sit down alone at the San Miguel doorway, the gate’s ghost guard whispers in my ear names of died people: Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar – El Cid, The King James I, Francesc of Vinatea, Baron de Herbers, and the called||goldsmiths, falconers, silversmiths, sculptors, weavers, merchants, warriors. Have they returned to new bodies?||||Leaving my rest time at the hotel, my gaze is drawn upward to the castle, dominating a rocky outcrop. Its quiet streets rise steeply from the wall, snaking along the contours of its narrow perch and rising to a summit where castle and church stand sentinel like...