Accommodation in Extremadura: Hospedería Conventual de Alcántara

Hospedería Conventual de Alcántara is a 15th-century former convent turned 4-star hotel in the beautiful town of Alcántara, in Cáceres province. I booked it for a one-night family stay there in July 2021 and these are my impressions:

The room

We all got double rooms in the new area of the hotel. I found our room quite spacious, very bright and quiet. The en suite shower room was fairly stylish, with a quality suite, a powerful shower and a big mirror. I cannot think of anything negative to say about the room or the shower room.

Breakfast

Breakfast was served in an impressive former chapel. Due to COVID-19, the options available on the buffet table had been reduced. Toast, cooked breakfasts and other options could be ordered. While the experience was ok, I found that breakfast could have been slightly better organised (perhaps allowing clients to order their whole breakfast in advance?) and that the staff was a bit rushed. I’m sure that my experience cannot be regarded as the standard one.

Kántara restaurant

The on-site restaurant is a great place to eat while in Alcántara, even if you don’t stay here overnight. I enjoyed a very good set 3-course lunch here in 2015 (for €15) and the recent dinner experience was fantastic.

We booked a table for 9pm. It’s very early for Spanish standards but very good for avoiding busy places because you have the whole restaurant to yourself. People started arriving when we were already having our desserts.

There were six of us for dinner and everyone seemed to really like their food. This is what we had (rough descriptions, as I didn’t take any pictures of the menu for me to provide accurate translations):

1. Seafood risotto.

2. Grilled Iberian pork presa (over-shoulder), served with grilled peppers and red onions and a creamy sauce.

3. Millefeuille of Iberian pork solomillo (tenderloin), served with potatoes and a fig sauce.

4. Iberian pork pluma (lower loin), served with potatoes.

5. Salmon wellington with spinach and pine nuts, serviced with a light torta cheese sauce.

6. Four-chocolate dessert (chocolate cake, chocolate brownies and chocolate ice cream, served with chocolate sauce).

7. Spongy carrot cake, served with banana and carob ice cream, a dark chocolate ‘tile’ and a berries sauce.

8. Fruit carpaccio (watermelon, pineapple and melon), served with hot chocolate and ginger sauce on the side.

9. Mango tiramisu with acorn liqueur.

Swimming pool

After driving from Don Benito and doing a boat cruise on Alagón River in the morning, we spent the late afternoon by the hotel’s swimming pool. At 40 degrees, it couldn’t have come handier. The pool is fairly small, but there was nobody there when we arrived. Only two couples arrived later on, but we seemed to have reached some kind of unwritten agreement whereby different households wouldn’t swimming simultaneously. It was great. The policy at the time required guests booking access to the pool area the day before, as only 16 people were allowed in.

Location

The hotel is located on the northeast end of town. It’s only about 10 minutes away from the town centre on foot, but it requires walking on a main road, which (from my own experience) is not recommended at night, as there are no street lights.

There’s free parking outside the hotel and it’s easy enough to find free parking in the town of Alcántara, so driving is the safest and quickest option.

About Hospederías de Extremadura

Hospederías de Extremadura is a government-sponsored hotel chain of historic buildings turned into 4-star hotels. Think about them as the regional equivalent of the nationwide Paradores initiative.

There are eight hospederías in Extremadura – seven in Cáceres province and one in Badajoz province. Apart from several convents (such as the Conventual in Alcántara), they also include former palaces and stately homes and factories.

Hospederías are a safe quality and reasonably-priced option both for accommodation and food. They usually have on-site restaurants and English-speaking staff.

Read my thoughts about having lunch at Hospedería Mirador de Llerena.

Practical info

Address: Carretera del Poblado Iberdrola S/N, 10980 Alcántara (Cáceres)
Phone number: (+34) 927 390 638
Book directly on Hospederías de Extremadura’s website

Hospedería Conventual de Alcántara on a map

Recommended:

• Alcántara, more than a bridge