Posada del León de Oro

This refurbished late-19th-century property feels more like a village guesthouse than a metropolitan hotel. It was built atop the remains of a stone wall that encircled the city in the 12th century—revealed through glass floor panels at the hotel entrance and in the restaurant. Rooms have white tiled floors, headboards with historical prints of the city, and high ceilings with exposed wooden beams. In addition to the inexpensive restaurant, there is also a tapas bar facing the street that pours more than 400 wines by the glass. Enjoy a breakfast buffet in the restaurant, or you can opt for a more basic breakfast at the hotel bar-café. The owners have another, slightly cheaper hotel next door (Posada del Dragón), well-suited to couples.

room

Entry-level “Corrala” rooms are cramped and awkward in layout with sinks situated directly next to beds. You’re better off splurging on one of the “Cava” rooms, which are more spacious and feature balconies. Tile flooring, cold on the toes in winter months, makes spaces feel far less homey than they could be.

YOU SHOULD KNOW Noise is a problem in this hotel; interior rooms catch the echoes from the courtyard, while exterior rooms are exposed to honks and raucous crowds.

bathroom

Grohe rain showers are a nice perk, though they leak onto the floor in certain rooms. All bathrooms offer basic toiletries and a hairdryer.

If you like pampering yourself with long baths, book the “Buhardilla” room, which has an in-room deep-sink tub.

lobby

There’s a sore lack of communal space in Posada del León de Oro with no lobby or lounge to be found—just a check-in desk and adjacent bar.

dining

The hotel has an “Enotaberna” (wine tavern) on the ground floor boasting a list of over 300 Spanish wines and a menu of stick-to-your-ribs Spanish fares like braised pork in Pedro Ximénez sauce and roast suckling pig.

drinking

Start your evening with some hand-sliced jamón ibérico at the hotel bar, and wash it down with a glass of sherry at one of the high-top tables.