Zenit Imperial - Valladolid, Spain 

Based on the reviews on this site, we booked this hotel. The reviews are very accurate. It is a great location, just off the Plaza Mayor. Valladolid is a fun city to be in - very un-touristy, and the Spanish know how to enjoy themselves. We were a bit disappointed with the hotel itself in terms of service - no doubt Roberto mentioned in previous reviews was not around. We arrived and no one spoke English, which made sorting out parking rather difficult. The room was fine - as a previous review said, good sized by European standards, and very clean. The hotel is what it says - central, clean, 3*, good value for money. But not a memorable place to stay.

Having read the many positive reviews of the Imperial on this site, we booked two nights (Fri/Sat). We were not disappointed. The staff were friendly and helpful, especially the famous Roberto whose excellent English and knowledge of the city, its tapas bars, restaurants and historical buildings was invaluable to the first time visitor. We paid 135 euros excluding breakfast. The room was quite small, but with good decor and spotlessly clean. We decided to dine at the Imperial on Friday. The dining room is very comfortable if rather brightly lit. Our waiter spoke excellent English and took us patiently through the menu which consisted of a choice of about 10 starters and 10 mains plus pudding, bread, a carafe of local red wine and a bottle of mineral water. The food was very good and the price was 16 euros each. Excellent value! We flew from Stansted with Ryanair. A bus connects the airport with the main bus station in the city. Tickets are 3 euros (5 euros return) and can be purchased at the Ryanair desk in the airport. The taxi from the bus station to the Imperial is about 3 euros. The taxi from Imperial to the airport is 22 euros on Sunday morning. Valladolid is a great city if you want a Spanish experience without many tourists around. The squares, shops, bars and restaurants were mainly used by local or visiting Spaniards and provided us with exactly the sort of weekend break we wanted. We would thoroughly recommend the city and hotel for a short break in Spain, and will certainly b.e going again