The Place
Our inspector had trouble finding the Oromana: it is on a hill opposite the town, in an area (of the same name) which is rapidly being developed for residential purposes, eating into the pine woods that surround the hotel. The tranquillity is not yet lost; a long winding drive takes you away from the building sites to the rounded knoll where this impressive white hotel, complete with bell-tower, overlooks the meandering Guadaira river.
There is a particularly Spanish feel to the lofty public rooms; reception leads into a vaulted sitting room of marble columns and ornamental Spanish vases. Its large French windows open on to a bougainvillaea-clad terrace where guests can sit and enjoy the view. Next door is a small cosy bar, serving tapas at red-and- white checked tables. The more formal dark green dining room has sombre pictures of matadors on the walls. All service comes with a smile.
The bedrooms are in the main building and in a new extension which overlooks the swimming pool. The rooms, decorated in light tones, vary in size but not quality. Some have balconies – a welcome extra in the heat of the Andalucian summer. A recent visitor was unenthusiastic about the food, and thought a worn stair carpet might be dangerous. Reports welcome.