The Place
The road through the little town of Turegano widens dramatically as you reach the centre, forming a roomy plaza, which is pleasantly arcaded and overlooked by an imposing castle, still pretty much intact. Tucked into a corner, with a misleadingly modest facade, is El Zaguan. Inside, with the bar curiously sited right opposite the reception desk, you realize you’re in a substantial three-story building. In terms of design, it could hardly be more impressive. As usual, much use is made of exposed timbers as a structural and as a design feature: in a building of these dimensions, there are plenty of them and they have to be supported at intervals by pillars, which usefully define the space. See the dining room, which because of the timber succeeds admirably despite quite simple elements (terracotta floor, exposed stone walls and white paint between the roof beams). The tour de force is the second-floor-mezzanine sitting room on three levels. You don’t often see hotel architecture as imaginative as this.
There’s charming country furniture throughout, to be used, not revered. Bedrooms, with adequate space, are a nice balance of clean interior design and homely touches, with restful ochres and dull maroon walls, comfortable armchairs, tasteful bed covers; the bathrooms gleam. However: as in many of the beautiful small hotels we visited in this area, there was a slightly static atmosphere.