Accommodation in Extremedura (1 Viewer)

[markgrubb]

I'll be heading off to Extremedura in April for 5 days birding with my brother. On previous visits to different areas I've had good experiences of casa rural type accommodation. Ideallly we would like to be somewhere we can get up early and see some birds such as sandgrouse/bustards-and that also has honest decent local food.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

[john-henry]

Best place I've found near to good Bustard/Sandgrouse areas is La Bodega de Herrador in Monroy, it's a small hotel run by a husband and wife. Unfortunately they don't speak English but make every effort to overcome this and are very obliging regards breakfast, either early or later in the mornings. The rooms are kept very clean and towels etc are provided. Evening meals were very good, 3 courses with wine etc for 9 euros in 2006.
I found it ideal for visiting many areas in this part of Extremadura.

An alternative is the Hostal Monfrague (although I believe they've changed their name now) in Torrejon El Rubio, the accommodation is in a nearby building to the restaurant/pub so you are free to come and go as you like, evening meals aren't bad and are reasonably priced or there are other places to eat in the village.
There is also other accomodation in Torrejon, some of it self catering but I haven't any details of them.

If neither of these appeal to you I can only suggest you put in a search for accommodation in or near Caceres as this is the closest town to the best steppe sites, saying that Trujillo isn't that much further away so it might be worth a search as well, you have Belen Plain on the doorstep here, good for bustards but not sandgrouse.

Get back to me if I can help with anything.

regards

John

 

[Stephen Fletcher]

Hi Mark

It basically comes down to what you want to pay, how far you want to travel, and what else you want to see whilst over here. If its only Bustards and Sandgrouse then you are as well staying on the steppe itself. There are a few Casa Rurals on the steppe, but finding them on the internet can be very difficult, though living here means i have the contact numbers. Deciding what you want to pay is also important, as you can pay from €20-130 a night. If you want to see more whilst here, i would recommend staying in a Hostal, a 2 star hotel in Trujillo, of which there are lots. Trujillo being central to most good birding areas in Extremadura, and less than 10 minutes to the best Bustard areas, plus you will then have choice of restaurants in the evening. Of course, local knowledge also helps greatly in avoiding time wasting looking for areas to see these birds too.

 

[StuartReeves]

Finca Santa Marta just south of Trujillo is very birder-friendly and with good food too.

 

[Steve G]

Hi Mark,

Consider the Carvajal in Torrejon el Rubio. This village is right next to Monfrague allowing a dawn drive to Portilla del Tietar for the Eagle Owls and early access before the tourists arrive.
From Torrejon it is a 30 minute drive to the Belen plains near Trujillo (passing by Dehesa where there is a good chance of Spanish Imperial Eagle) for both bustards & sandgrouse and is a similar distance away from the grassland around Santa Marta de Magasca which is also reliable for the sandgrouse, bustards, roller (late april) & Monty harriers.


Torrejon el Rubio sits on the apex of a triangle with Caceres to the southwest & Trujillio to the southeast. A 90 minute drive north through Monfrague & past Plasencia will take you up to the Sierra de Gredos which holds a very different range of birds including Citril Finch, Bluethroat, Honey Buzzard, Bonelli's warbler, Rock Thrush, Ortolan Bunting and Alpine Accentor. A 50 minute drive east to the nuclear power station at Almaraz holds wetland/reedbed birds including Purple Gallinule, Purple Heron, Little Bittern, various egrets, Marsh Harrier, Great Reed & Savi's Warbler.

The food at the Carvajal is excellent as long as you are not vegetarian and they also have a couple of small appartments for rent. Unfortunately the family who own/run the hotel speak little english but they are most excellent people.

Hotel Carvajal: http://www.hotelcarvajal.es/

 

[markgrubb]

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I'll look into all of these possibilities

 

[Edward]

One more thing, Mark. When I went to Extremadura in April 2003 there was some kind of fiesta on Trujillo and all accommodation was booked out weeks in advance. Also I don't know if you are going over the Easter weekend, but if you are then I'd avoid Monfrague on Easter Monday like the plague, unless you want to visit the castle with several thousand others and listen to Spanish pop at 150 decibels.

 

[Stephen Fletcher]

Good point, Easter this year is 4th April. Prices will be at least double for all hotels in this week, as it is a very big celebration, which will last the whole week. Edward is also correct when stating Monfrague will be packed in this week, so, if you dont like noisy birwatching, best to stay away.

 

[markgrubb]

One more thing, Mark. When I went to Extremadura in April 2003 there was some kind of fiesta on Trujillo and all accommodation was booked out weeks in advance. Also I don't know if you are going over the Easter weekend, but if you are then I'd avoid Monfrague on Easter Monday like the plague, unless you want to visit the castle with several thousand others and listen to Spanish pop at 150 decibels.

Good point, Easter this year is 4th April. Prices will be at least double for all hotels in this week, as it is a very big celebration, which will last the whole week. Edward is also correct when stating Monfrague will be packed in this week, so, if you dont like noisy birwatching, best to stay away.

Thanks-we'll be away from the 16th to the 21st so I think will be OK. My one experience of a village feria was it and the local band going at it hammer and tongs until 7am

 

[BusangaBirder]

I can sympathise with the parties til 7 a.m! we have a small house in valencia 'val de gallinera' (incidentally great birding in nearby Pego marshes) and come party time the valley doesn't hold back!

A friend of ours organises birding trips as well as trips to see Iberian Lynx and Wolves in these areas. may be worth checking out?

busangasafari.co.uk/categories/out-of-africa/safaris-in-spain.html

 

[Casa Babel. Monfragüe]

Extremadura

Hi Mark, if you want to visit Extremadura on April, try to avoid Easter, from 1st to 4th of April 2010. This year has been a unusualy rainy year so the Spring will be beautiful, full of flowers and birds.

Best places to visit in Extremadura are Monfrague National Park and around, you´ll enjoy too much birding in Extremadura. Trujillo and Santa Marta plains are full of sandgrouses and great bustard on mid April.


JOSE

 

[Stephen Fletcher]

Looks very nice, but expensive when compared to the equivalent accommodation in Trujillo.

 

[Mike swims like a fish]

Hi Mark

I can certainly agree with the suggestion of La Bodega de Herrador in Monroy - I stayed there a few years ago now and really loved the place. We were lucky that an American was staying there who spoke really good Spanish, thus helping us with the language problem, but I suspect we would have been OK either way.

For details of the place you can see my trip report at this location http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/spain/tour17/spain-may-07.htm

But PM me if you want anymore details (like nest site for SIE) - you know where I am otherwise, and we could always meet up to discuss if you want. I've also been to the area in April, when we stayed at the Hostal Monfrague in Torrejon El Rubio.

Mike

 

[markgrubb]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. It's proven hard to find a place to stay. Most of the suggested places are full. The one I've not heard from is La Bodega de Herrador-I've just emailed the place again this time in Spanish so I'll see what happens.

Thanks for the trip report Mike-I'll have a look at it and will get in touch a little nearer the time of our trip

 

[Stephen Fletcher]

I do actually live here permanently, so know most of what is going on round here. Never mind, its no big deal, i was only trying to help.