September 21, 2023 Dinner - Castilla Termal, Solares
We spent much of the day in our room that is beautifully decorated.
It rained much of the morning, so it was not a day for much adventure.
The hotel is one of those grand old hotels associated with a mineral hot spring that produces about 800 gallons per minute. It was built in 1902 and remodeled in 2006. It’s mineral water bottled and is very popular.
It has a huge indoor mineral water pool with lots of different jet configurations that we have enjoyed soaking in.
We scheduled our pool time yesterday and today from 5:00 to 7:00 and stayed for about 30 minutes today, because Suzette got chilled. Suzette is fighting to overcome the threat of getting a cold, so rested much of the day.
I fetched breakfast at 9:30 a.m. for both of us.
The Breakfast offerings were fabulous. There were so many choices.
I asked for a tray and was immediately provided one. I placed two plates on the tray and took slices of a tortilla named Campera that was filled with cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, and mushrooms in addition to egg and potato. Then I took slices of ham and air cured beef (Cecina), integral flour croissants, a brownie, a slice of poppy seed sponge cake, a square of baked bread pudding, fresh fruit with whole milk and yogurt, and finally I made two cafes con leche with the assistance of a gentleman who showed me how to load the Keurig type cup of coffee.
It was more than I could carry and I asked a waitress who spoke some English for assistance carrying the tray to our room.
Suzette and I enjoyed our breakfast and then we rested until Rahim sent me a draft of an agreement to edit.
I had trouble opening it, but Suzette helped me open it on her laptop and I spent most of the afternoon editing the draft.
I returned my edit to Rahim before we went to dinner in the hotel’s dining room again at 8:45 p.m. Spain time, 12:45 MST.
We did not want to drink a bottle of wine tonight because Suzette did not want to drink any wine so I ordered a glass of the house V & R white, which was pretty terrible but drinkable with two cubes of ice to chill and dilute the wine’s heavy sweetness.
Suzette ordered a brochette of Pork and Veal from the cafeteria menu that was served on a bed of fried potatoes with a small side salad, a lovely light meal.
I ordered what turned out to be a spa dish, hake fillets poached and then wrapped with strips of lightly blanched zucchini and served with a slather of a flavorless white gravy-like cream sauce, which was actually a good thing because it is the first dish I have eaten on the trip where the kitchen consciously avoided using salt. I also took a slice of both the corn bread and the regular white bread that served as my appetizer and carb source for the meal.
My impression is that unless you love spa cuisine, there is not much excitement in this hotel’s menu. What they lack in great food they make up for in great service, which was excellent.
After dinner we went back to the room. Suzette went to sleep around 10:00 and I stayed up to blog and read.
I loved the old spa areas of Castilla Termal. We even took a glass of water from its old fountain that dispensed thermal water that probably dated back to 1902. I felt like we had stepped back in time and were taking the waters at a grand spa.
The last I went to a historic spa like this was with my family in 1960 at Montecatini Alta in Italy.
After two soakings in the mineral water pool and a massage yesterday, I am feeling better and am able to walk without the aid of a cane to the pool and to the restaurant, no serious hiking, yet.
Bon Appetit
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