We booked this hotel in Cordoba mainly for the Arab Baths -- several soaking pools at different…read moretemperatures, plus a steam room, in an atmospheric Moorish style setting.
The baths are actually available to anyone visiting Cordoba on a day-use basis for 15 Euro per person, but hotel guests can get free and unlimited use of the baths. It is possible to add on massage treatments at 10 Euro per 15 minutes, but we did not get any massage treatments during our stay.
I have to say that the baths were actually just what we needed at this point in our trip. It was incredibly nice to come back from tramping around Cordoba and to be able to soak your cares away in a hot pool. (Note that these 'baths' do require swimsuits. Bathing caps are available for those who want them, but most people were not wearing them. Visitors are requested to shower before entering the baths and people generally seemed to follow that rule.
After bathing, it was also nice to sit in the hotel's courtyard, sipping on complimentary hot mint tea.
And since the baths are open very late at night (until midnight or 2 a.m., I think, depending on the days) it is also nice - and quieter - to visit the baths in the evening, when it is likely that the only other people using the baths will be guests at the hotel. And since the hotel has only a few rooms, the baths are very uncrowded at night (even though it was always possible to find a quiet and private corner of the baths during the day and people were generally polite and respectful to one another).
Some things to know:
- The baths are mixed-gender, but that should not be a problem for most people given that everyone must wear swimsuits.
- The floors can get very slippery among the different bathing pools. Definitely take your time, hold onto railings or walls and/or wear the non-slip shoes that the management provides.
- For the hotel itself, the rooms are charmingly decorated, but TINY. At least our room was one of the smallest rooms of the trip. Two small beds and I think a small closet. That's it. No chairs. No desk. Nada. There was a charming little terrace/sundeck, but it was shared with another room! That was a little awkward. If there had been four chairs on the terrace it would have been one thing to encourage conversation and comraderie, but there were only two chairs and one small table so it was kind of like whoever accessed the patio first could claim it for as long as they wanted. We held the patio at certain times and then the other room claimed it another morning. It was all very subtle and low-key -- we never even saw the guests in the other room, but we could hear them on the patio in the morning.
- Breakfast is also included for hotel guests. The breakfast spread itself was decent - some fresh fruit (including delicious large grapes), some melon, yogurt, juice, packaged pastries, some ham and cheese. And the lady who ran the breakfast room and also did a lot of work in the spa was really nice and friendly. She was originally from France, so we were able to have a bit of conversation. (And I was highly gratified when another guest at the hotel, who also happened to be French, chimed in to say how nice Americans were. Not something you get to hear all the time abroad, but much appreciated!) :)
- Generally, communication could be a slight issue if you speak neither Spanish nor French. English seemed to be a bit limited among hotel staff, but it was easy to communicate in French (and I'm sure even easier in Spanish)! ;-)
- There's no actual sign for the hotel. Or if there is, I didn't see it. Just follow signs for the spa and then check in for the hotel at the spa desk. We were a bit confused about this at first and I think some of the other guests were too.
If you like spas and soaking pools, I would definitely recommend a trip to the Baths when you're in Cordoba. It was hard to tell (language barriers) but I think that these Baths *may* be on the site of some ancient Roman baths. Or perhaps there some ancient Roman artifacts within the spa complex. It wouldn't surprise me given the spa's location right in Cordoba's old town area.
And if you like a late-night soak without worrying about walking back to your hotel -- or if you plan to visit the baths multiple times during your stay -- then it could certainly make sense to look into staying at the Hospederia.