Nelva Hotel

The Nelva Hotel is a swish place, its lobby decorated with sleek panels of dark wood on the walls and ceiling, sparkly black-quartz floor tiles, and plush cream couches dotted here and there. A great spiral staircase cuts through the ceiling, pushing its way upstairs. The hotel’s lobby bar leads off from the entrance, and is decorated in a similar style, with art from local painters on the wall. By contrast, the hotel’s restaurant is decorated in stylish shades of black and gold, with opulent Klimt-esque paintings on the walls and Art Deco light fittings dangling from the ceiling. Outside is a sprawling sunny bar terrace that overlooks the pool, which is set in a fake-grass deck. The Nelva attracts a mixture of business travelers and tourists willing to overlook a slightly out-of-the-way location.

This property has a convenient location on Murcia’s ring road, allowing business travelers to zip to and from the city’s conference center in just two minutes by car. That said, it's less convenient for tourists looking to do sightseeing in town. It's a 10-minute journey by car to Murcia’s cathedral, set in the heart of the city’s quaint medieval center, or it's 15 minutes by public transit and 25 by foot. The property is near a string of car dealers and some other shops, and there are only a handful of restaurants and bars in the surrounding area. Expect transfers to Murcia-San Javier Airport to take between 35 and 45 minutes by car, depending on the route.

The 250 rooms at the Nelva Hotel are all fresh and sizable, outfitted with contemporary pale- or dark-wood furniture and flooring, white walls, and large, colorful prints of tropical scenes above the beds. The main difference between Standard and Superior Rooms is that the former lack balconies and tend to overlook Murcia’s busy (and noisy) ring road, whereas the latter have furnished terraces overlooking the pool. Larger Junior Suites are made up of two interconnecting rooms, one of which is furnished with a couch and two armchairs, a desk, flat-screen TV, and a dining table. Upscale bathrooms have dual sinks, shower cubicles with hydromassage jets, separate bathtubs, and bidets. All rooms have safes, minibars, and free Wi-Fi, though some guests have reported trouble connecting to the network.

Amenities here provide enough to keep both business travelers and tourists busy when they're on-site, though there's no spa on-site. Dining-wise, the hotel’s breakfast buffet receives good reviews, as do the a la carte lunches and dinners served in the restaurant. The lobby and pool bars both serve light meals, snacks, and drinks. The bar terrace is a popular place to unwind, and it overlooks the good-sized swimming pool. The hotel also has a decently equipped gym, with a rowing machine, exercise bike, treadmill, and cross-trainer, as well as a rack of free weights. There are 12 function and meeting rooms, which can be opened up to accommodate a total of 1400 people. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, but some guests have reported difficulties connecting to the network.