Posada El Trasmerano

Breakfast was fabulous, with something different each day, and the staff kept checking in and topping up the food. The owners were friendly and helpful without hovering, so it was easy to relax. We spent four nights at the Posada in August, using it as a base to visit nearby towns and beaches just a few minutes away by car, including Noja and El Sable. The rooms have a rustic style and were very clean. Ours had a double bed and a single bed, and we brought our own crib. If the weather stays hot, a fan or air conditioning would help. We kept the blinds down in the daytime and aired the room at night.

María and Virginia, thank you for helping us when one of us was ill, for the tourist tips, and for always greeting us with a smile. The breakfasts were delicious, with homemade dishes, and we loved eating in the beautiful garden. This is a welcoming little inn with a family feel and only a few rooms, about a 7-minute drive from Santoña. We stayed seven nights in a double room with two beds. It was a good size, colorful and rustic, very clean, and the beds were comfortable. There was a lovely terrace overlooking the road, but the cars didn't bother us. We had dinner there with food we brought, and even spotted an owl. A chest of drawers in the wardrobe and a bedside table would have made storing clothes easier.

The owners are incredibly friendly, and breakfast is spectacular. It's a small, charming hotel with spacious, very clean rooms. There's a lovely garden where you can read or relax, and both magnificent Berria beach and the beautiful town of Santoña are just a short walk away.

The bathroom was the only plus. The price felt inexplicably high for such poor service. The room was terribly stuffy, with no air conditioning or fan. Opening the windows meant mosquitoes could come straight in because there were no screens, along with the flies, spiders, and beetles already in the room. There's no fridge in the room, which seems odd for a supposedly 3-star hotel. The window looked directly onto the parking lot, with plenty to see, apparently. The hotel is by a local road, not really a highway, but cars went past day and night and made it very noisy at night. Smoking isn't allowed in the rooms, but people still smoked. There are no shops or cafes nearby, and breakfast wasn't included in the price.