Hotel Suiza

The outside looks run down, and it’s about 15-18 min from the centre of town. Inside, it’s basic Camino style, with a nice bed and a powerful shower. Breakfast was lovely, and there’s a nice grassy patch for relaxing or stretching after a hike. The bar is class, and the owner kept it open for us until late. He runs the place with his family and does his best, and he’s incredibly kind.

The waitress was very rude, and the service was poor. It was very hot in the rooms, which have no air conditioning. I wouldn’t recommend the place because the staff didn’t seem friendly at all. I’m paying, not asking for a favor.

The dinner was very good, and I loved having a bidet and a full-size tub. But after staying in four other Camino hotels, Hotel Suiza made me realize how good those other places were. Two of the six people in my group had a buzzing bug in bed all night, everyone could hear hotel guests snoring, and all six of us could hear guests or restaurant customers until closing. Four people had linens that smelled moldy or sour. There’s no elevator to the rooms, and the hallway lights didn’t always come on in the evening. It’s outside town at what felt like the last sign of civilization. Dinner prices felt like gouging, too, with a bowl of soup costing $9. I wanted to love it, but the problems got in the way.

The staff were friendly and patient with our questions, even though they seemed short-handed with so many guests. We had private rooms with bathrooms, which was a relief after a hard day on the Camino de Santiago. The hotel is a short distance from the Camino, and while the building is dated and has no elevators, it was generally clean. A few of my friends noticed cobwebs in their rooms. Breakfast and dinner were simple but decent: bread, cheese, jam, eggs, yogurt, and coffee in the morning, then soup and beef for dinner. We had a good stay, especially for a budget-friendly Camino hotel.