Hotel & Spa María Manuela

The place itself is beautiful, a historic hotel in a quiet setting with a lovely view. There are lots of facilities, especially for families, including a pool, spa, soft play, and gardens. Breakfast was quite nice with a good range, and there are a few good restaurants nearby for lunch or dinner. The rooms are fairly basic. I missed having a fridge, and some of the utilities didn't work properly, though the AC and hygiene products were good. The beds weren't the most comfortable for me, but I'm the princess of the pea.

The hotel is pleasant enough, but I think the four-star rating is overstated, and it feels expensive for what you get. There aren't lovely green spaces, just acres of asphalt and parking. The attitude seems to be that it's a grand hotel and guests get what they're given, with little consideration for anything beyond the rule book. Service is brisk, and the replies to reviews seem to reflect that.

The breakfast buffet was excellent, and dinner was nice, though not as good. The staff were super friendly and the amenities were great. The outdoor pool worked really well for the kids, while the indoor spa felt a bit pricey at 35 Euros for 90 minutes. We had a great one-night stay and were lucky to get two rooms at a very cheap rate because of a technical issue on booking.com. Highly recommend for anyone traveling to the picos de Europa.

The hotel is basic, though the spa was a nice place to relax on our last day. We also really enjoyed dinner at the cider house across the street. But communication was poor: at check-in, nobody told us the indoor pools required reservations and filled quickly. When we tried to sort it out, they referred us to notes in Spanish in the reservation, something that could easily have been explained when we arrived. We only got to use the spa on one of our three days. The hotel is also a bit out of the way for hiking in the park.