Hotel & Spa Real Villa Anayet

Walking routes in every direction make this a great base for exploring, and I hope to come back soon. The spa was incredible, breakfast was delicious, and the comfortable bed and just-right pillows made for a great night's sleep. The staff were the highlight. Everyone was cheerful and lovely to deal with, and they even helped us get out when we were stuck without a shovel. It was probably the best hotel staff experience I've had. My only small gripe was the bar closing at 10:30 pm. I understand the hotel may be catering to skiers, but that felt early to me. Still, I'd recommend the place to anyone.

For what we paid, nearly 1,500 euros for three days, this felt like a two-star hotel at best, not a four-star one. The rooms have tiny, uncomfortable beds with broken middles and awful mattresses. Their walls seem flimsy, so conversations from other rooms come through clearly and make it hard to sleep. In-room supplies were limited to a small bottle of gel or shampoo, with no lotion, conditioner, or shower gel. The service was the worst part. They advertise a spa, but it has only one small jacuzzi that's never free, a few massage rooms, and no sauna or steam room, so you can't really use it. The bar had just one kind of beer and basic alcohol, no cocktails, and little else you'd expect at a four-star hotel. For skiers, food options were poor too. The cafeteria doesn't serve food before 8 pm. When we asked earlier, we were offered only a few leftover breakfast snacks. At 5 pm after skiing, there were a few poor-quality donuts and similar items. Breakfast was appalling. It closes at 10 am, and they make you leave right on time. I arrived at 9:45 the first day because we hadn't been told it closed at 10. I asked for a quick coffee, bread, and jam, was charged 25 euros, then told to leave at 10 on the dot. I didn't even get to eat the bread, so it was 25 euros for coffee. The next morning my husband arrived at 9 and waited 35 minutes for eggs. There was a queue and people were getting upset. Every table was dirty, and although the tables were empty, there was nowhere to sit, so he had to clear a corner of one himself. I want to respond to the hotel's reply: its account of breakfast isn't true. I know what we experienced, and if so many other comments say the same, maybe they should listen. My husband went at 9 and waited 35 minutes for eggs while people queued and got upset. All the tables were unclean, and he cleared a corner to sit. We were asked to leave at exactly 10, and I left unfinished food on the table. Also, the cafeteria food doesn't start before 8 pm. We asked, and only a few breakfast snacks were available. The week after, we stayed at hotel MIM in baqueira, which is supposedly in the same four-star category and cost the same. The difference was incredible. It had large, new rooms with comfortable king-size beds, large Nuxe bottles of shampoo, body wash, and conditioner, three restaurants including a one-star Michelin restaurant, a high-end buffet, and a good bar with cocktails and nice food all day. There were comfortable couches by the fireplace, plus a fantastic spa and gym, porters, valet parking, and ski rental on site. Compared with that, this was one of the worst hotels I've ever stayed in.

The room was quiet, spacious, very clean, and well kept, with a mountain view from the front. After days exercising nearby, we enjoyed relaxing in the lounges, bar, and spa. The location also made it easy to walk in both France and Spain. Breakfast was a tasty buffet with a good selection. We had dinner there twice, and the daily menu was mixed: some dishes were really good, others disappointing, and the desserts were bland and unappealing. We also had a delicious meal in the village at Restaurante L'Anglasse. I stayed here on a small group tour with Gutsy Girls/Hike Pyrenees and really liked the hotel.

The bed was comfortable, and the bathroom was nice and bright. Dinner and breakfast were reasonably priced; service was slow, though at least it was more pleasant. The hotel's handy for visiting town and heading up to Candanchu, and there's parking in the surrounding area. Getting to reception by car can be difficult, sometimes impossible. I paid a premium for a rather small room, and the service at reception and in the cafeteria was bizarrely cold. I've never had staff be that unfriendly anywhere in Spain.