Agua Viva Hostería & Spa Castro

Castro Urdiales itself is lovely, but I’d tell people to find another hotel. While I was out, someone went through my bag, and the outside doors are left open all day, so anyone can come and go. The building seems poorly made too: water sits in the showers, there’s no ventilation in the bathroom or indoor pool, and the whole lower floor smells damp and moldy. I wouldn’t have bothered with a bad review if the price reflected what you get. They charge like a well-run hotel, but the experience was pretty bad.

The staff were really nice, which is the only reason I didn’t give this an even lower rating. I couldn’t get any hot water in the shower, not even lukewarm, and there was no Wi-Fi in my room. The noise was awful too. I heard doors and footsteps, and could even hear the people upstairs coughing, using the bathroom, passing gas, and having sex twice at night and once in the morning. I booked because of the pool and hot tub, then learned on arrival that pool use needed a reservation. There were no openings during my stay, and neither the Booking website nor the hotel site mentioned this, even though it was summer and 95°F/35°C. The listing also said the nearest beach was 450m away, but that only works if you can fly or climb a fence and jump off a cliff. By the actual route it was 1.3km. The hotel is otherwise surrounded by a residential neighborhood, so walking anywhere means a long trek, or driving and dealing with parking. I really can’t recommend it.

There was construction noise nearby, loud enough to wake us up. The building itself smelled bad, the pool couldn't be used, and the spa wasn't very clean or inviting. At check-in, the person dealing with us spoke no English at all and seemed to expect us to understand anyway. Our room was cozy, but much too hot, with no air conditioning, and it cost far too much for what it was. The tub had bubbles but no drain plug, so a bath wasn't possible. The shower worked well and the soap smelled nice. There was hair in the tub, on the floor, and behind the toilet.

A quiet spot up on the hill, but still close to the city center. The owners were really, really friendly, and the place felt cozy. You can get a good breakfast for just 5€. I thought the hotel was very good value for the money.