El Taller De La Seda

There’s plenty of space in this pretty rustic house, and it’s close to Lake Sanabria. The bedrooms each have their own bathroom and TV, plus a hairdryer. Outside, there’s a garden, a covered barbecue, and even a beer tap if you bring your own keg. Really good value.

A little paradise. Beautiful region, complete peace and quiet. Spectacular, and I’d recommend it without hesitation.

The countryside location and the house itself were lovely, but the upkeep left a lot to be desired. We found dead flies and other insects gathered under the windows, cobwebs in corners, and bugs coming out of cracks in the walls. We could hear them in the ceiling beams too. The worst part was seeing rats: one ran from a hole in the stairwell through another hole while we were having dinner, and I saw another on the kitchen table early in the morning. There were also little black specks on one bed that looked like rat droppings. We were six friends staying Friday through Sunday in November. We paid €600 partly because the listing had five bedrooms and we didn’t want to share, but when we went to bed we found one room locked. The owner hadn’t mentioned it when he gave us the keys. He said the six beds in the other four rooms were enough, and apologized, saying he’d have opened the room the next day if we had told him. We had booked the whole house, so we expected access to every bedroom and didn’t think any should have been locked. The owner said insects were normal in a rural house and that the rats were looking for warmth because of the cold. I understand that country houses can have these problems, but the place still needs to be kept clean and maintained. Guests should also be told about possible rats or insects so they aren’t caught by surprise. Of all the rural houses I’ve stayed in, this was easily my least favorite, because of the owner’s neglect, not the house itself.

The bedrooms are roomy, the mattresses are great, and each one has its own bathroom. There are two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, with three more bedrooms and their own bathrooms downstairs. The kitchen and dining space have just about everything, and there’s a separate living room for games, a drink, or relaxing. The two-level gardens are lovely, though a pool would be a nice addition. It’s advertised for 10-12 people, but there’s space for more. A few things need attention: the upstairs door should lock from outside, and the downstairs door’s inside lock is broken. Some spots could use a better clean too, as there were cobwebs. Still, the house is spectacular and I’ll probably come back if I’m nearby.