Hotel Venta De Etxalar

Tucked into scenic mountains, this is a pleasant hotel with lovely, clean rooms. The beds were comfortable, and the AC worked marvelously during the heatwave, so we slept well. The receptionist we met was polite and efficient, spoke French fluently, and may have been the owner. Breakfast is Spanish continental style: eggs, bacon, tortilla, Serrano, cooked ham, cheese, bread, yogurt, and I’m pretty sure I spotted cereal as well. Tea, coffee, and some juices were available. The restaurant seemed to open for dinner at 20:00. The waiters were nice enough, though they didn’t speak much beyond Spanish, possibly Basque too. We managed to order without much trouble using the international menus and pointing. They forgot a few things, and we weren’t sure whether we were meant to order and pay at the bar or get table service. It was a minor hassle, and the fresh, tasty food arrived promptly and more than made up for it. They seem to get really busy in the evenings. I warmly recommend the hotel.

The setting is enchanting, and the evening host was great, really helpful. The restaurant was packed, but the staff handled it in an incredibly organized, efficient way. I was very impressed. The dishes were tasty and generous portions. Great job, restaurant crew 🤗. The rooms are another story. They were very clean and spacious, but if you’re anywhere around 5ft or taller, make sure to get a normal-size room. The corner room is so low that I hit my head three times. It might sound funny, but it can be dangerous, especially with solid wood beams measuring 6”x8”. Because of that, you can only use about 1/3 of the room. The bathroom has a beautiful freestanding tub at the lowest part of the room, so it has the same problem. We loved our stay and will definitely come back. One more thing: the morning host wasn’t a happy morning person. 🫤

The rooms have always been spotless when we've stopped here, and breakfast is very good. We've stayed several times, sometimes with family and sometimes while travelling by motorcycle, which we could park in the basement garage. The bar food is the one limitation: the tapas and sandwiches are a small selection, and they no longer have pizza like they used to. Still, I'd recommend it for an overnight stop.

We left dinner at Hotel la venta on 07 August 2022 feeling let down by both the chuletas and the way the problem was handled. My two friends' meals arrived 10 minutes after my beef chops, which cost more than 55€. The first serving was chewy, full of gristle, and nowhere near tender. We complained respectfully, and the kitchen made it again. The meat the second time was good, about what we'd expected for the price, but it had far too much salt instead of just a light sprinkle. The padron tried it at the end and agreed it was very salty, mucho sal. We paid because they pressured us and said we had to. I can't recommend that dish, and their attitude really spoiled what had been a great day.