Hostal Blau

It felt like a family holiday, with kind people and comfortable surroundings. The wood fire and sweet, warm smells made the place feel simple and rural, almost like stepping back in time. I’m so glad I went, and left feeling as if I’d gained a family.

Gracia, who looks after the hotel, made the biggest impression on me. She was caring, warm, friendly, and clearly hardworking. The place itself is clean and lovely, with a fresh, tasty breakfast and a wonderful location. I can’t work out how it has only one star. I loved the charm here and would recommend it to anyone.

We loved the breakfast in the atmospheric dining room, with croissants, jam, juice and Spanish meat. There were no hot dishes like eggs or bacon, but the relaxing music and setting made it a lovely start to the day. Toña Aysa, who manages Hostal Blau, was lively, warm and did everything she could to make our stay enjoyable. Our English wasn’t perfect, and neither was hers, so we got along just fine. The house dates from the sixteenth century and has been restored for modern use. It’s in the middle of Peratallada, a beautifully preserved medieval town. I’d visited the area three times before, and think staying overnight lets you enjoy the town after the tourists have left. We found it one of the most charming places my wife and I have stayed. If you get room no 4, its own roof terrace could make for a once-in-a-lifetime stay. There are lots of stairs, so it’s not suitable for people with mobility problems. Thanks so much to Toña Aysa for a memorable visit. I’m sure we’ll return. Regards, Svein-Magne Tunli from Bergen, Norway.

When I arrived on 30 July, after a 2.5-hour drive with my luggage, I learned that my room had been given to someone else and the system showed my booking as cancelled. I’d made the reservation directly on the hotel website on 16 July for 30 July-1 August, after seeing availability on Booking.com, and had received an email confirmation. The manager, who was busy cleaning, said a cancellation email had been sent. I checked my inbox and spam folder, and neither of us could find one in our email accounts. We couldn’t figure out how it had happened. I was upset, and our heated discussion went nowhere. The manager offered to look for another room, though that would take time. Since it was the first weekend of peak summer and I had nowhere to stay, I called friends nearby. They let me stay with them, which wasn’t ideal during Covid, but it let us get on with our weekend. I suggested the manager check for technical problems so this doesn’t happen again, perhaps to someone travelling from far away. If you book here, I’d confirm by both email and phone that the reservation is actually in place.