Villa de Gijon

The noise on Friday night was awful. There was a huge party nearby, and none of us, including the kids, got any sleep. Check-in had already been a humiliating ordeal. We had our tired, hungry 5- and 3-year-old children in the lobby while other guests looked on, and the receptionist insisted we pay an extra €230 or be charged €353.13 as a no-show. We spent more than five exhausting hours calling Priceline and Booking.com before Priceline confirmed the extra amount had already been paid and arranged reimbursement so we could finally get into the room. We had booked two nights through Priceline.com for €353.13. After taking our IDs, the receptionist said the price covered only the adults and demanded the extra €230 for the children. We showed our correct Priceline confirmation, but she said she didn't know Priceline, suggested it could be a scam, and insisted we had booked through Booking.com instead, asking us to prove it with them. When I asked for a supervisor, she said she was in charge. Google wouldn't let me attach the reservation screenshot or invoice, but I'm happy to share them with anyone who asks. No family, especially one with small children, should be treated like that. The whole thing felt unprofessional, unwelcoming, and inhumane. If you do stay here, double-check everything with the property before the free cancellation period ends. They clearly had no problem keeping us stuck at the front desk.

The room itself was nice, and it was fine for a night, but we wouldn't set our expectations too high. The photos make the hotel look more appealing than it felt in person. Breakfast was expensive for what was mostly cheap, industrial food. My boyfriend was annoyed when he tried to have one last coffee at the end of breakfast, and the staff gave us no flexibility about checkout. At 12:01, one minute after the noon checkout, they called and rudely told us to leave. I managed to get another ten minutes, with an “okay, but not one more!” We weren't even there during a busy period. The staff seemed unfamiliar with flexibility and customer service, which is what separates a classy hotel from an merely okay place.

There's a nice little pool, but that's about it. The hotel is expensive and the breakfast is very basic. This was my last stay here.

The staff, including the managers, came across as uncaring and impersonal. They charged €15 for children aged 0 to 3 without adding any amenities or service. They didn't even choose a room that would comfortably fit a stroller or baby cot. And the hotel is much farther from the city than the 25-minute walk they advertise.