Hotel Francisco Javier

We were driving to the hotel and hadn't checked our emails when they cancelled our booking, just an hour before we were due to arrive. They'd given our room to someone else, so at 9 pm we were left without anywhere to sleep.

Getting a free parking spot on the hotel street depends on luck, but it wasn't too hard to find a place for the car. The hotel is about two kilometres from Praza Maria Pita in the historic centre. Our room was roomy, the mattress very comfortable, and the TV had a good range of Spanish channels. The bathroom fittings all worked, which is unusual in this price bracket, and hot water came through quickly without getting too hot. I was frustrated that the Wi-Fi wouldn't connect to the internet. We could join a router, but there was no online access, and I was keen to find out the Sporting C.P. vs S.L. Benfica result.

A quirky place.

We couldn't relax here. Staff would go into rooms without permission, and they'd lurk behind doors from time to time. I found out the hard way when I went out and tripped over one. The toilets and showers were awful and slippery, with a really awkward layout: the sink sits right in front of the exit, the toilet is beside the shower, and you have to step up. They greeted us with sour faces and acted superior. A charger went missing, and they wouldn't take responsibility for our belongings. There's no cleaning service, the reception staff do the cleaning, and they wouldn't accept responsibility for things going missing because of that. I also left briefly to run errands and came back to find the door open with all my things inside. They'd entered while we were away, even though they weren't allowed to. Be very careful with this place. They may also cancel a reservation without explanation and keep your money. NOT RECOMMENDED.