Hotel La Palma de Llanes by gaiarooms

The desk and bar staff were lovely, polite, and helpful, and the location just off the motorway is useful for a stop on the way to or from the ferry terminals. The restaurant menu was expensive for mediocre food with limited choice. The car chargers either weren't working or were being kept for a local friend of the staff, who parked on one all night even though other clients couldn't reserve them. When seated on the patio, the view is of the side of a large building.

The room stayed unbearably hot, and I couldn't even run the unit's fan. The air conditioning was the main reason I booked, so finding it out of order was a real letdown. I mentioned it on arrival, and the man at the desk tried to fix it but couldn't. Since our ground-floor room faced the thankfully empty pool, opening the windows meant leaving the blinds wide open, so I only managed a small crack. Without that, the AC thermometer showed the room would reach 25°C. I'm not used to sleeping in that kind of heat, especially with the air feeling so still. At checkout I brought it up again, but the woman said the AC stays off until summer. I've never heard that explanation before, and the other hotels on my trip all had working AC despite being cheaper and lower rated. Nobody offered a discount or compensation, so maybe this is normal for the property. If that's really their policy, I can't recommend a four-star hotel that operates that way. The room was clean, so housekeeping deserves an extra star. Thankfully, the third-party booking site gave me a small partial refund for the poor stay.

Our group was here for university fieldwork, and everyone greeted us warmly. The evening auditor was especially helpful explaining the rooms, and seemed genuinely pleased we were staying at her hotel and enjoying the interaction. My room was fairly large, with a walk-in closet that had a safe and laundry bag, plus a roomy bathroom with a small tub and shower built in. The sink, toilet, and bidet were spotless. As a semi-vegetarian, I found the vegetarian meals just okay, about 5/10. The artichoke with beetroot garnish didn't inspire much confidence, though the potato salad was decent. Room 8/10, food 5/10.

The manager was lovely and kept checking in with guests during our January stay. Llanes was mostly on holiday then, so the hotel was quiet and there weren't many people around. Breakfast was good. The rooms are comfortable and have what you need, though they're standard and nothing fancy. A solid option in Llanes.