Hotel Marcial

The beds were soft and comfortable, and the bathroom came with towels and toiletries. Everything, including the rooms and hallways, was very clean, with tiled floors throughout. The hotel is modern and split across a small side street: check-in and the restaurant are at Marcial, with the rooms opposite, and the process was easy. Great value for the price. You can hear some noise from other rooms, mostly because of the tiled floors. There's a train line about 50m behind the hotel, but I didn't notice it overnight.

For the price, you get a comfortable bed, a private bathroom, and a small wardrobe, which is why I gave it three stars. The room itself is very basic, though, and gets muggy without a fan. You can open the window, and the hallways stay cool, but there's nothing else to help air move through the room. The map on the back of the door showed a patio with laundry facilities and a clothesline, but it was locked, so I couldn't hang my clothes outside to dry. Sound carries through the building: you can hear people talking on the other side of the same floor, the doors make noise when opened and closed, and the keys take several turns to lock or unlock them. For Camino accommodation, having a clean private room and bathroom in a good location is a plus, and it's a very short walk from the start of the Camino. The reception desk was empty despite the notice saying someone would be there during the day. I arrived before noon, and the owner of the restaurant across the street with the same name came out, checked me in, gave me a key, and let me into the room early, which was kind. I got here much sooner than expected, and since every book I'd read called this stage one of the route, I wish I'd booked farther down the trail so I could have gone farther that day.

The place was neat and clean, and I highly recommend it for a Camino Ingles stay. Nobody was there when we arrived, but the person at the restaurant across the street came over to let us in. They were incredibly helpful and called the airport after our luggage was lost. Without their help, it would have been really difficult.

The room was comfortable, and the location works well for el Camino. But it isn't soundproof at all, and the noisy wooden floors make a lot of noise. I didn't feel welcome, either. I guess how you're treated may depend on where you come from.