Hotel Pelayo Noja

The cleaning staff were super friendly, and the hotel itself is quite nice. Our room was simple but pleasant. Sleep was the real problem: some nights we could hardly manage it because the next room had snoring and a very loud TV, while people in another room talked late into the night.

The walls might as well not be there. People were talking late at night and sounded as if they were right beside me. My ground-floor room was tiny, the bed was too hard for my taste, and there’s no air conditioning. The bathroom was decent and the cleanliness was at least okay. It’s centrally located, but parking is incredibly difficult, almost impossible. They’ve tried to modernize the place, but it still needs work. There was no receptionist when I arrived, and the “smart” code locks didn’t work. Everyone was complaining about them. Far too expensive for what it is.

The beach and location are magnificent, and the basic rooms are comfortable enough. There’s no air conditioning or refrigerator, just heating. The place is mostly unstaffed, so you check yourself in, and sometimes the codes take ages to work even when entered correctly. You can’t park in the regulated zone. To leave your car relatively close, you have to pay the hotel €10 for parking, which I think is worth it.

We were happy with the room and service overall. The room was kept clean, towels were changed when needed, and the soaps were replenished. Service was quick, our questions got answered, and the central location and self-check-in were convenient. A few things could be improved, though. The kitchen had a stove, coffee maker, fridge and microwave, but no cutlery, plates, pans or cleaning sponge, so it’s fine for breakfast but limits cooking beyond that. There was no toilet brush, which I think is essential even with daily cleaning. Soundproofing was poor, especially at street level, and you could feel the vibration when the jacuzzi was used in other rooms. Parking was confusing: the room information didn’t say it was paid, but when booking we were told it cost 10 euros per day. We were lucky that only the blue and green zones were open in Noja in summer. Otherwise, we’d have had to pay that amount or park two kilometers away.