Casa Celsa

The location is very central, just a three-minute walk from the cathedral, with shops and restaurants nearby. Superior rooms are a decent size. There’s no elevator, so luggage may need to be carried up three floors. The hotel can also be noisy because it’s right in the city center. The standard room was very cramped, and the pillows were badly worn and need replacing.

The building looks beautiful from outside and the location is great. After 31 days on the Camino Frances, I’d hoped for a clean room for the night, but I had to wear shower shoes here too. The bathrooms were filthy, with black mold everywhere, which seemed to come from poor ventilation and cleaning. It was really disappointing. This place could be lovely, but a lack of care or purpose seems to have left it as just another dirty albergue along the way.

The room was spacious and very clean, with a lovely view and balcony windows. The staff were helpful at check-in, and especially helpful at checkout when they called me a taxi. You’re right by the cathedral, restaurants, and shops, with food, massage, sights, the correos office, and shopping all just steps away after the Camino. It’s a unique, charming stay in an amazing location. The beds were awful. Even exhausted after the Camino, I struggled to sleep because they were worn out and had no support or padding, almost folding inward. The motion-sensing lights were infuriating, too. They often didn’t come on when I needed them, then went off after about five seconds of movement and seemed to need time before switching on again. With no dim emergency lights, the enclosed stairs and hall could go completely dark, which felt annoying and a little dangerous. There’s no elevator, so you have to carry your things up and down the stairs. Noise is the other big problem. This is right in the tourist center, so some of it is understandable and outside the hotel’s control. But there was racket from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., with only a little quiet from 6 to 8 a.m. The downstairs bar, people talking and shouting, loud traffic and honking all echoed off the stone walls. With the doors shut, it was as loud as being out in the street. Buskers played music on speakers right outside for much of the day, and from 2 to 6 a.m. there were people screaming, playing basketball, singing, wailing, and shouting drunkenly. It felt like there were no walls. The people were very nice and the room was great, but the beds need replacing and the lighting needs to be safer.

The rooms were basic but clean, and the windows closed completely, which was nice given the noise through much of the day and night. That meant choosing between quiet and fresh air. The location near Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is fantastic.