Loop INN Hostel Santiago de Compostela

The breakfast buffet on the top floor is small but well run, and worth paying for. There’s also coffee in the building, which was a big plus. After walking the last stretch of the Camino, I was especially glad to find a laundry room there, and it seemed underused. The place is large but very well managed. It’s my favorite hostal in Santiago, with a cheerful, helpful front desk that spoke excellent English.

The breakfast spread was better than what I’ve had at some hotels. I also found the room clean, the shower good, and the bed comfortable. Sheets and towels were provided. It beat my expectations for a hostel.

The hotel had other problems too: the Wi-Fi didn’t work at all, the bathroom was only mediocre in cleanliness, and every shower left the whole room flooded. Heating was inconsistent, cold in the daytime and morning, and only a little better at night. But the most frightening part of our stay was someone entering our room in the middle of the night while we were asleep. She turned out to be staying next door. We are completely sure we had locked the door. We’ve traveled for years and stayed in many hotels, and this had never happened before. We woke up terrified and screaming, and I had to push her out of the room myself. I went straight to reception, but instead of helping, the receptionist suggested maybe we hadn’t shut the door properly. That seemed impossible to us: once closed, the door can’t be opened from outside without a card. Either the wrong key card was issued to this woman, or something more intentional happened. Either way, someone got into our locked room. I called the police. They came, investigated, then left. Nobody from the hotel apologized, accepted responsibility, or showed basic empathy. We were dismissed and treated as if we were making it up, and they talked down to us. If this happened to us, it could happen to anyone. I felt the place was absolutely unsafe. This was the most shocking and disappointing hotel experience of my life, especially in a city like Santiago de Compostela. I’ve contacted Booking.com, and we’ll resolve it through them. I’m writing to warn other travelers: take this seriously, don’t waste your time or risk your safety here. This should never have happened. Stay somewhere else.

The staff were very professional, the rooms were spotless, and they kept our luggage safely. Would recommend.