Apartamentos Santillana del Mar

It didn’t feel like good value for the money.

With a young child, having two bedrooms was helpful, and the kitchen is fully equipped. The heating and hot water are readily available, and there’s Wi-Fi with a good signal throughout the house. The location is excellent, just a three-minute walk from the centre, with restaurants and a supermarket nearby. There’s parking, too, but the spaces are extremely narrow. If someone parks close beside you, you can barely get into your car. We stayed three nights in early October, my wife, our daughter and me. The apartment was okay for a weekend, but small. Ours was right by the road, and you could hear people walking past and cars because the wooden windows don’t close properly or block noise. The bed wasn’t very comfortable, and storage was limited to a small bedroom alcove with two shelves. The twin bedroom has no wardrobe because there’s no space, and opening the door makes it hit one of the beds. In the rear apartments, there’s so much vegetation on the walls and roof that it seems to create a breeding ground for insects. There was a constant buzzing at night. For a couple or a short weekend with a small child it’s fine, but staying longer gets complicated. A lot of accommodation in this country seems focused on getting the most out of the smallest investment, and I don’t think that’s the right way to do things.

For the price, it’s not bad. It’s very clean, has two bedrooms, private parking and is close to the centre of Santillana. The price is average for the area, and the extra bedroom is handy with children. But the soundproofing is nonexistent, so you hear absolutely everything outside. The furniture isn’t comfortable. There’s a huge living room table that makes it impossible to watch TV, and the sofa is very uncomfortable. The refrigerator is tiny for four people and incredibly noisy, though that may not matter if you don’t plan to cook. The bathrooms were the worst part for me. The downstairs one is very small, the doors are difficult to open and close, and there’s no shelf or bathroom furniture for a toiletry bag. You can’t sit upright on the toilet without hitting your head on the radiator. Three of us stayed for three nights and had to buy toilet paper, since they only leave one roll per bathroom. Those little things would be appreciated and cost very little.

Honestly, we had a great few days here. I’d definitely stay in these apartments again.