Casa de Guela

The house itself is cozy and lovely, with tasteful rustic decor, and its hilltop spot in the village is excellent. But the customer service needs work. Our booking confirmation didn't say we had to collect the keys at another house, so we arrived unsure where to go and had to drive around. I also thought it was unreasonable to require two rooms for two adults and two children when one room already had beds for four. Although the house was empty when we got there, we were assigned the top rooms. They get the most heat, and there's no air conditioning. Fortunately, the weather was bad, so we only felt it on the first night. The Wi-Fi had no signal. The house is good quality, but the service and care for guests should improve.

We loved the house and the surrounding area, and I'd rate the stay 4.5 if I could, haha. The room was beautiful, the shared spaces were great, and the location was perfect. The only reason for taking off half a point was that check-in was listed as starting at 2:00 AM. We arrived after 2:30 AM, but the rooms still weren't ready, so we went out to eat. You can hear absolutely everything from the other rooms, so keep that in mind.

The rooms are spacious and comfortable, with antique furniture and furnishings that are well looked after. The old house has been renovated while keeping its old-world character, and the views are unbeatable. It's a good option in Santillana. A few things could be better. The Wi-Fi doesn't work, and the reception is in another inn down the street, with unclear directions. They've stopped serving breakfast at this inn, and guests aren't allowed to have it at the other one either, since it's now only for that inn's guests. That's really bad when breakfast is listed as a service they don't provide, and the local bars don't open until around 10:30 am. Even with those issues, I'd come back.

The decor and rooms are lovely, and guests can use the swimming pool at the nearby campsite. It's a pretty stone and wood inn in a great spot for exploring Santillana del Mar, but there are quite a few similar places around, so I can't rate it higher. The dairy farm next door brings unpleasant smells and flies. The house could use more cleaning and general upkeep, and the hot tubs don't work.