Hotel Santillana

Reception staff were friendly, and the room was very clean with an excellent bathroom. Breakfast was good, with plenty of choice. There’s no parking at the hotel, though there is parking about five minutes away. Booking messages came in Spanish, with no option to translate them into English.

The shared lounges are a treat, full of period pieces, and the location is fantastic for the old city and caves. The rooms are a bit tired and cramped, but clean, with good showers and Wi-Fi. The food was woeful, though. We’ve never had worse value for money pizzas, and breakfast was basic, unappetising and soulless. Stay here, but don’t eat here.

We’ve written plenty of reviews, mostly on TripAdvisor, and usually give generous ratings, often four or five stars. This place only gets one from us. The prices were good, and the pizza was very good; we shared one and had a couple of beers each. But the staff were extremely unfriendly. Our Spanish is limited, but we try to be humble and say lots of “Gracias”. Usually people acknowledge that with a “de nada” and a smile. Here, none of the three staff who served us said a word, and they barely made eye contact. It was a very quiet night, and they looked bored much of the time, so it wasn’t because they were busy.

I loved the historic feel of this hotel, from the antiques to the wooden floors and furniture. The staff were lovely, and it was a delight to find a place with such charm and great amenities like wood and easy parking. A great experience!