Hotel Alfonso IX

We were passing through Sarria on December 24 and wanted somewhere comfortable for Christmas night. We had dinner there, then were told that management was covering the meal because we were pilgrims. We were more than happy with our stay, and couldn't have had a better experience at this hotel.

This was my second stay. The front desk staff kindly let me in early and were polite, friendly and accommodating. My room was clean, with clean sheets, and the bath and toilet looked recently renovated in a classy, minimalist style, probably within the last two years. But the bar service was a real letdown. I sat down at about 6 p.m. for a glass of wine before dinner, and the bar girl walked past four times without even looking at me. Maybe she was having a bad day, but that didn't excuse the rudeness. After ten minutes I gave up and went looking for a bar outside. It's a shame, since the reception team were lovely and so were the breakfast staff the next morning. One person's behavior can damage a hotel's reputation.

Right on the Camino, with good sized, clean and quiet rooms. The beds felt a little hard to us, though. Dinner was a feast: we had the Pilgrims Meal, with prawns, glazed salmon, insalta, crème caramel and very good red wine. Our waiter was charming and treated us like royalty.

Antonio, who I think is the manager, really turned things around after I found stained bedsheets in my first floor room. I was tired and jet lagged, hoping for some rest before starting El Camino, and wasn't happy with that for the price. I told the front desk, and Antonio came upstairs himself to change the sheets. When I returned from lunch, he said he didn't want that to be my impression of the place and moved me to another room. He was so kind and apologetic that I offered him a tip, but he refused. The new room was clean, with no stains, and I slept very well. Breakfast the next day was delicious and had a good variety.