Posada la Casona de Valbuena

The patio and breakfast are where this stay really went wrong. We brought our own food and wine to the back patio, but after about an hour we were told to leave because the bar was closed, even though the patio belongs to the posada and staff stayed there for another two hours. At breakfast, the woman on duty got upset when we used the coffee machine. If guests aren't meant to use it, why have it there? The photos in the earlier breakfast review are accurate, too. The owner said that reviewer had the wrong hotel, but the breakfast was just as poor as described. We'd booked two nights and seriously considered leaving after the first to stay at the monastery instead. On our second evening, the man running the bar kept pressing us to pay before bed. I suspect the owner wanted to make sure we wouldn't leave in the morning without paying. The owners are absent and seem to have left the place to the cleaning staff, which made the whole atmosphere unsettling. Check-in was at 2 p.m., but my wife and I arrived at 5 after taking our time around the Rioja region. The place was shut up. We rang several times before a man finally opened the door and complained that we were meant to arrive at 2. It felt very unfriendly. We then tried to visit wineries, but they were all closed, so we came back with our own food and wine. This was the most unwelcoming place I've stayed in during five trips to Spain, and the experience clouded a visit to a region that should be one of the country's finest. If you're short on time, avoid it.