Hotels Near Iglesia de Santa Maria de la Oliva in Villaviciosa

I wish I lived closer so I could stay at this hotel more often! Imagine a full day of walking on the Camino del Norte and arriving at the gates to this stunning hotel. It was perfect in every way. Our host Jesus was extremely charming and very welcoming. This is a family owned and operated business situated on spacious, peaceful and meticulously maintained grounds. Jesus was very attentive and answered all questions about the house and his family history. The house is beautifully decorated with family portraits, antique furniture and proudly displayed on the upstairs level is a letter written by his great grandfather to Woodrow Wilson. Our room was spacious, clean and extremely comfortable. The bar fridge was impressively stocked. My friends and I especially enjoyed the Codorniu Benjamin Cava which we shared in the comfortable main floor living room. The breakfast was generous and nicely presented. It was truthfully a most enjoyable and memorable stay.

We've stayed in many Paradores, but this has to be the poorest. FIrst of all, let me stress that the people there are friendly, helpful and as efficient as they are able to be, but they are so short-staffed that it is impossible for them to look after everyone . One person looking after the bar, the terrace and the lounges. One poor lady trying to look after every one at dinner. The food is a great disappointment, at breakfast a poor selection of bread (mainly ”pan de molde” pre-sliced stuff), and the toaster just does not work - after 8 passes through the toaster I gave up and had warm bread instead. Why would a 4 star hotel have such an inefficient device? It's so simple to solve. Everyone, including the waitress, was frustrated by it. The coffee was stewed and although we requested decaff it obviously was not. At dinner, the classic dishes (which we know well) were just not up to scratch. The anchoas had many large bones in them, proving they were from a cheap source. The cogollos (little gem lettuce hearts) had not had the older leaves trimmed from them. The Fabada Asturiana, though tasty, should not have had a deep layer of oil on the top. We did not eat there the second night but found some excellent food in town. Finally, the promise of ”the best views” and ”surrounded by a magnificent garden” must be taken with a pinch of salt. This is not in a quiet area - yes, it is bordered on two sides by a park, but the other two sides are a busy road with tower blocks, the car park and the football stadium! I dread to think what it is like on match days. The Paradores is an amazing chain of hotels which we love, it is so wrong and disappointing to find this very poor example of how it can go wrong. It is not the staff who are to blame - they are working as hard as they can. Someone higher up in the management needs to look at this.

A hotel where you can hear what the front room thinks, what the top speaks and how the side-side people maintain lovely relationships with pyrotechnics...

I recommend this hotel to everyone. Fun service, cleanliness, good breakfast, location near the promenade, bus station and the city centre. Thanks especially to the staff at the reception. We were stayed earlier than planned. Before the departure, breakfast was served at 6 a.m. I would like to mention a competent marketing and flexible price policy. We were very satisfied.