Los Abetos

Was part of a Camino Frances Tour Group. What a surprise it was to stay at this hotel at the end of our tours and walks. It was like a wonderful oasis from the touring and walking. As we were coming down our last walk that started tat the Monte do Gozo (Mountain of Joy) we could see the road leading to our hotel, it almost made one want to abandon the last leg of the walk, and just head to the hotel, but of course we did not. We needed to get to KM 0 our final destination. The hotel grounds, and building, and interior is lovely. The colors are pleasant and relaxing. There is a pool (not heated), a little chapel (that was open on the day I was there), and some small trails around the grounds. Everything is beautiful and tastefully done. We had a last group dinner here and the food was special and tasty, because I cannot do chocolate, they got me a non cholate dessert, which was delicious. The breakfast buffet is was nice. Anytime there is kiwi provided I'm happy. The hotel is about 10-15 mins away from the SDC center. So it was not as convenient as some of the other hotels on my Camino Frances tour. But given the beauty of the hotel one doesn't mind. There was a free shuttle to/from the SDC center which drops off and picks up at the Plaza gallica. It has certain operating times. You must reserve it though. I accidently thought it ran on a regular schedule, but was mistaken and had to pay for an unnecessary taxi ride from the Plaza back to the hotel on evening. The Plaza gallica is -- once you know where it is -- easily reached. I stopped by this wonderfully little pastry shop on the way to the plaza. There was at least 1 staff member that spoke English with an American accent, which make it easy to ask other questions, and communicate at a higher bandwidth.

We were there as part of a small group trip, and we have never experienced such disinterested, unmotivated, and arrogant staff in any hotel. The hotel exudes the charm of a nursing home, and the furniture in the rooms reflects that. Some things in the room and bathroom also did not work, and no one cared. Since the hotel is mainly frequented by large tour groups, you can hear the maneuvering of the large tour buses in the parking lot all evening. We had to have our breakfast in a huge dark basement room; by 7:30, the meager breakfast buffet was already picked over; it was not replenished, and the limited selection was of poor quality, far from a 4-star standard. The only coffee machine was broken; the only staff member was helpless, there was also no shuttle service to the city, and we were all glad when we could leave.

This hotel is located far from the historic center of Santiago, although it offers free parking for your car, as we did. It also has a shuttle service that takes you to the center, although we did not inquire about how it worked because we used our vehicle to get to the old town and back. The reception staff was polite in their dealings with us, and the hotel has a very pleasant bar. The room we were assigned was quite spacious and very clean. It had air conditioning, wifi internet signal, a flat-screen television, a very spacious wardrobe with shelves (with blankets on some of them), a safe, and another section with a clothes rack and plenty of hangers. It also had a kind of sideboard with the refrigerator inside, a luggage rack, a table with a couple of chairs, and two beds that were 135 cm wide. The beds were very comfortable, and we rested very well on them because we did not suffer from any annoying noises during the night. We had a window from which nothing special could be seen. In the bathroom, we had a bathtub, bidet, and sink, with cups for rinsing your mouth, a hairdryer, a mirror, a soap dispenser at the sink, and a gel or shampoo dispenser in the bathtub, and it was clean and of good size. The breakfast they offered was very complete, with fried or scrambled eggs to add bacon or sausages; they also had nuts, yogurts, various types of juices (including fresh orange juice), apple pie (very tasty), Santiago cake, cheesecake, and sponge cake; for cold cuts, they offered ham, salami, chorizo, and various types of cheese. Everything was very good, and there was a great variety of options to accompany the coffee, cocoa milk, or infusion of your choice. This hotel is a magnificent option for resting in Santiago, even though it is quite far from the center, because you can easily reach it by car, or if you do not have a vehicle, you can use the transportation offered by the hotel. On the other hand, it is close to the airport and modern facilities in the city and has very good services. Very good value for money. We had a very pleasant stay.