Cristal Villaviciosa

We travelled to Villaviciosa for a friend's 60th birthday party nearby - otherwise I can't imagine us ever having been near the place. On arrival the Manager greeted us very warmly and the room was very pleasant. Being generally impressed we decided to have dinner in the restaurant on the first night - bad mistake. On entering a rather surly lady asked our room number and then what we wanted to drink - wine or beer. Thinking she might have been under the impression that we had just come for a drink we replied that we were wanting to eat. Looking pained, she asked again and we gave the same reply. Looking extremely condescending she then pointed to a small blackboard on the floor that said that it was a buffet arrangement in the restaurant. We were shown to a table and then left to get on with it. I asked for a wine list and was just given an offhand gesture to a row of bottles on a nearby shelf. Asking for a dry white was fruitless as none of the staff had any idea what was what. We ended up with something that tasted loke cheap sherry. The food was unremarkable and generally very dry. At breakfast the following morning we waited to be seated only to be greeted with a look of disbelief that we had forgotten which was "our table". The coffee was out on the table in insulated pots and had clearly been there since breakfast had started as it was tepid at best - and tasted foul to boot. We were also surprised to find that there was barely enough for a cup each - a request for a refill was grudgingly granted - and again barely enought for another cup each. Suffice it to say that, although breakfast was included in the room rate, we ate out for the remaining four days. To be fair, Villaviciosa does not present itself as a holiday destination, with full justification, although there are some lovely resorts within a half hour's drive - and the mountains in the "Picos de Europa" are stunning. In summary the reception staff, the Manager, the chambermaids were all really nice. The catering area, though, was run by the KGB. We were not sorry to leave

We stayed here before travelling on to Santander for the ferry. The hotel rooms look like they have been recently refurbished, and the room was spacious and clean with a large bathroom. The only downside was the air conditioning didn't seem to work, so the room was quite stuffy during the night. (but to be fair to the hotel we didn't tell them)Breakfast was included in the price, but only basic (toast, coffee and juice) for another 3 euros you could have the buffett breakfast. We went out for dinner, and there are plenty of places to choose from but you will need a spanish menu guide as little English is spoken!