Parador de Gijon

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.

Excellent service, comfortable rooms and top quality local cuisine. I recommend the Fabada and the various season fish on offer.

Friendly staff. Great location next to a lovely park, museum and not too far to the city centre. It was surprisingly quiet although we did visit when there was no football match taking place. Comfy bed as always in paradores.

Any great stay. Lovely location and nice setting. Much nicer from the inside than outside. Menu was a bit plain but otherwise brilliant.

A very comfortable hotel, good location, close to the park and easy walking distance to the beach. Parking,good food and excellent staff

Nice walk through park to playa and old town. Room was comfortable and spacious. Didn't eat in restaurant but did have a snack and drink in cafeteria which was reasonably priced.