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.

We loved this place. The location, the room, the staff, the food and wine. We booked a single night for an enroute stop after arriving in Spain at Santander. After seeing the room, we booked another night. After spending a day in town, another night. After some research over wine in the bar, more nights! The hotel is in a perfect location, walking distance to the old town, beach and shopping districts plus arena and exhibition centre. It’s an easy bus trip or train to nearby towns meaning no driving or parking issues and no uprooting, packing and unpacking. Breakfast here was excellent with good quality food and service. Reception staff were fantastic and very tolerant of us changing our booking day after day. Thanks very much to Miguel! The crux of it all was the fantastic room. Large opening doors onto the gardens, quiet location, two comfortable chairs and a small table, perfect for watching tv, reading or having a snack. There is a supermarket close by for snacks, fruit or chocolate as required. The breakfast room overlooks the park and there’s a couple of public areas aside from the bar to meet people. There was a football game one night we stayed and we loved the vibe but with the windows shut, you wouldn’t have known it was happening. As Parador ‘amigos’ we get discount too! Loved it. Highly recommended.

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

The hotel rooms are a good size very clean and comfatable there is parking onsite and its very close to the stadium,

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

The place needs a big review and overhaul. It's not a great location and it's tired. Not really up to Parador standard