Agua Viva Posada y Spa

I had a fantastic stay in this hotel. I felt very welcome and loved the attention to detail both in deco and personal care. Everything was clean and organized. I went in spring as a hiker, and I had a lovely hot bath on arrival. I also thought it was nice they have affordable group accomodation downstairs for hikers who just need a bed, a shower and a microwave. Castro Urdiales is beautiful, but the location of the hotel is very suburbian and it took me a while to find a shop at a reasonable walking distance. Not to mention restaurants, but the owner was very helpful in directing me to an uber service. The place radiates peace, and I felt truly nourished and rested. I would go back here anytime.

Not recommended. It's not secure to leave your things here. They leave the exterior doors open all day, so anyone can came and go. My bag was rifled through while I was out. It's poorly built. The showers do not drain, and there is no ventilation in the bathroom/indoor pool. The whole lower level has a moldy/wet dirt smell. If the price matched the value I really wouldn't bother leaving a bad review. But they charge as much as a properly run hotel and then deliver a pretty bad experience. Castro Urdiales is lovely though. Just look for a different hotel.

Where do I start? I booked this place because it has a pool and a hot tub. On arrival, I was told that the pool requires a reservation, and of course there aren't any available while I'm there. Nowhere on the Booking website or the hotel's website does it mention that a reservation is required for the pool--IN SUMMER, when it's 95°F/35°C outside! Next, I had zero Wi-Fi in my room. Third, the listing on Booking's website says the nearest beach is 450m away. This is true only if you can fly or care to scale a fence and then throw yourself off a cliff to get there. In fact, the beach is triple that distance at 1.3km. Additionally, this place isn't near anything other than the residential neighborhood is situated in, unless you want to drive for a few minutes--not at all convenient if you want to walk and/or avoid the hassle of parking. Fourth, it was so loud. I heard every door open and close, every footstep, and I could hear my upstairs neighbors cough, pee, fart, and do the horizontal monkey dance twice at night and once in the morning! Last, I had no hot water in my shower, not at all, not even tepid. I cannot NOT recommend this place enough. The ONLY reason I didn't rate it lower is because the staff was so nice.