Pensión Santa Clara

This place was very expensive for what you get. Although the location is great, I wouldn’t recommend. We were not able to pay when we checked in and when I came out of the bathroom at 23:30, an older man I had never seen before followed me from the bathroom to my room, and without introducing himself, asked for our cash now. Although the hotel had our credit card info from our booking, they couldn’t wait in the morning for the payment. The man, which most likely is the owner, was very rude, disrespectful and lacks all sense of hospitality. The bedroom and hallways had a strong cigarette smell. Very disappointing stay.

Fantastic location. Price indicates level of quality: thin walls (ear plugs required if you get a snorer next door as I did); no lift; no sidelight; long bolster pillow (I hate these). Good wifi. Friendly staff. Good if you are on a budget and don't mind lower grade facilities.

My stay was two days ago, and I am still thinking about this stay in a very negative light, and I feel that I must make this post. When I checked in early, I had a great interaction with the old man. He was kind, polite, and professional. I told him that though I had booked for two people, I was now traveling alone. He said no worries and helped me fill out a form for the stay. A couple minutes later, an older lady walks in and begins to fill out the rest of the application for the room. She was visibly agitated and seemed to be arguing with the old man. After I helped fill out the remainder of the application, I learned that they still wanted me to pay with my credit card. I notified them that my card was already charged and my booking.com reservation showed that I already paid. The old man told me no problem, and that he would double check with his son later. The woman however, would not let it go. She spoke to me in an aggressive tone and with poor body language. Then asked me if I spoke Spanish to which I replied a little. She then proceeded to argue with me about the payment and state that, you don't understand anything (no entiendes nada). Her behavior was entirely unprofessional and made me feel very uncomfortable. 15 minutes later, the son calls the old man back and confirms that I already paid ahead. Not only did they try to charge me twice, the wife lacked any semblance of customer service, and also no apology was offered despite accusing me of not paying, talking to me in a condescending tone, and wasting my time. It is not my problem that the staff is incompetent and can't properly use the platform that they are renting rooms on. For the record, this is the first negative review I have left on the Camino de Santiago. Normally , if I don't like a place, I write nothing and move on. However, the interaction really rubbed me the wrong way. If you have any other options, please exercise them. Also the bathrooms are shared by many rooms, they are outdated and the building smells of smoke like other reviews pointed out. The only positive was that it was downtown near many stores. If I could do it over, I would book elsewhere.