Almapamplona - Muga de Beloso

We have stayed at this hotel every year for the last 8 years when it was the Alma and the standards and service have always been excellent. Sadly, this is no longer the case having been taken over by Eurostars. The reception staff were as delightful as ever checking us in. The first shock came when we were told that the spa is no longer free but subject to a charge of 15 Euros per person for 1 hour. The spa was never busy so I can only conclude that this is a money making exercise by the new owners. If they did want to limit numbers they could simply employ a booking system without the need to charge. The better news on check-in was that we had been upgraded to a room with a terrace rather than just a balcony. The first task on arriving in the room was to make a coffee (no drink offered at reception as there always used to be). There was no milk in the room (and no complimentary water, only some in the fridge costing 4 Euros), so I rang reception to ask if they could bring some to our room. This quickly arrived but the receptionist was rather embarrassed to tell us that on this occasion there would be no charge for the milk but if we requested any more, there would be a charge. We could go to the bar ourselves and collect some if we wished. Not the sort of service we had when it was the Alma. The terrace had no furniture at all so I asked where this was. Apparently none of the rooms had any outside furniture. The previous owners had taken these items away and in the subsequent 3 months, the new owners had, apparently, been unable to source any outside furniture. The terrace was useless, therefore, unless you wanted to sit on the ground. We did pay to use the spa but had no bath robes in our room. Only when we arrived in the spa did we see someone else with a bathrobe. On checking with reception, it appeared that we should have had some in our wardrobe. The receptionist quickly found us 2 robes. If the hotel is now charging to use the spa, I would expect it to be in excellent condition. Sadly, 2 of the three shoulder jets were not working and, once again, there was no water available as there always used to be. We ordered food at the restaurant for our evening meal and I then asked to see the wine list only to be told that they didn't have a wine list but the waiter could recommend some to us. Just in time, we stopped him opening a bottle costing 45 Euros. A restaurant of this standard with no wine list seems extremely odd. In the morning, we went for breakfast and were asked our room number and told it was a buffet breakfast. We had several items from the buffet but I could not find any yoghurt. I was told they had none until some more was delivered. It seems very strange that a hotel of this standard should fail to keep supplies of such a basic breakfast commodity. No one approached us during our time in the restaurant to offer any other food for breakfast. On finishing I went to reception to ask if they had stopped

A tranquil place. Surprisingly amazing service like a 5 star luxury hotel. Fantastic food. I was there for a week and i will go back. the rooms are comfortable, the bed particularly so, there is good air con and plenty of space so it almost feelsl like you are in your country house and not in a hotel. the only problems are small in the context of it all but worth a mension. the shower was not great and it had one of those annoying mixer taps so when some other room starts using water the temperature changes. the range in temperature is too much! each day this surprised me as it just does not fit with the rest of the hotel. the other small issue is a few of the electrical sockets in my room which was a bit annoying. specifically i had to unplug the Nespresso machine to plug my laptop in. That isnt good in the morning! Breakfast is wonderful and Herman is a fantastic host. nothing is too much trouble at breakfast time, even sorting out laundry! dinner and lunch are evidence of a super talented kitchen. How can tomatoes just taste so good. Simple things cooked with a super talented touch.

Beautiful hotel, friendly personal, fantastic breakfast, spacious rooms with panoramic windows, and beautiful mountain views, everything is clean, and the room is equipped with all necessary amenities.

Lovely service at the breakfast, the staff were amazing with our kids (Christian and German!) The suite was large and beautiful. We were extremely comfortable. The spa had all the amenities we hoped for! The only thing I felt was missing were more options for the room service. But overall we had a great visit and will definitely be back.