freddiedoncaster
13 ottobre 2021
Approaching this wonderful rural location in Northern Spain gives you a fabulous feel. Set approximately ten kilometres from the motorway you will find the quaint village of Valle de Oca, very much a “ time stood still” place. Considering there’s only forty properties in the village, the hotel is a little hard to find. It even has a different name on the building, to confuse you even more! Once inside you are simply taken aback with the character and decor, truly amazing! Marcos ( very well known in many reviews !) greets you with a warm welcome, and a little bit of English, well quite a bit of English really! All the official stuff out of the way, he then shows us around this small bespoke hotel. Our room which was situated on the second floor was airy and adequate. Again the decor was fascinating! A bathtub in the bedroom was certainly the focal point. Oh yes by the way, you can’t go wrong knowing which room number you’re in as well. I won’t tell you anymore, you will have to find out when you stay there! We had booked dinner for 9pm, so made our way down around 8.50pm, to be greeted with endless candles glowing, a log fire roaring, and superb background music. Unfortunately we were the only ones dining in the small but cosy dining room. We had to choose our dinner earlier in the evening , so that Marcos’s girlfriend could prepare. To start we went for the house salad which was divine, so were the morcilla. The main course was very much a letdown though. Secret pork, which consisted of three thin slices of pork, and a handful of fries, both of which were cold. Maybe serving them on a cold slate didn’t help. We though we were getting sautéed vegetables as well, but these didn’t arrive. It certainly wasn’t cheap, so with this in mind I feel they should either revise their pricing or up their game with the fayre. The drinks were also far too expensive. They don’t have a bar, so Marcos brings the gin, whiskey and rum choice to show you in a plastic supermarket carrier bag! A gin and tonic was 12 euros! Unfortunately I think he has to do his sums again on the pricing of his alcohol as well.Needless to say we didn’t partake! No wonder we were the only ones dining in the hotel given the prices they charge! But we had to, because we had our three dogs with us, so we couldn’t really venture out and leave them. The bed and pillows were comfortable, however being woken up on the hour , every hour by the town clock chimes didn’t really help! As I mentioned in my title, the best cheese and ham toastie ever for breakfast! Would I return?….Yes, but not for the cold dinner , or indeed the overpriced drinks, nor come to think of it the clock bells, but I certainly would for Marcos’s toastie!!
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