Parador de Gijón

Gijon is a great area to visit , the Parador has an excellent location, charming staff and wonderful food.

We stayed 4 nights in the Parador in december. The parador is nicely located in a park and close to the sea. It has nice rooms and very nice and spacious sitting rooms. But it was much too cold everywhere. Heating systems were insufficient and windows leaked cold air. Breakfast and dinner was avarage. A lot of food for dinner but it did not have the quality that you could expect. This could be much better. It was not a surprise that very few people stayed at the hotel.

While walking the Camino, we booked a night through an OTA and immediately noticed that the date in the app was incorrect. We contacted the hotel right away to explain the mistake. We were told that if we rebooked the correct night directly with the hotel—at a much higher rate—we would not be charged for both reservations. Based on that guidance, we booked the correct night directly with the property. The hotel ultimately kept payment for both the incorrect OTA booking and the direct booking. After repeated follow-ups with the property and later the corporate office, we were told nothing could be done and no refund would be issued. We did not ask for a full refund—only the return of the lesser amount, even allowing for any OTA commission the hotel may have paid. The hotel also had the ability to cancel the unused OTA night and resell the room, which would have avoided any financial loss. They chose not to do so. We acted immediately, followed the instructions we were given, and tried to resolve the situation fairly. After accepting payment, the hotel reversed its position and declined to offer any meaningful assistance. For additional context, our Booking.com receipt states: “Partner Offer. Your booking is with LOH. Any changes to your personal and booking details are not possible. Requests can be made directly with the property but are not guaranteed. Booking.com's customer service support is available to you for this booking.” We followed this guidance and dealt directly with the property, relying on the assurances provided by their staff. Those assurances were ultimately not honored. Caution to other travelers: honest booking mistakes may be met with inflexibility here, and verbal assurances from staff should not be relied upon.

We were walking the Camino and booked a night through an OTA, then immediately realized the date in the app was incorrect. We called the hotel right away and were told that if we booked the correct night directly with the hotel (at a significantly higher rate), we would not be charged for both nights. The hotel received payment for both the incorrect OTA night and the direct booking for the correct date. Despite multiple follow-ups with both the property and the corporate office, they now say they are powerless to help and refuse to refund any portion. We have asked only to be refunded the lesser amount, less any OTA commissions they may have paid. The hotel also has the ability to mark the OTA night as canceled and resell the room to another guest, avoiding any loss. They have chosen not to do so. We acted immediately, relied on their guidance, and made every effort to resolve the issue fairly. Instead, the hotel reversed its position after taking payment and offered no meaningful assistance. Caution to travelers: if you make an honest booking mistake, this hotel is not forgiving, not helpful, and assurances given by staff may not be honored.

We have stayed in many Paradores and this is by far the worst experience we’ve had. The hotel is very tired, the rugs in our room were covered in stains and to top it all the attitude of the staff stinks. It feels like customers are an inconvenience to be tolerated rather than paying their wages.

What you’d expect from a parador, lovely old building, comfortable rooms & good food. Very handy if you are attending a football match, stadium is around 100m away but there is no noise intrusion. Food in restaurant was excellent.