Escape to Paradise: Unveiling HOTEL LA CASA DE LAS CAMELIAS, Valdés, Spain
Escape to Paradise? Maybe. A Rambling, Honest Review of Hotel La Casa de las Camelias, Valdés, Spain
Alright, buckle up buttercups, because this isn't your typical, sterile hotel review. This is my experience of Hotel La Casa de las Camelias, a place that promised… well, paradise, I guess. Let's be real, paradise is a high bar. Did it deliver? Let's unpack this mess together, shall we?
(SEO & Metadata Grab Bag: Hotel La Casa de las Camelias, Valdés, Spain, Accessibility, Spa, Dining, Cleanliness, Valdés Hotels, Spain Hotels, Accessible Hotels, Spa Hotels Spain, Luxury Spain, Beach Hotels, Wi-Fi, Pool, Restaurant, Best Hotels Spain)
The Arrival & First Impressions: A Bit of a Misfire (Accessibility & That Damn Elevator)
Okay, so the drive to Hotel La Casa de las Camelias was stunning. The coastal views around Valdés are seriously breathtaking. You’re already feeling that vacation vibe. But the arrival itself? Bit… clunky. We had booked in advance and requested an accessible room, which we were assured was available. The parking lot was a mix of tight spots and some that looked… well, I'm not sure what they were, actually. ( Car park [free of charge], Car park [on-site] – they offer both! Score!)
The lobby? Lovely, all polished wood and the scent of, I swear, camellias. But here’s the rub: that gloriously old, yet charming elevator? Tiny. Teeny. My lovely, but slightly over-packed, suitcase and I barely squeezed in. This is where the "accessibility" promise started to feel a bit… stretched. ( Elevator, Facilities for disabled guests - technically present, but… yeah.)
(Rambling aside: I mean, they tried. And the staff, to their credit, were lovely. Just…the actual execution felt a little off. More on that later.)
Rooms & Amenities: Luxury, Sans the Seamlessness
The room itself? (Available in all rooms: Air conditioning, Alarm clock, Bathrobes, Bathroom phone, Bathtub, Blackout curtains, Carpeting, Closet, Coffee/tea maker, Complimentary tea, Daily housekeeping, Desk, Extra long bed, Free bottled water, Hair dryer, High floor, In-room safe box, Interconnecting room(s) available, Internet access – LAN, Internet access – wireless, Ironing facilities, Laptop workspace, Linens, Mini bar, Mirror, Non-smoking, On-demand movies, Private bathroom, Reading light, Refrigerator, Safety/security feature, Satellite/cable channels, Scale, Seating area, Separate shower/bathtub, Shower, Slippers, Smoke detector, Socket near the bed, Sofa, Soundproofing, Telephone, Toiletries, Towels, Umbrella, Visual alarm, Wake-up service, Wi-Fi [free], Window that opens.) Okay, that is a lot. And it mostly delivered! Our room was spacious, with a gorgeous view of the… well, a lovely view, but not necessarily the ocean view we were hoping for. The bed was HUGE and comfortable, the bathrobe was fluffy, and the mini-bar was appropriately over-priced. I am an absolute SUCKER for good coffee in the morning, so I was ecstatic to find that they had both a coffee AND tea maker in the room. The internet was free and fast ( (Free Wi-Fi in all rooms!, Internet, Internet [LAN], Internet services, Wi-Fi in public areas - nailed it!)… which, let’s be honest, is practically a basic human right these days.
Now, about the imperfections, the things that made this stay feel… less perfect:
- The Shower Drama: The water temperature was a rollercoaster. One minute you were luxuriating in a warm embrace, the next you were getting blasted with Arctic chill. It was… an adventure.
- The Noise: Despite the Soundproof rooms, the hallways sounded like a stampede of elephants at 6 AM. (Maybe that was the cleaning staff? Who knows).
- The Lack of “Oh, What a Delight” Stuff.”: The little touches that elevate a stay — a fresh flower on the pillow, a handwritten welcome note, a little basket of local treats, the tiny things that make you go “Ooh, that's nice!”… Well, they were missing in action.
Food & Drink: Mixed Bag, With a Side of "Almost There"
(Dining, drinking, and snacking: A la carte in restaurant, Alternative meal arrangement, Asian breakfast, Asian cuisine in restaurant, Bar, Bottle of water, Breakfast [buffet], Breakfast service, Buffet in restaurant, Coffee/tea in restaurant, Coffee shop, Desserts in restaurant, Happy hour, International cuisine in restaurant, Poolside bar, Restaurants, Room service [24-hour], Salad in restaurant, Snack bar, Soup in restaurant, Vegetarian restaurant, Western breakfast, Western cuisine in restaurant) Whew! Okay, that's a lot to take in, isn't it?
- Breakfast: The breakfast buffet was good. Solid. Fine? The usual suspects were there: eggs, bacon, pastries, yogurt, fruit. But… it lacked zing. The coffee was weak. The croissants were a bit stale. I'm not saying it was terrible, but if you are a breakfast person, be prepared to manage your expectations.
- Restaurants: We ate in the main restaurant a couple of times. The food was a decent effort, and the setting was lovely. The service ranged from attentive to slightly flustered (I got the impression there were staff shortages, which is a common thing these days). Overall, the food was okay. Nothing to write home about, but perfectly edible. The desserts were a high point.
- The Bar: The bar was cute! We definitely enjoyed some happy hour drinks.
(Anecdote time! There was this one, lovely waiter, who was clearly RUN OFF HIS FEET, but still retained a smile and a sense of humor. Bless him. I think he deserved a medal, or at least a generous tip.)
Spa & Relaxation: The Good Stuff, Mostly
(Things to do, ways to relax: Body scrub, Body wrap, Fitness center, Foot bath, Gym/fitness, Massage, Pool with view, Sauna, Spa, Spa/sauna, Steamroom, Swimming pool, Swimming pool [outdoor]).
THIS is where La Casa de las Camelias started to redeem itself. The spa was gorgeous. The pool area, overlooking the (admittedly less-than-ocean) view, was fantastic. The sauna was hot, the steam room was steamy. My massage was really good (but at a premium price, so, temper expectations). The whole vibe was relaxing and definitely helped to melt away any travel stress. Did I emerge feeling utterly transformed? Nope. But did I feel more relaxed and less stressed? Absolutely.
Cleanliness & Safety: The New Normal?
(Cleanliness and safety: Anti-viral cleaning products, Breakfast in room, Breakfast takeaway service, Cashless payment service, Daily disinfection in common areas, Doctor/nurse on call, First aid kit, Hand sanitizer, Hot water linen and laundry washing, Hygiene certification, Individually-wrapped food options, Physical distancing of at least 1 meter, Professional-grade sanitizing services, Room sanitization opt-out available, Rooms sanitized between stays, Safe dining setup, Sanitized kitchen and tableware items, Shared stationery removed, Staff trained in safety protocol, Sterilizing equipment.)
Okay, safety first. Everything felt clean. They are certainly on top of all the sanitation and safety procedures. Hand sanitizer everywhere. Staff wearing masks. It felt like they were doing EVERYTHING by the book, which I appreciate, but also felt a little… clinical? I guess a bit of that feeling is inevitable these days.
Things to Do: Exploring Valdés (Highly Recommended!)
(Getting around: Airport transfer, Bicycle parking, Car park [free of charge], Car park [on-site], Car power charging station, Taxi service, Valet parking)
This is where Hotel La Casa de las Camelias really shines: its location provides such a solid jumping off point. The hotel is very well-situated for exploring the beautiful coastline of Valdés (and the surrounding asturian landscape). Driving to the nearest beach was easy, and going back to the hotel to relax in the pool was a great option. Overall: A Good Try, With Room for Improvement.
Final Verdict:
Would I return to Hotel La Casa de las Camelias? Maybe. If the price was right and I was prioritizing a relaxing break. There were definitely some hiccups, and it fell short of true paradise for me. Still, it was a pleasant enough stay, and the staff were lovely.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5 camellias.
Aberdeen's BEST Red Roof Inn? (MD) SHOCKING Review!
Alright, buckle up buttercups, because this ain't your grandma's perfectly polished travelogue. We're diving headfirst into the chaotic, glorious mess that was my recent trip to Hotel La Casa de las Camelias in Valdes, Spain. And let me tell you, it was… an experience.
Day 1: Arrival & Asturian Awkwardness
- Morning (8:00 AM): Okay, first off, getting to Valdes. The flight was fine. Nothing remarkable except the screaming toddler who clearly hadn't grasped the concept of "personal space." (Note to self: invest in noise-canceling headphones made of pure platinum for future travels.) Landed in Asturias, rented the car… only to discover I’d booked a tiny, manual-transmission thing. Me, who hasn't touched a stick shift since college. Cue the internal panic. This is how I die, I thought. “Driven off a cliff by a rusty, underpowered Fiat, probably in reverse.”
- Midday (1:00 PM): Arrived at La Casa de las Camelias. Holy moly, the view! Seriously, breathtaking. This place is perched on a hillside, looking out over the Cantabrian Sea. Gorgeous. Utterly and completely gorgeous. The hotel itself is charming, with its stone walls and that old-world vibe. The owner, a woman named… let’s call her "Carmen" seemed wary and not particularly happy to see me. I definitely got the vibe that I was interrupting her pre-siesta tranquility.
- Afternoon (2:30 PM - 4:00 PM): Unpacked. Checked out the room. It was… cozy. Let’s just say “cosy” in the way that old European hotels often are. Small, with a slightly wonky window that looked like it hadn’t been opened since the Spanish Civil War. (Dramatic flair!) I attempted to open it anyway and immediately gave up. Then, ate something in the hotel restaurant. Ordered 'fabada asturiana' (Asturian bean stew), because, duh, and the thing was a religious experience. Rich, hearty, with a depth of flavor that could bring tears to your eyes. Maybe Carmen was right, there's a reason to be happy. Definitely worth the flight and the manual transmission stress.
- Evening (7:00 PM): Wandered around the nearby village. This is where things got… interesting. I tried to order a cerveza at a bar, mangled my Spanish, and ended up with a lukewarm coke. The shame, the shame. But the locals were used to tourists making fools of themselves, I'm sure. I watched the sunset, which was spectacular, obviously. Ate some more bean stew at the hotel restaurant, because, why not? And crashed. Hard. Jet lag is a cruel mistress.
Day 2: Sea, Shells & a Slight Meltdown
- Morning (9:00 AM): Woke up feeling AMAZING. The crisp Asturian air does wonders, let me tell you. Breakfast was a basic affair, some bread, ham, cereal, it did the job. And the sun - still beautiful. It's very likely the best thing about the whole trip.
- Midday (11:00 AM): Hit the beach! I ventured out - the sand was lovely, but the water, oh my god, the water! Freezing! I made it about 30 seconds before retreating, shrieking, back to the safety of my towel. (Note: I am NOT a cold-water swimmer. Note to self: bring a wetsuit next time.)
- Afternoon (1:00 PM): This is the real story. I spent the afternoon, determined to find some decent seashells. I walked along the beach, searching, searching, searching. Found a few tiny ones, looked at them, turned them over, then, I suddenly lost it. I got overwhelmed. I started crying! Like, full-on, snotty, gasping sobs. For… no apparent reason. Too much sun, too little lunch, too much bean stew, maybe? I have absolutely no idea. All the beauty of the place started to look boring, the sky gray. It was embarrassing. I quickly sat down on a rock, did some deep breathing (thank you, yoga!), and eventually pulled myself together.
- Evening (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM): I took a walk in the town, and saw a street musician playing a beautiful melody on his guitar. It made me immediately feel guilty for my little breakdown. I sat down listened and bought a CD. I don't even have a CD player, but whatever. Then, I saw Carmen again at the hotel restaurant, I felt mortified. She was cool and said nothing about my morning (I think she'd be used to it). The evening turned out beautifully, but let's just say it was an emotional rollercoaster. I went to bed and spent a while staring at the ceiling.
Day 3: The Camelias and a Sudden Departure
- Morning (9:00 AM): I decided to go on a hike. I had a map and I intended to explore the country, but I got lost. The map didn't want me to do it. I got back to the hotel defeated. I was tired and frustrated.
- Midday (11:00 AM): Today, I was leaving. There are no reasons why. I was tired of the hotel, of the views, of the sea, and of myself.
- Afternoon (1:00 PM): My flight was in the evening. I went to the restaurant and ate some bean stew. The feeling was so bitter.
- Evening (7:00 PM): On the plane back home. I left the hotel, the sea, the lovely views, and the bean stew. I don't know how I felt. I just felt I had to leave.
Post-Trip Ramblings:
So, yeah… La Casa de las Camelias. It was… something. Would I go back? Maybe. Probably. The view alone is worth the trip, as long as you're prepared for the emotional rollercoaster and the potential stick shift. And the bean stew. Oh, the bean stew. I dream of the bean stew. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll learn some proper Spanish before I go. (Or not. Part of the charm, right?)
The moral of the story? Travel isn't always glamorous. Sometimes, it's messy, awkward, and involves crying on a beach. But it's always an adventure. And bean stew. Don't forget the bean stew.
Escape to Paradise: Villa Pudarica, Your Croatian Dream Awaits!
So, Why the Ukulele? Seriously, What Was the Deal?!
Alright, Fine. Did You Actually *Learn* Anything? Like, Chords?
What About Those Cursed Chord Changes? Is There a Secret?
Online Tutorials? Were They a Help, or Did They Just Make Things Worse?
The Pain! That Brutal Finger Pain! How Did You Cope?
Did You Ever Consider Giving Up? (Be Honest!)
Okay, So… Any Tips for Other Ukulele Noobs? Besides "Don't Bother"?
What’s Next? Ukulele Dreams, or Ukulele *Nightmares*?
