Sercotel El Balcón de la Bahía Suites

Lovely small hotel. In a great location. 10 mins walk to Old Town. 25 mins to beach. Bus stops directly outside the hotel which is very useful. There are some lovely restaurants and bars within a 5 min walk. I can strongly recommend The Magnolia restaurant 10/10. Some of the best food I've ever had in Spain and a beautiful setting. Book in advance and ask for top terrace. Superb. The hotel pool is small but big enough to cool down in. There is no bar or restaurant in the hotel but breakfast and drinks are provided in your room. A nice touch. You also get a glass of cava while you get booked in. Miroslava ( Mexican) was great. She couldn't be more helpful. The only down side was the room design. The reading lights are too low. If you want to read in bed the only place for the pillows is over the lights. Totally impracticable and very uncomfortable 😕 A small gripe. Would recommend.

Loved this hotel. Just perfect service from the first moment and super clean. Lovely touches such as breakfast snacks provided in the room, and sweets as a thank you on departure. Couldn’t have been better

When I have driven for three and a half hours all I want is to check in go to my room. I do not want a glass of Cava, told to sit on a sofa and be lectured on the delights of Santander. There is only parking for six vehicles at the property so we were directed to a car park which we could not find. Fortunately we managed to find a space on the street after several attempts of up and down. Had we managed to find the car park it was two euros an hour which would have cost us at least thirty euros. When we were eventually shown to our room the member of staff insisted on carrying a bag and said she would get into trouble if I did not allow her to do so. That's not management, that's bullying! Whilst the room was clean and the bed comfortable it smelt of drains. We were told not to adjust the temperature of the air con because it affect the other rooms??? The complimentary breakfast consisted of an apple, an orange and a chunk of a traditional sponge cake. I don't blame the staff because they are trying their best. A boutique hotel it was not and quite frankly I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot barge pole.

The apartment hotel is in a great location, and is modern in design. We experienced a few faults in our stay - the WiFi didn’t work the first night, and we couldn’t have a hot shower on our last day. We also moved rooms, as our room smelt of drains - we were moved into a smaller room where the issue persisted. The first room also had shampoo that smelt of sulphur! Overall the hotel was ok, the location made the property being so close to the restaurant district and within walking distance to the beach. The complimentary breakfast was a nice addition, and being able to use a umberella (because let’s face it you’ll need one.) But the rooms being open with the toilet shower etc was not something I would enjoy to stay in again.

Had a great stay. Surprise goodies every morning was a pleasant treat. Location was perfect for our exploring. Central to all directions we ventured out to. For the days of no exploration needed the pool is well situated, receiving the majority of sunlight throughout the day. Location of the pool also, it maintained a peaceful and quiet atmosphere. Limited equipment in the gym, but definitely enough given the incline and decline walks that are guaranteed daily. Staff were super helpful and kind. When we return to Santander we will most definitely choose to stay here, without hesitation. Was very well appreciated. Look forward to returning.

Very friendly and helpful staff recommended an excellent seafood restaurant just round the corner and what sights to see in Santander

Unfortunately, it lacks a few basic amenities that are crucial for any traveler. The rooms don't have fridge nor mini bar, no phones, the hotel has no restaurant or cafeteria, the staff leaves at 11pm and comes back in the morning, no shampoo/conditioner in the bathrooms. They provide you with one bottle of water for the entire night. Good help you if you have a medical emergency or a stomach ache. Having said this, the staff tries really hard...maybe too hard! I received a call at my cellphone in the middle of siesta just to see: "Is everything alright?". To be honest it felt like they were trying to force me into giving them a high score: "Please do rate us at 10 because we are trying to increase our score" were the last word we heard from the staff.

Appreciated David’s help parking and feeling reassured our car was safe.