El Refugio de Cristal

My wife Esther and I spent a wonderful weekend in the refugio. The scenery is lovely and there are some pleasant and easy circular walks nearby. The location is safe and quiet and it’s nice to sit on your own private terrace at night especially when the stars are out. The food is very good and there’s a good selection of drinks. Carlos is a great host and he was very helpful in suggesting different places to visit in the area. There are a number of different activities available. All In all a great stay and we will probably be back in the future.

We had a totally blissful weekend here in September, and were amazed at how quiet and peaceful it was! Our double room was fantastic, everything was very clean and modern, and the bed was very comfortable. We spent a lot of time relaxing in the sun by the pool, and as there are only a handful of rooms, we largely had the area to ourselves! On the Friday evening we chose to have a couple of things from Alvaro's menu, home cooked croquetas and a goat's cheese salad, both of which were delicious with enough food for two (also very reasonable 10€ each). Sadly on Saturday Alvaro's wife was not there so there was no dinner service, although we were offered a lunchtime menu to compensate for this (we had a selection of local meats and cheeses- 12€). So instead we walked down into the small town and had dinner at a local restaurant, which was surprisingly delicious! You definitely need a car to get to El Refugio, it is a five minute drive out of the (very) small town, along a dirt track so a car would be sensible. All in all we had a brilliant time, very relaxing, and I wish I was back there now! ||||Also just to add to this, we didn't choose the romantic weekend package, and instead ate our breakfast on the terrace, but as far as we could tell we still had everything for breakfast (continental) that those who had chosen a romantic package had - but they were served their breakfast on their own private terrace instead.

My family spent 3 beautiful days here at the end of May. We stayed mid-week so we were actually the only guests there! The owners took excellent care of us, cooking us delicious meals (better than any restaurant!) and giving us lots of their time and attention. We did some fantastic hikes through the National Park and went for a picnic beneath a waterfall. The little town of Hontenor is very, very sleepy and quiet, but if you're looking for a peaceful retreat I couldn't recommend this place more! Thank you for a gorgeous break!

We'd wanted to stay at this hotel for some time after stumbling on the website and this year we made it. The owners are lovely as is the accommodation and the salt water pool. The view across to the national park is stunning and the lack of light pollution means the the astronomy "tour" is fabulous. Another review says "Don't expect to sit in a cafe in the local town, as it is deserted." but the very local "El Hogar" in Hontanar had the the most friendly owners (and some of the best home prepared food) that I've eaten in Spain.||||Stay at this marvelous place for a very relaxing break.

As indicated in earlier reviews El Refugio de Cristal really is a gordeous place. Also as beautiful as presented on the website and both tenders Miguel and the lady in the kitchen really make it work. We finalised our two-week trip in Spain here, and it easily tops all other accomodations we stayed at due to balanced quality in breakfast, dinner, beds, bathroom, swimming pool, views and off the road location.||We walked a nice - not difficult- hiking trail at 20 kms from here which also gave us the opportunity to have a look at some of the national park.||Miguel and Gema, thank you for taking care!

Stand-out place to stay in the heart of Spain's empty quarter. Friendly hosts and excellent food, especially the evening meals. Car essential to enjoy the spectacular nation park, where your only companions will be ants and eagles.||Don't expect to sit in a cafe in the local town, as it is deserted. Only gripe is that the pool is unheated, so too cold to enjoy in May, but this is how it is in Spain.

a rural retreat with lovely views where much care has been taken to provide modern facilities; Lovely breakfast with homemade cakes and generous fruit. Evening meal available on request with excellent cuisine. Pool unheated so too cold in May. Car essential.

This is a perfect hotel on a perfect spot. The rooms are good. But wat makes the hotel great is the view, place and the enthousiam of the owners. Sometimes there is a possibility to have diner at the hotel sometimes you can eat in nearby Hontanar which is very nice to do because its a nice restaurant with friendly owners. (De la tierra). You can walk to the restaurant (15/20 minutes) If you have a chance go to this hotel and you will be suprised!