Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada

We spent two nights at this Parador on a half-board basis. It's a good base from which to explore the region of La Rioja. Santo Domingo de la Calzada is a nice, bustling little town with many interesting old buildings. We liked it very much. This Parador is located right in the centre of the town, opposite the cathedral,, so it's very convenient.||Our room was comfortable and well sized. We found the staff helpful and welcoming The restaurant offers an appetising dinner menu and even though the restaurant was busy on both evenings the staff were very efficient and service was very prompt. ||On the ground floor there's a very spacious and impressive lounge area, handy for the bar and the restaurant, with lots of comfortable seating. ||There is ample parking (for which a charge is made). There's a garage at the hotel itself but about 200 metres away there's a secure car park, owned by the hotel, with ample parking; this costs less than the garage. ||Although there are a good number of road signs for the Parador we didn't find them ideally clear - and you have to be careful because, unusually for such a small town, there are two Paradores. To add to the 'fun' the signs direct you to use Calle Mayor to access the hotel but just a couple of days before we arrived someone had decided it would be a good idea to put a flower planter across the street, effectively blocking it off to vehicles. ||Over the years we have stayed at many Paradores and we rate this one highly. The half-board deal is good value.

Ideally situated 80 minutes from Bilbao Port. Outstanding public areas. Lovely room overlooking the plaza and cathedral. Secure parking in basement (E17) with lift, or locked car park (E8) 50 metres from the hotel. Friendly and helpful staff.

My experience at the Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada was terrible. We traveled with my family (husband, daughter, mother and brother) from Madrid. My husband, my daughter and myself woke up completely bitten up by fleas in room 210. We have the doctor's attendance, prescription and visit that certifies this (together with pictures of our bodies), since these bites included hives, swelling, rashes and itching. We had to go to the emergency room to receive medication. At reception they claimed this was impossible. They decided to make a rare discount of the room, instead of a full refund of all the nights we stayed there. The first room they gave us stinked of cigarette, so we can clearly assume hygiene and cleanliness are not the center of attention. We had to cancel activities, spend money on medicine, go twice to the nearest emergency room, it was a true nightmare. Stay away from this Parador! Regret 100% spending so much money on it...

We had an excellent stop here for two nights. This gave us time to enjoy the history of the town. The Parador was full which meant we were unable to book dinner in the restaurant, the times offered being after 9pm and sadly too late for us. We enjoyed a snack in the caféteria.

We were originally booked in for two nights here but had to reschedule due to an injury to my wife. One night is enough IMO. The Cathedral is the main reason for a stay - the town itself is vanilla as is the hotel. Luckily we got a space in the hotel garage - parking nearby is tricky. The room was fine but the hotel restaurant was booked out the night we were there which was disappointing - it was booked by tour parties - the town is on the pilgrimage route. breakfast was fine and overall the hotel is comfortable but with a minute bar and nowhere to sit out. Glad we were only there one night.

Booking on a web site and arriving at around 10pm, we received a lack of good service from the front office. We paid for a regular room for 3 people. They gave us a room with 2 beds and a sofa bed that didn’t have sheets, only a stained cover mattress, a set of towels ready and a comforter. We used the room phone to call the front office, few minutes later a lady gave us the sheets.|The room didn’t have a coffee pot nor kettle. The tv wasn’t properly working either, we finally got a couple of channels to work. |As a parador hotel I expected more. I guess they don’t welcome surprising guests after 10pm.

This was a return visit to this famous location and we were disappointed. The reception staff were excellent but the restaurant staff although friendly were inattentive. The first day’s breakfast was not good with pastries & bread either dried or overcooked. On our second morning there was a dramatic improvement, an additional member of staff and much better and fresher bread and pastries.

This anazing historic building is set in a square that looks like the set of the film ‘Name of the rose’||It’s astonishing and steeped in history ||And let’s face it that is why people stay in paradores||You trade luxury for location and history and it’s a fair swap ||The rooms are basic as you would expect but the bathroom is good with a great shower ||The staff are mostly delightful and the hotel has a great underground car park as well as a secure open air one just around the corner ||The restaurant is good but it should be noted there are some great restaurants a short walk away too ||The only criticism I have is that breakfast is a little on the poor side ||The hot food is a la carte and one day we were just ignored and the service does seem a little chaotic ||You should be aware that English is not widely spoken in this region so you will have a much better time if you learn a little Spanish - as we all should anyway ||The other one to watch is your sat nav ||Head for the police station and opposite is a small street into the centre ||That is your way in ||It’s a great place from which to enjoy the Rioja region

When Gayle and I recently visited Santo Domingo, we stayed at the other Parador in Town - Hotel Santo Domingo Bernardo de Fresneda. Ours was a very nice 3+ Star Parador, and still within walking distance of the Cathedral and of course the Camino de Santiago. The Parador Hotel Sto. Domingo de la Calzada is located right next to the Cathedral (and Tower) and a simple turn off the Camino. It's a gorgeous Parador and occupies a 12th century former hospital. Built by Saint Dominic, it was used to give shelter to the pilgrims on the Road to Santiago. We walked around and were very impressed. And although we were very happy with our Bernardo choice, this Parador might have turned out even better.

If you are walking the Camino (as many people are in this town) -- this Parador is a sight for sore/muddy/cold eyes and feet. While it will run you 10x what an albergue costs, if you haven't spoiled yourself since St. Jean, you should. The lower lobby level has a lot of historical artifacts from when this place was used way back when, and that ties nicely back to the history of the Camino de Santiago, so it's not like you aren't being a pilgrim. The breakfast buffet was also a nice break from the standard coffee/croissant. The rooms are comfortable, the bath tubs huge, and while the beds leave a little to be desired, in all honesty --- you have the room to yourself, and it feels like a slice of heaven. I would definitely come back if I ever find myself in northern Spain.