Santemar - Santander, Spain 

Local bus is in Santander City Centre in about 10-15 minutes from the airport. Good Value at 1.60euro each. From the centre you need to take a number 1 bus which drop you off at a big casino which is just round the corner from hotel santemar. You will be there in about 10 minutes or so. Dont think you can walk from the bus station where you get off the airport bus you wont. The hotel itself has a fairly attractive reception area with a couple of tv lounges just off the reception - these are pretty comfy. Be prepared for the terrible BLUE and RED stripy wallpaper when the lift doors open into the hallway on the way to your room. This looks dated and dull. The room itself was basic and fairly clean. The tv sits on top of the minibar cabinet (which was locked) and the top of the cabinet was dusty as was some of the panneling on the walls. Other than that the room was clean and tidy. We had dinner that night in the restaurant - there is a set menu which costs approximately 20 euro each and includes wine, water etc. Good value but to be honest the food wasnt that great. It was ok but nothing special. There is an ordinary menu but this looks expensive for the quality of food you are getting. The bar is very formal and not very comfortable - we had one drink there. The area around the hotel was fairly quiet. The hotel is close to the beach which is very nice and the promenade is nice. Not that many shops, bars and restaurants around it has to be said which is why we ended up eating at the hotel. We only stayed here for one night so it is difficult to really get a feel for the place but I did not find the staff (or indeed the locals) particularly friendly but then with me not speaking Spanish and hardly any of them speaking English it was difficult to communicate. In summary I dont think I will be rushing back to Santander but even if I was I would probably be checking out other hotels. This one was ok but nothing special.

We have returned from a great week-end break,travelling by Ryanair to Santander and then a two night stay at this hotel. This is a great region in spain with warm friendly locals.Seafood is the thing to try.Hotel in a lovely postion overlooking beautiful beach. Will definately return for a longer trip next time.