We stayed at the Saiaz because we had heard Getaria was charming and because Elkano is literally 2 minutes away. However, I wouldn't go to Getaria for charm -- other places along the Basque coastline were much more charming, to our taste at least -- and I definitely wouldn't stay again at the Saiaz. For a start, it's simply a rather soulless hotel, with very plainly decorated rooms and motelly bathrooms, costing more than you need to pay in the region. Our room also smelled terrible! When we first walked in, it stunk of some kind of horribly strong and unnatural cleaning product. We opened the windows and drove to Bilbao for the day, expecting the room to have aired out by the time we returned -- but evidently the room was completely impregnated with the smell (enough to give you a headache). We complained to the receptionist in the late afternoon on our return. She came to the room and agreed the smell was bad but couldn't move us to another as they were full. We were given a free breakfast, which didn't really seem sufficient compensation given how off-putting the smell was, taking away any romance from the night. Our 150 euro smelly, charmless room was a big disappointment. Dinner at Elkano was fantastic, though!
- Saiaz Hotel Getaria
- Getaria Saiaz Hotel
