The fabric of the hotel is superb - a lovely and sensitive conversion of some old property and done sympathetically and visually well. Rooms are well furnished and all of the basics (hot water is hot, doors open well, lights illuminate the right places etc) work. Fabrics and furniture of a good quality - may start to look a bit tired soon tho'.

Position is hard to beat - in the old town, nice tapas and cafe bars near, good food and shops, pretty area without being too touristed - you feel people actually live, love and work here.

Service is very friendly - for example we said we needed to check out early and were told that breakfast would be available for us a good hour before it was due to start, without having to ask, and it was ready and it was all there - no bowl of cereal and a pack of milk but the full buffet.

The breakfast was good - simple but fresh and well presented in a lovely stone-and-beamed area. Can't comment on the restaurant as it was closed for some refurb work - the peek I had suggests it will be to a similar high standard as the rest of the fabric.

Value was good - not the cheapest but nice for the money.

So why isn't it rated as excellent? Because the architect who did the conversion of the back of the property was clearly deaf. That is the only thing which could account for the total lack of soundproofing in the rooms. I am now on intimate terms with (night one and two) the sleeping habits of baby Juan (not for long and very grumpy when he wakes up) and the (night three) sexual habits of, well let's call her Miss X (for long and very grumpy at a range of times).

Over the Summer of 2006 my son and I walked approximately 125-130 miles on the Pilgrimage Route, Santiago de Compostela. After eight days of hiking during which we stayed at numerous small and inexpensive hotels we arrived in Santiago and treated ourselves to a two-night stay at the Sino for two nights. The room was small but extremely well designed and immaculate. The staff was extremely attentive, efficient and helpful and the location could not possibly have been better. It was close to the Cathedral and to numerous shops and restaurants. We could not get the internet service to work but that was a minor inconvenience. The breakfast was very pleasant. If I go back to Spain I would definitely stay here again. The next time I would try, if available, a room facing the front of the hotel as the rear was noisy but the noise was more celebratory than annoying. In short, we had a wonderful stay.

We arrived at the hotel which looked attractive, rang the bell and waited a while, thought there may have been another entrance as there was no movement from within (it wasn't late) on entering felt it modern, new, up to date, clean and nicely presented. Booking in was easy and the gentleman at reception was really helpful. We were supposed to be in a superior room but it was small, really small and hot, very hot, after the coach journey we thought a shower was a good idea, to do so meant raising both toilet seat parts to open the glass shower door which then swung open to hit a metal spacer on the wall, It terrified me each time, bang, crash, I later did slip and bruise my back in that thing, nothing to grab hold of. Anyway, went out and enjoyed the evening, returned to a very hot room, no fan, no air-con we had to open the window and that was the biggest problem, it was to the noisiest back road I have ever come across, though just wide enough to take small trucks, they roared though, coupled with the hotels bar entrance, their noise and scooter, being in that back road, they were loud too, and we were one the second floor, it was like they were in the room with you, as it cooled around 4am I could close the doors and try to sleep. The 3 breakfasts we had got worse each day, nothing seemed to be replaced, no orange juice? and we were told "rolls for the restaurant only?", anybody following us must have gone hungry, staff not really there. The internet sat there dead to the world too (maybe a good thing!). I know it was a hot week but it isn't a cheap hotel. The main issue was ventilation, there isn't any, to get any you can't sleep through the noise. NO english telly? its Spain, why should there be?

This pretty little hotel couldn't be in a better location, nor more charmingly presented. Our two night stay wasn't without problems, though they were mitigated by a reduction in the bill when we settled up. The rooms were comfortable, but the service was haphazard - breakfast was very poor, which was surprising in a hotel which prides itself on its restaurant. Our room wasn't cleaned when we returned to it at the end of our day sightseeing and this wasn't remedied while we were out in the evening, despite a gentle request to the receptionist. All in all, quite mixed feelings about whether or not to recommend Sino - there are several small and charming hotels in the vicinity.