If you like a room made out of authentic rock and heavy timber (We did!), this place is for you! It's about as "authentic" as any 500 year old building as you would want to stay in. Even the stairways and ancillary rooms just scream "Medieval"! -- including a very atmospheric upstairs lounge. And the ady who seemed to fill all duties (receptionist, bookkeeper, concierge, etc.) was just as nice and helpful as she could be.
Because it was drizzling outside, we stayed in and had the Menu of the Day (incl. 1/2 liter of wine for two) at the hotel restaurant, which we also thought was excellent. As a tourist trap town, all of the restaurants were expensive, in general, but we felt well-served at the Altamira.

The irony of all of this, however, is that the town itself is only worth a 2-3 hour visit -- even the "caves" only take an hour -- there has been WAY too much hyperbole wasted on this quaint village! Fortunately we arrived late in the afternoon, took in the town, checked out Altamira, and spent the night. But had we arrived in the morning or early afternoon, I don't know what I would have done there all of that time.

We booked this hotel hours before our arrival and couldn't have been more pleased. Santillana del Mar is a charming little town, even if it is full of tourists. We had a charming room all in wood, with a small window and a beautiful view. We strolled the streets and ate a very late, but delicious dinner. The next morning we had the breakfast that was included. It was okay. I thought the hotel, for the price we paid, was terrific. It's decorated very nicely and the staff, though a little cool, was helpful. I would recommend the Altamira.

I'm not really into staying in old castles, but this was definitely unique. The rooms were all different - mine was tiny but my friend (also traveling as a single) had a HUGE room. It was a very dramatic setting and any history buffs would be enthralled! I found the older waitress in the dining room to be very crabby - our tour group was small (only 15 people),but she didn't seem very happy to have us there. It's a nice play to stay for one night!

We stayed at the Hotel Altimira in September 2007 and found it a wonderful, very different place. It was like stepping back in time and when entering the reception area I could swear I smelt horses!! It must have been a stables at one time. The staff were wonderful, particularly when I went wandering in the night for some water and bumped into the security guard asleep on a settee, he took me to the bar and gave me a bottle of water. He was very friendly and helpful. We had a few laughs at the restaurant as when I asked for chocolate cake they gave me a hot chocolate!! However, it just makes for memories and laughter of a wonderful holiday. I can recommend it. We went to lots of places in the car, Comillas (Im not sure if thats how its spelt) is not to be missed, a very pretty place, we ate sardines at the beach front bar and looked around the wonderful architecture of the palace. Don't bother with the caves though they were very disappointing.

All in all I can recommend this very different holiday.