Hotel Villa Rosario, El Palacete

Excellent hotel: nice setting, beautiful decorated and spacious rooms ( we had one with sea view) and friendly, effective service. The breakfast à la carte is great. It’s a great location to visit this lovely beach resort at the Asturias coast. Easily to reach with public transport.

Situated on the promenade by the main beaches, Villa Rosario is an outrageously grand looking building in the Mexican style and has me thinking of the Adams Family every time I look at it. I was enchanted by it when we were here last year and it is as lovely as I had hoped. Check in was charming and parking at the sister hotel across the road is very good. I have an Audi Q5 and the entry to the underground parking is spacious as are the car bays. Our room on the first floor is roomy and comfortable and has the added benefit of a large balcony overlooking the garden and with views of the mountains. The en-suite is also roomy and very smart, and has good quality toiletries, big fluffy towels and a splendid shower. Breakfast is served in the adjoining restaurant which has a Michelin star. As previous reviews suggested that the service was over complicated, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but in reality the service was friendly and efficient and the system of ordering etc is perfectly simple. On arrival we had a basket of fresh breads, cakes etc already on the table along with fresh fruit. There is also a jar of fresh tomato paste for your “Tostada con Tomate”, and toast was brought to us along with our choice of hot beverage. From the simple menu we selected some nicely seasoned cherry tomatoes, bacon and perfectly cooked scrambled eggs. In short, the service and organisation were perfect and our food was delicious. We both enjoy visiting the north of Spain, and Ribadasella is one of our favourite towns. We hope to return on a regular basis and, having discovered this fabulous hotel, Villa Rosario will certainly be our hotel of choice.

Room 102 faced south rather than seaward however it was comfortable with a huge balcony with table, two chairs and two deck chairs. Sadly in the rain we could not use these! Built in the garden is a modern restaurant with a Michelin star. Whilst we could not afford to dine there, the waiter-served breakfast was very good. Two minor complaints: The only electric plugs in the bedroom were for the bedside table lamps and no plugs by the desk (luckily we do carry a selection of adaptors); also no shelving in the bathroom for toiletries.

We were Camino walkers and this was pricey in terms of our normal budget for our walk. But it was worth it. The room was lovely and the toiletries were a very good brand. We even had some lovely chocolates on our arrival in the room. Lovely balcony overlooking the sea and the reception staff couldn't have been any nicer. Really delicious breakfast. We hope to return again someday.

Rosario 11 Main hotel is an old "promenade villa" facing the wonderful bay - Rosario II is across the road with use of the same facilities. Lovely rooms and very helpful staff - we visited on a road trip through Northern Spain with our young Jack Russell pup. Ribadesella is a truly wonderful town with exceptional beach and old town across the bridge on the other side of the estuary. Try out the restaurants and bars across the river. The hotel would make an excellent base for a longer stay to explore the area, having a well appointed bar / restaurant of its own.