Parador Santillana Gil Blas
The Parador of Santillana Gil Blas is in the lovely mansion of the Barreda-Bracho family, in the square of Santillana del Mar, a town declared a National Monument, whose origins go back to the 7th century. 
The grand entrance leads to open, welcoming public spaces, with wooden floors and traditional decoration and furniture.
The bedrooms are comfortable and in harmony with the overall look of the hotel. The dining room serves traditional stews, steaks, hake from the Cantabrian sea over green asparagus and quesada pasiega (cheesecake).
We stayed for 2 nights at the start of our holiday and were given an attic room with roof lights and no view; very expensive for such basic accommodation, although the room itself was comfortable. The reception was efficient and helpful and the restaurant bright and airy with a good breakfast buffet available. The hotel was busy but still managed to be quiet and relaxing. On our way home we stayed for a further night and this time we were given a large room with a balcony, which was much more in keeping with our visits to three other Paradores on our holiday. We would come back again to Santillana if we were sure we would get value for money.
The parador occupies a very beautiful building and is extremely well located in the heart of Santillana. However, our room was extremely poor, lit only by a skylight and furnished in a very utilitarian style. Whilst we booked at relatively short notice at a busy time and only a ‘basic room’ was available, that term was never properly explained when we made the booking and the price was little different to that of a ’standard room’. The room was simply totally unacceptable at the inflated price charged and, had their been any alternative, we would not have accepted it. I had never heard the term ‘basic room’ before when staying at other paradores but,on the basis of our experience, they are to be avoided at all costs! As others have commented, the breakfast was fine, if a little expensive, but dinner in the restaurant was extremely disappointing. Bar service was also almost non-existent so it was difficult to take coffee or a drink in the very pleasant gardens outside.
We have now stayed in more than a dozen different paradores in various parts of Spain and this is the only one to which I would definitely not return or recommend to anyone else.
My wife Sue and I stopped for three nights. The room, with enormous balcony/terrace, was splendid. The staff were friendly and obliging. The food was just ordinary but served with a smile and we enjoyed the experience. The village, surrounding countryside and beaches are some of the best and given the lovely weather we enjoyed it was impossible not to have a great time.
The building work mentioned by others was complete and the hotel faultless. We had a deal through Brittany Ferries and thought they must have got the price wrong.
Just a wonderful holiday in a great place.
Dave Bell
We stayed for 2 (separate) nights in August and September. We loved the location of the Parador in the pretty, bustling village of Santillana, and appreciated the building and internal fittings. A very pleasant bedroom and interesting well-cooked and well-presented meals helped make for a very enjoyable stay. No complaints that we can remember; except that the nearby caves were shut by the time we arrived, and closed the next day! We never really got used to Spanish opening hours.
We stayed in several paradores in August and this was the one I was most looking forward to but it ended up being the one that I was the most disappointed in. The staff quite curt and it took a while to check in, I was actually starting to think that perhaps they didn’t want any visitors to stay at the parador it was just there for show! The room was quite small and smelt of damp. The resturant for dinner was pleasant but not as special as some of the other paradores. We ended up eating quite late so did not want breakfast, so we went down to the bar/cafe area to get coffee and was told that we could only have coffee if we were having breakfast. I thought that they were joking and had not understood what we had asked for (my husband can speak Spanish). So I complained at reception and pointed out that they were a hotel so why were we unable to get something as basic as a cup of coffee, they just kept repeating that if we wanted coffe then we would have to go into the village!! We would not stay there again!! However, there are lots of other wonderful paradores to stay in and I intend to experience them all!
We stayed for five nights in early July. The staff were welcoming and friendly. The room was large, comfortable and quiet, overliiking the courtyard. We loved the building and furnishings. We did not have dinner but the breakfasts were excellent. It was our first experience of staying in a parador and one we hope to repeat. Santillana is beautiful. It was very busy during the day but quiet at night time (which we prefer). Everyone we encountered were very friendly and helpful.
We stayed here one night in a most beautiful room with a balcony over the cafe/courtyard with a tremendous view and all at Golden Days price. We loved our morning exploration of the town and had a delightful lunch in the large garden of a nearby restaurant. The evening meal at the Parador was the worst we had encountered in a month’s stay in Northern Spain. How can they bear to do that to good ingredients and recipes? Our room was splendid but we think we should have been warned that there were renovations going on, and screens and scaffolding around the building. The nearby Parador was only just across the small main square and looked great. It shares a car park with Gil Blas and would have been a good alternative as long as the chef isn’t also shared.
Rooms are standard as in most paradors.
We overslept in the morning but staff still offered us a small breakfast.
Too bad building was in scaffolding due to roof repairs.
we stayed 2 nights in May, the main building was completely covered in scaffolding and mesh…terrible, the room had a stale smell and we really could not open the windows as there was workmen around.
The food was ordinary at both dinner time and breakfast, the wine we chose was unavailable …this place should be closed while they undertake work…i spoke to the manager and his attitude was ”oh well we have waited months for the work to start ” and that was it…Don,t stay there, not worth the hassel of the cost !
We stayed for one night in April.
Reception was slow but friendly. The lady was on the phone to a friend.
Room was large but smelled of a dead rat! (Possibly the plumbing)
Restaurant was dreadful. Dinner was unimaginative and basic. Breakfast was awful. I wouldn’t have touched the cold, brown scrambled eggs.
A lovely village but the parador needs a shake-up.
This is a very nice historical parador. We had a lovely large room with a huge terrace. The restaurant was very good and the staff helpful.
We stayed 2 nights at the Gil Blas Parador (March-April 2009). The reception and staff were very helpful and efficient, and the room was large and very comfortable, with a nice view and quiet. The restaurant was excellent (although scrambled eggs at the buffet breakfast were a bit cold both days). Unfortunately not much was happening in Santillana del Mar at that time of year, nor in the surrounding towns. Santillana del Mar is a 2-hour town (to visit), old and quaint, but not special in any other way.