We travelled to santiago in May 2008 for 4 nights, it was our first visit and decided to go for a little luxury hence choosing the Palacio Del Carmen. We arrived at the hotel quite late in the evening and were greeted by a welcoming receptionist who cheked us in promptly and showed us to the room, which we though was very impressive and certainly something we have never had before. The room itself was well decorated, cleaned daily and of a good size with most of the aminiteies that you would expect from this class of hotel, however there were some small details that let it down. Firstly the Mini bar only stocked non alcoholic drinks and although it was free it would have been nice to have the option. The room only had 1 robe and 1 pair of slippers and in a double room i found this very strange, also there was no complemetry safe to store your valubles in and you had to use the Hotels which wasn't exactly what you would call reasonably priced, also there was no tea or coffe making facilities and no iron and ironing board, something you don't expect from a 5* Hotel. Due to us flying home at night we had asked reception to look after our suitecases for the day which they did with no hesitation, however upon arrival at the Hotel that night we were greeted by 2 young receptionists who didn't speak any English and couldn't understand what we were requesting, although i don't expect to go to this region of spain and everyone speak English i would expect a International hotel chain to employ staff that could understand a small amount of our language, afterall we made an effort to learn some of their language, why couldn't they? We did have a meal at the hotel which was beautiful and although expensive really was worth the money, the food itself was beautifully cooked and i would recommend the Sea Bass to anyone!! The Hotels location from the centre of Santiago is around 10mins, however be prepared for a good hike as the hill to get into it is very steep and not good if you have walking difficulties. Overall this hotel was a bit of a mixed bag, a modern well serviced hotel that's in a quiet location and on the whole has friendly staff but suffers from samll things that let it down and my opinion doesn't quite fulfill that 5* experience or the 5* price. Give it a go but look around first!

We stayed for just two nights at this lovely hotel. From the airport or train station I would recommend a taxi as it is a little difficult to find at the outset but is in fact within 5 minutes easy walking distance to the cathedral. Rooms were first class with lots of extra touches. There is a complementary in-door pool with steam room and sauna, though the water is not heated. There are lovely quiet gardens at the rear of the hotel. There is also limited parking on the front of the hotel. I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again. Due to the uphill walk to the main town I wouldn't recommend this to disabled travellers.

We booked this hotel for 4 nights for my 50th Birthday as we really enjoy interesting historic architecture and thought a converted Convent sounded just the ticket. Our first problem was that the street department had changed the traffic flow of Oblates street, where the hotel is located, to one-way. And, of course, the Tourism department hasn't caught up and changed the signage, which subsequently directs you the wrong way down the one-way road to the hotel. Not Good. We went in circles for an hour and a half trying to figure out how to get going in the correct direction on the street, even after an extended telephone conversation with the Hotel's front desk. The decor is very contemporary and, as others have pointed out, the place has been modernised at the cost of the original features, and felt very...sterile. The room was reasonably clean, but the towel replacement service was sporadic, and a used water glass sat on the desk for 3 days (and was still there when we left). The wardrobe and wall unit would have benefited from a thorough dusting. Ladies, if you use curling or straightening tongs, beware; the only mirrors are in the bathroom or on the back of the room's door - all far, far away from the wall plugs. I was trying to straighten my hair using my eye makeup mirror! Also, I don't know about you but I found the concept of a glass bathroom door quite off-putting; Ok, it was semi-opaque, but that also means it was semi-transparent! The staff were a bit stiff. Fernando was nice and spoke English, and one of the ladies in the bar spoke no English but managed to make our hour there pleasant. Our room window opened up into a courtyard garden and we were delighted to be able to shut off the air conditioning and fling open the windows. Too bad that the Kitchen door also opened up into the courtyard and that the night staff and breakfast cooks would stand outside the doors at 4 AM to smoke their cigarettes and have a laugh. And the hardwood floors seemed charming until the guests in the room above us began to move around (unfortunately they were very early risers!) The restaurant was good but expensive (£100 for two of us, and that doesn't include any wine!) We found that we could get a lovely meal in the Historic Centre for a third of the cost. Breakfast in the hotel was 13 Euros each. There is a very small luncheon menu that consisted of about 4 over-priced sandwiches. The Historic Centre of Santiago De Compostella is about a 10 minute walk straight up hill from the Hotel. We are experienced and frequent Pennine hill walkers but I was puffing by the time we arrived at the plaza in front of the cathedral. But there is NOTHING around this Hotel. If you want to eat any place else, get ready to hike up to Franco Street. On the last night of our stay we were told that they had 'forgot' to mention that there was a 10 Euro a night parking fee, which we thought was rather back-handed. Right. The bottom line. If you want 5 star service AND historic ambiance, then give this place a miss and book at the Parador. We took a tour of it and immediately thought, “Now THIS is the business!” Everyone we spoke to that was stopping there loved it. The AC Palacio del Carmen was a very expensive 3 and a half star hotel in my opinion.

We drove to Santiago from Portugal and following the signs, the hotel was easy to find. There was free parking in front of the hotel. Though modern, the place is not offensive or overdone and has many nice touches, including inlets for natural light, free mini-bar in the rooms, and an altogether stylish, almost minimalist, ambience. The walk to the cathedral square is about 15 minutes, and includes a couple hills and some steps. The staff was friendly, attentive, and helpful. We would stay there again.