Hotel Santa Maria

We booked a one night stay in a double room with sea view. Our thoughts on the hotel were slightly mixed. The view was very nice - of the immaculately kept grounds and the sea beyond. Our room was not that great for the cost. It was the most expensive hotel we stayed at during a week road trip. The furniture in the room was dark wood that had the look of utility furniture that was made in the 1950s. The varnish on my bedside cabinet was badly damaged and looked terrible. My main issue was the bathroom. A quarter of the floor was a step lower than the rest which meant a step to get to the basin and also to get to the toilet. On top of this the toilet was squeezed in the corner between the shower and bidet which made it a squeeze to get to and very little space to actually use it. I fell down the step from the basin twice as you just step back an inch or so, forgetting there is a step, and down you go. The balcony area is very nice and was fine. Small with two chairs and a tiny table. We ate in the dinner in the restaurant which was also disappointing. It was mainly big tables of people who looked like they were part of a tour group. We got seated at an individual table but it was all very much indoors without any chance of the seeing the lovely hotel grounds. The food we got was nice - I had tagliatelle with seafood and my husband has a steak. He also ordered spinach as a side dish as the steak didn';t come with any vegetables. The spinach didn't come so we reminded the server as we started the meal. We then ate slowly waiting for the spinach which finally arrived after we'd both finished our meals about 20 minutes later. Breakfast was a lot better as that was buffet style and the windows were uncovered and we could see the nice garden. The choice of food was very nice. The public areas of the hotel were all very nicely furnished and decorated and the staff were friendly and helpful. The gardens are beautiful and very well kept with lots of seating areas. Beyond the garden is a beach that seems to be private to the hotel.