Mesón de Sancho Mini-hotel

I’m compelled to write about the wonderful Hotel Mesón de Sancho, half way between Algeciras and Tarifa, Andalucia, Spain. We stayed three nights. We were three people travelling and were received at this blissful roadside hotel, which has been run by the Sancho Family since 1954. Fernando Sancho, the owner, is present every day and welcomed us personally. He is a very gracious host and after some lively chat about our common childhood memories, he offered us a drink courtesy of the house. A delicate and generous touch. Our rooms and bathrooms, en suite, were spacious and immaculately clean. The beds were very comfortable. Our balconies offered panoramic views of the North African coast and lush, green, sub-tropical foliage owing to a small brook running through the property. I used to fish for Terrapins there as a boy. Modestia looked after our rooms efficiently and kindly. The hotel also boasts a beautifully clean and idyllic swimming pool. We were received at reception by Miguel and Rocio, in perfect English. Miguel is the third generation of his family to work at the hotel. His grandfather served my father in the 60’s. I was taught to make caramel by his uncle, at age eight. The restaurant is run efficiently and elegantly by Anya, who offers impeccable service, together with our servers Antonio and Bruno. The kitchen boasts a wide variety off Andalusian specialties, both beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. There are a wide selection of Spanish wines to accompany any chosen dish. I highly recommend the Gambas al Ajillo, Knuckle of Pork, the Tuna steak on a bed of smoked paprika and tomatoes. They cater happily for vegans and vegetarians. There are two desserts that cannot be missed and have been on the menu since they opened in the 50’s: Tarta Imperial (not the Russian recipe):- an almond, flour, butter, sugar and egg classic cold tart. The other is the Tocino del Cielo - a dense and very sweet egg custard in heavy, dark caramel. You need a fork and spoon to eat it. It really is heavenly. We had the most wonderful three nights there, while taking in the local sights in and around the region. This is a stay not to be missed. It is frankly the best hotel in a 100km radius. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Sorry we have no photos, since it just isn’t our thing to take pics of our food and bedrooms. All the same, this hotel is an absolute gem.

To fellow birdwatchers, this hotel is in prime location, near major birdwatching sites of the area. The rooms are lovely, and with a bit of luck you may even have a view of Africa!
The restaurant is very nice, not over the top fancy, and yet with real 5 stars service. You can ask for a simple breakfast if you’re in a hurry. There is a nice cozy feeling to the whole place.
Parking is available on both sides of the road; there is a small underground tunnel for you to easily cross the road by foot if you have parked on the other side.

Lovely, family owed hotel just outside Tarifa. Beautiful room, light, airy and spotlessly clean. Had a balcony with stunning views over countryside. Huge bathroom, air-con, small fridge and everything I could need for a short break visiting family. The pool area is secluded and peaceful and I noticed a small gym room with gym equipment and weights - but I didn't feel the need to try it out! The restaurant is a beautiful room and we had a very reasonably priced, delicious evening meal with very friendly and helpful waitress. It was disappointing that the restaurant wasn't busier - it certainly deserves to be but perhaps it was the time of year or a well kept secret. The hotel felt very safe as a solo female traveller and has an air of calm and relaxation. This will definitely be my first choice when I visit family again - hopefully soon.

Overall, a great experience. Despite the hotels location on the side of the highway, you don’t hear any noise and the gardens are beautiful and lush. The restaurant was lovely. The rooms are simple, but clean. This is a good three star hotel.

Blissful, idyllic, clean, best food. Absolute heaven. I cannot praise this hotel enough, we stayed in a bungalow and it was great, the food in the restaurant was outstanding, we ate there twice a day, The staff was amazing, the cleaners, reception, all waiting staff, especially Isabel at the restaurant. We will definitely be visiting many times to this amazing place.

It was a great room, large, clean, superb vieuw!! Staff was super friendly and helpful. Dinner wasn't that great, but the breakfast was great. Next time in the area i'll be staying here again.

Great stay with 15 of my friends, I also left my phone behind and they were kind enough to post it to Denmark for me. Very good value and kind staff.

Hotel Part: We were very impressed with hotel, it's superbly decorated, spacious, and has a colonial feel inside. The rooms with balconies have a beautiful view over to the Strait of Gibraltar and Morocco. Spacious bedroom and bathroom, central heating and very big bed. Nice touches like kettle, hair dryer and big cosy blankets. The fridge is not very big and more like a cooler box.
Restaurant: divided into 3 areas, breakfast area, enclosed dining area and open balcony area. All lushly decorated and beautifully set.
However, the evening meal was disappointing. Too much salt on the meat basically rendered it inedible. The quality was far below expectation unfortunately and service didn't enquire if the meal was satisfactory until we were ready to leave.
The house wine at least was tremendous.

The best hotel I ever stayed. Others hotels get 5 Star for no reason because this one is actually 5 Star. ❤️ Elegant , warm , lovely hotel. Unique style, parking, pet friendly. Big rooms like actually big rooms. Food highest quality, delicious, excellent 👍 best stay ever ❤️ thank you

Meson de Sancho has quite an unimpressive exterior and you could be forgiven for driving by. However the interior is nicely decorated although the front lobby feels more like walking into a women’s dress shop than a hotel. We stayed here as part of the Plymouth-Dakar Rally. The rooms are spacious with excellent beds and we had a balcony. The outside pool in January was out of use. The staff were very friendly and the food was very reasonable. It is well situated for visiting Tariffa or Gibraltar as well as a convenient stopover for catching the ferries from Algeciras which is 15 minutes down the road.