I Slept in a Working Lighthouse and a Galician Farmhouse. Here's What Happened.
Baiona and Hio, Cangas do Morrazo, Galicia
Stars don't always tell the full story. These two properties are rated 3-star, and both of them quietly left a bigger impression on me than several of the 5-star nights on the same road trip.
One of them is a still-operational lighthouse built in 1924 on top of a Galician mountain, 85 metres above sea level, converted into a 17-room boutique hotel with Art Deco interiors, an Atlantic-facing gym, a heated pool and a breakfast that includes eggs Benedict. The lighthouse light still works. Ships still see it. You sleep underneath it.
The other is a rural casa on the Costa da Vela peninsula in Hio, Cangas do Morrazo, with 6 double rooms, a glass-domed private spa, a saltwater pool, mountain views, a garden with its own barbecue area, and a host named Sofia who guests travel specifically to come back for. Three stars. Both of them. Worth every minute.
Hotel 1: Hotel Boutique Faro Silleiro
Image courtesy of Hotel Boutique Faro Silleiro
Ctra. Faro Silleiro - Baiona, Pontevedra | 3 stars | 17 rooms | Opened 2025
The lighthouse and its history
The Silleiro Lighthouse, still in operation today, stands like a watchtower over the bay of Baiona, dominating the landscape and becoming an emblem of the region. It stands majestically at the top of the mountain, sheltered by a battery of cannons built at the end of the 19th century.
The original lighthouse was inaugurated in 1862 at sea level and was in operation until the beginning of the 20th century. It was essential for navigation in the Vigo estuary, but its location at sea level and the frequent fog made it difficult to see. To solve this problem, the current building was constructed at the top of the mountain in 1924. The hotel opened in 2025, which means you are staying in one of the newest and most unusual openings in Galicia, in a building that has been guiding Atlantic shipping for over a century. The old lighthouse at sea level is now home to a cozy tavern called O Faro Pequeno. The whole complex is still working. The whole complex is worth understanding before you arrive.
Images courtesy of Hotel Boutique Faro Silleiro
The size and design
The hotel combines the charm of its original architecture with an elegant Art Deco interior, creating an atmosphere that is both luxurious and inviting. Each of the 17 meticulously designed rooms offers guests a chance to unwind in comfort.
The lounge is the social meeting point of the lighthouse, an emblematic space that has been carefully designed where the avant-garde decoration merges with the history of the building, creating a unique atmosphere that captures the adventurous essence of its past. The hotel describes it as a "Lighthouse Library" at quieter times, serving as a reading room with cocktails in the evenings, books always available. Art Deco detailing, lighthouse memorabilia, the spirit of the building retained rather than designed around.
The rooms
I stayed in the entry-level Queen Mountain View room. Rooms range from 17 to 20 square metres, designed to highlight the lighthouse's original architecture. Each has a queen-size bed or two singles, a memory foam mattress made from natural soy with the Galicia Calidade seal, air conditioning, a natural waterfall shower, and a Smart TV. Minibar, espresso machine, desk, safe, hairdryer, slippers, toothbrush and toothpaste all included as standard. The rooms are compact, as you'd expect in a converted lighthouse, but thoughtfully done. The mountain view rooms are the entry-level category. Ocean view rooms are a step up and frame the Atlantic like a living picture. Worth considering if the budget allows.
One reviewer summed it up cleanly: "Only the shower overlooking the sea makes you start the day in good spirits." For what it's worth, the mountain view rooms don't have that specific experience, but the building itself makes up for it everywhere else.
Breakfast
A buffet breakfast is served daily, offering local specialties, warm dishes, juice, fresh pastries, pancakes, cheese, fruits, and more. The hotel specifically mentions eggs Benedict in its own response to a review, describing the breakfast as freshly prepared each morning using fresh local products, combining buffet and à la carte options. That combination, buffet spread plus cooked-to-order items, is more generous than most 3-star hotels manage, and significantly better than many that charge twice the rate.
Parking
Free private parking on site. The lighthouse sits at the top of a mountain with its own access road. Parking is not a problem. No valet needed, self-park, and the setting around the car park is already worth arriving for.
Gym and pool
The gym has been created in a fitness area totally independent from the main building, with sea views and all the necessary equipment to keep in shape while enjoying a panoramic view. A gym with an Atlantic panorama is not something you encounter often. The seasonal outdoor pool is on the property as well. One reviewer described the beds, the pool, the gym and the views together as "sleeping in a lighthouse, a dream."
What to do nearby
A comfortable bike lane runs along the coastline by the Atlantic, connecting Baiona to the north and A Guarda to the south. If you travel the entire route to A Guarda (25 km away), you can stop in the charming village of Oia (14 km away), next to its imposing Cistercian monastery of Santa María de Oia facing the sea. Free bike rental is available from the hotel. The historic town of Baiona, one of the first European ports to receive news of Columbus's discovery of the Americas in 1493, is 8 minutes by car.
The overall feeling
There are very few hotels in the world where the premise alone earns the stay. The Faro Silleiro is one of them. A 1924 working lighthouse converted into 17 rooms of Art Deco boutique accommodation on top of a mountain above Baiona, with free parking, a gym with Atlantic views, an excellent breakfast, and a light that still rotates every night while you sleep. The 3-star rating reflects room size and facilities relative to the luxury bracket rather than the quality of the experience. The experience is exceptional.
Hotel 2: Casa Rústica O Facho
Image courtesy of Casa Rústica O Facho
Rúa das Laxes 8, Donón-Hío - Cangas do Morrazo, Pontevedra | 3 stars | 6 rooms
The setting
Hio is a small village on the Costa da Vela peninsula, one of the most dramatic and underexplored stretches of Galician coastline. The peninsula juts out between the Ría de Vigo and the Ría de Pontevedra, and from the hilltop at O Facho de Donon you can see across to the Cíes Islands, out to the Atlantic, and down to beaches that look like they belong in a travel magazine. The property is about 16 minutes walk from Barra Beach and nearby attractions include Playa de Rodas (4.1 miles), Islas Cíes (4.3 miles), and the Ruta de O Alto do Príncipe (3.8 miles).
This is not a place for people who want nightlife or city convenience. It's a place for people who want to wake up surrounded by green hills and Atlantic light, eat a good breakfast, and decide between several beaches before 10am.
Images courtesy of Casa Rústica O Facho
The rooms
Casa Rústica O Facho has 6 double rooms each with a private bathroom. Each room has soundproof walls, a TV, garden views, free toiletries, a walk-in shower, and a hairdryer. Fruit is placed in the rooms as a welcome detail, which is the kind of thing that costs very little and says a lot about how the place is run. All units are allergy-free. The rooms are clean, comfortable, and genuinely quiet, which in Galicia, with its damp Atlantic wind and rural character, is exactly what you want. The minimum stay is 2 nights in peak season, which is worth knowing when you book.
The glass-domed spa
This is the detail that sets Casa Rústica O Facho apart from any rural casa in its category. The glass dome is a small private spa booked separately by contacting the establishment directly. The cost is €20 per person per hour, paid separately from the room rate, and you book an exclusive session, no shared access, the whole space is yours for that hour. Several reviewers specifically mention that the spa was one of the reasons they came back. One writes: "The breakfast is delicious and you can't miss the spa experience. Reserve one hour for exclusive use."
Breakfast
Breakfast is included for all room bookings. Buffet and continental options include fruit, juice, and cheese every morning. Multiple reviewers describe it as excellent, with owners described as super helpful and friendly. Simple but proper, which is all a rural casa needs to deliver.
The garden, pool and barbecue
There is a large garden with a saltwater pool, a zone of oak trees with tables for relaxing, and a free-access barbecue area. The saltwater pool is heated. The outdoor bath is also available on the property. It's the kind of garden you sit in for longer than you planned, looking at the hills and not feeling any urgency to go anywhere.
Parking
Free private parking on site. No charge, no valet needed. Easy self-park in a rural setting.
Sofia
You cannot write about Casa Rústica O Facho without mentioning Sofia, because every review does. She is described as charming, attentive, knowledgeable about the area, and the kind of host who makes a stay feel like visiting someone rather than checking into a room. One reviewer: "A passion! The place has been a super nice surprise. Attention from Sofia and her unbeatable sister, new and beautiful facilities, excellent location, 5 minutes from several beaches and possibility to see an amazing sunset." Another: "Thank you very much Sofia for everything. Besides the fact that you couldn't be more charming, you can see the affection and the effort you put into everything." Booking.com rates it 9.6. TripAdvisor rates it 5 out of 5. The host is a significant part of why.
The overall feeling
Casa Rústica O Facho is the kind of place that solo travellers who've been on the road for a while specifically need. It's calm, genuinely beautiful, run by people who care, close to some of the best coastline in northern Spain, and equipped with a glass-domed private spa that costs €20 and feels like a luxury add-on you'd pay four times as much for at a resort. The 3-star rating is a technicality. The experience is warm, personal, and worth building a few days of your Galicia itinerary around.
The honest summary
Two 3-star properties that prove the category tells you almost nothing useful about what a stay actually feels like.
Hotel Boutique Faro Silleiro if you want one of the most singular hotel premises in Spain: a working 1924 lighthouse converted into 17 Art Deco rooms above Baiona, with Atlantic views, a gym facing the sea, free parking and eggs Benedict for breakfast. Casa Rústica O Facho if you want total tranquility on one of Galicia's most beautiful peninsulas, with a saltwater pool, a private glass-domed spa for €20 an hour, mountain views, and a host who'll make you want to stay another night.
Stars are a guide, not a verdict. These two are proof.
