Santander hotels?

Posted by: db

Santander hotels? - 01/26/03 07:47 PM

We are visiting Northern Spain in late June with 2 teen daughters. Any 3-4* hotel recommendations in Santander or environs? e.g Las Brisas, Hotel Chiqui, Hoyuelas, Rhin? And how best to accomodate the 4 of us - most rooms seem to sleep 3 max.
Posted by: SalaChic

Re: Santander hotels? - 02/20/03 10:56 PM

A few years back we stayed at Apartamentos de la Hoz in Isla, a small town about 30 minutes east of Santander. Really cute little town, reasonable prices. We travel with two small kids. The apt was good sized, two bedrooms, also has pull out couch in the livingroom, dining table, separate kitchen (completely equipped including microwave). and a full bath, balcony etc. Very clean, friendly staff. It does say beachfront, but it's really like a three minute walk. It faces the inlet to the sea, but you can't swim directly there, but 3 minutes and you're in the water. Great beach, some tranquil parts, some wavy spots, we bought a bucket and net and the kids were crab catching off the rocks.
More info available here: http://www.cantabria.com/delahoz.asp
Posted by: Eddie

Re: Santander hotels? - 02/21/03 06:25 AM

You might want to consider the Parador de Gil Blas in Santillana del Mar. There's a new Parador in Limpias (just south from Laredo). I have stayed in Hostals, Pensiones and with private family in the Center of the City and at Hostal Paris in el Sardinero but never in 3 or 4 star properties in Santander. rolleyes Hostal Paris is nice but there were two Discos behind the Gran Hotel Sardinero and the noise of the Motorcycles at 3:00AM when the Discos cosed down woke us up every night.

If you go down to Liebana (Potes), Hostal Picos de Europa is nice. When I stayed there in 2001, the owner's son, an Haute Cuisine Chef had moved to a 5-star Restaurant and left his dad 'high and dry.' So they were just serving Continental breakfast. Just follow the road south from Unquera. The drive through the gorge of the rio Deva is a 'white knuckler.'

Other sites in the area that may interest you are Comillas, San Vicente de la Barquera, Laredo, San Sebastian de Garabandal site of reported Marian apparitions in the early '60's - a few KM south of Cabezon de la Sal, Llanes (Asturias), Covadonga and other historical sites. The people of Cantabria insist that Don Pelayo, who was victorious over the Moors in the battle of Covadonga, was Cantabro. The largest known fragment of the Cross on which Christ was crucified is guarded in a Monastery, Santo Toribio, 2km from Potes. The relic was smuggled there by Toribio, Bishop of Astorga. Of course the people of the Principality of Asturias claim Pelayo as Asturiano.

The University of Cantabria (actually in el Sardinero is named Universidad Internaciónal de Menendez Pelayo (UIMP)) and is correctly pronounced 'wimp,' in Spanish or in English.