Ribadesella is now on my short list of favorite places in Spain. We spent three days there this summer, and would have liked to stay longer. It’s a town on the coast in Asturias, where the river Sella meets the sea. The town is split into two parts: the old part, with beautiful buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries, restaurants, sidrerías, outdoor cafés and shops, and, across the bridge over the Sella, the Arenal de Santa Marina, where a line of beautiful early 20th century mansions were built right along the edge of the sea. A few of these mansions have been converted into hotels, and we stayed in one, the 2-star Hotel La Playa , which feels like someone’s quiet, spacious summer residence, and not a hotel. At 61.30 euros (think $61) a night for a double, it was an incredible deal. It has a lovely garden that leads right onto the “boardwalk,” where the water reaches at high tide. Turn around 180 degrees and you have a stunning view of the mountains. I spent a lot of time trying to decide which view was more beautiful, and never came to a conclusion. I’d be happy to return and contemplate the matter some more!

Ribadesella makes an excellent base for many activities. Beyond the beach, there is fishing, hiking, walking, dinosaur prints to find, prehistoric cave paintings (the Tito Bustillo cave is right there), and the Picos de Europa mountain range, with a wealth of activities and sights to see. Asturias is incredibly beautiful, and just driving around is an experience. There are many “adventure centers” all around, where you can arrange to descend the River Sella in canoe, drive around in ATVs, go rock climbing or horseback riding, explore caves, go bungee jumping, practice archery, etc. The cable car up the mountains at Fuente Dé, in the Picos de Europa, is a definite must, but it is about 2 hours drive there (shorter on the way back, as you go downhill) although the drive itself is worth it. People of all ages go to Ribadesella in the summer, as there is something for everyone. There were very few foreigners, and I got the impression that most of the Spaniards vacationing there go every summer. I saw an ad by the tourist information center for guided walking tours in English by a local Scottish resident, but at 50 euros for 3-4 hours, it seemed to be the only really expensive thing there. The social scene on Saturday night seemed very healthy, with lots of people out and about.

There are many places to stay, ranging from four star hotels to casas de aldea (homes that rent rooms). The prices are very good, and we had no trouble getting a place with no reservation. There were also many beautiful places to stay inland. I was told by a woman in an Asturian tourist info office that tourism is down this year, and we would have no trouble finding lodging anywhere. (I have the 2001 edition of the list of places to stay in all of Asturias, which I was given in the tourist info center. If you’d like me to look up something, send me a private message.)

Ribadesella has a bus station, and is well-connected by bus with all the major cities in the north, and even has a daily run to and from Madrid.