... Santillana del Mar lies in the Northern Spanish province of Cantabria, more commonly known as GREEN SPAIN. And why is it green? Because of the lush and verdant vegetation. And why is it lush? Because it rains a lot.
And it wasn't going to break with tradition just for us.
Just a few ... Read review
This charming hotel is located less than 2 km to Cantabria's stunning coast in a peaceful ... more
village. Make the most of the outdoor pool and enjoy fabulous rural views.The Colegiata Hotel has inviting interiors with rustic decor and the aspect of a second home in the countryside. Wooden shutters on the exterior windows and beams on the rooms' ceilings will help enchant your escape to rural Spain. Alternatively, you can admire the Romanesque and Medieval architecture of the village of Santillana del Mar.Make the most of the great outdoors with visits to the nearby beaches and long country walks. You can enjoy afternoons in the Colegiata's garden before cooling off with a refreshing swim.Dine in the Colegiata's pleasant restaurant which serves a variety of local produce including delicious fresh fish..
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
The country style hotel is located in the heart of the charming Cantabrian town Santillana ... more
de Mar, an ideal place to discover Northern Spain. The hotel’s rustic decoration is a blend of dark wooden beams and stone walls, which really creates a convincing medieval atmosphere. Combined with modern installations, the hotel provides an array of facilities for guests to enjoy a pleasant stay and discover Cantabrian culture and natural beauty the region has to offer. Santillana de Mar is an enchanting rural town, where the surrounding area is a blend of green valleys that roll into the sea. The beaches are some of the most spectacular in the region. The red roof stone houses are a particular feature of the town, where you can also visit a spectacular monastery. The most famous archaeological attraction is the caves of Altamira, where prehistoric paintings were discovered and are of historical and cultural importance..
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Located in the centre of Santillana del Mar, this typical mountain lodge-style hotel ... more
offers an authentic and charming setting for your visit to the region of Cantabria.The Hospederia Santillana lies just a few metres from Plaza Mayor – the main central square of this enchanting northern town. This fantastic location allows you to explore the impressive local coastline, mountains and the world-famous Altamira Caves.The hotel’s new building has been constructed in a typical local style using stone and wood. Its interior blends modern comfort with antique-style furnishings and charming features such as the dark wood staircase.Outside the hotel you will find a small garden and swimming pool – ideal for a refreshing dip during the warm summer months..
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Housed in a traditional, mountain property dating from the 18th century, Casa del ... more
Organista is a lovely, rustic-style hotel, located in Cantabria, near Santander. Casa del Organista is located in the peaceful town of Santillana del Mar, and is the ideal place to unwind in a natural setting. The hotel’s rooms are spacious and the original decor has been kept – with wooden floors and antique furniture. Posada Casa del Organista also boasts a lounge area with fireplace, where you can relax and enjoy a read. Set in the historical centre of Santillana, this hotel is only 30 km from the regional capital Santander. The beautiful Cantabrian coastline is only 4 km from the Organista..
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Set in a quaint village in the Cantabria region of northern Spain, these apartments enjoy ... more
an ideal location in an attractive rural setting, near stunning beaches.Take a stroll around the pretty town of Santillana del Mar and explore its narrow streets, squares and beautiful architecture. You can also daytrip to the beautiful coastal town of San Vicente de la Barquera that is situated to the north west of the apartment complex, and has stunning, sandy beaches. The city of Santander lies to the north and is well worth visiting, with its excellent seafood restaurants and long, beachfront promenade.The apartment complex is will provide you with a private and independent setting in which you can relax. Wi-Fi internet access is available in the complex.This seasonal hotel is open from April to October..
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
The family-run Hotel Zabala is set in the heart of rural Cantabria, known as ‘Green Spain’ ... more
because of its lush countryside. It lies in the village of Vispieres, 1.5 km outside the town of Santillana del Mar.You will find much of interest in the surrounding area, including a zoo and the Altamira Caves - internationally-renowned for their prehistoric drawings. The picturesque beaches on the Bay of Biscay are only 8 km away. Back at the hotel, during the summer months you will find a restaurant and ample parking space..
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
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We propose some unforgettable holidays in "El Capistrano Villages", in Nerja, the privileged balcony of the Costa del Sol. "El Capistrano Villages" is, possibly, the most beautiful and exclusive Urbanisation on the Costa del Sol.
Advantages: A living, breathing museum Disadvantages: Can get very crowded. some inconvenient opening hours
...of three lies - that's SANTILLANA del MAR
It's not a holy place - Santi.
It's not situated on a plain - llana.
And it's not by the sea - del Mar.
Another thing it wasn't when we were there, was sunny. Still, who in their right mind goes to Spain and expects hot, sunny weather in June?
The reason for the less than dry conditions is the situation of the town. Santillana del Mar lies in the Northern ... ...the biggest attractions in Cantabria: SANTILLANA del MAR and the ALTAMIRA CAVES.
As you approach the town, the first thing you encounter is the zoo. Seeing animals in cages is not my idea of a fun day out (I can always visit the Bar-L* for that) so we moved swiftly on to one of the huge car and coach parks on the edge of town. The car parks get progressively more expensive the closer you get to the centre but as the most expensive ... more
The town of three lies - that's SANTILLANA del MAR It's not a holy place - Santi. It's not situated on a plain - llana. And it's not by the sea - del Mar.
Another thing it wasn't when we were there, was sunny. Still, who in their right mind goes to Spain and expects hot, sunny weather in June?
The reason for the less than dry conditions is the situation of the town. Santillana del Mar lies in the Northern Spanish province of Cantabria, more commonly known as GREEN SPAIN. And why is it green? Because of the lush and verdant vegetation. And why is it lush? Because it rains a lot. And it wasn't going to break with tradition just for us.
Just a few miles west of Santander, you can find two of the biggest attractions in Cantabria: SANTILLANA del MAR and the ALTAMIRA CAVES.
As you approach the town, the first thing you encounter is the zoo. Seeing animals in cages is not my idea of a fun day out (I can always visit the Bar-L* for that) so we moved swiftly on to one of the huge car and coach parks on the edge of town. The car parks get progressively more expensive the closer you get to the centre but as the most expensive is only a few euros, it's not a major concern. Being no stranger to extravagance, I parked as close as I could, and we walked the few steps to the tourist office and the beginning of the pedestrianized area.
* HM Prison Barlinnie, Glasgow.
Armed with a map supplied by the friendly staff in the tourist office we navigated our way up one street and down the other. It was quite early in the morning and, with the constant drizzly rain keeping the less hardy at bay, it seemed as if we had the place practically to ourselves. Apparently there are over a million tourists a year who descend on this small village so having it virtually 'horde-free' was one gift-horse mouth we weren't about to look in.
SANTILLANA del MAR is a living museum - a medieval village which grew around the church. Many of the village's buildings date from between the 14th and 17th centuries and form two cobbled streets which make a 'y' shape with a few lanes leading off, and a couple of plazas. Most of the houses are built in a half-timber and brown, rubble-stone style, and are liberally adorned with colourful flowers cascading from every window, balcony and overhang. Every nook and cranny of the village is picture-postcard pretty, and everything is very clean and beautifully restored.
The streets are lined with shops selling a wide variety of local produce (cheese, honey, wine, sausages etc), but there are also numerous shops which cater to the more 'tacky' end of the tourist trade. That's not to say it's downmarket. There were just as many shops which catered to the higher end of the market, with art galleries/studios, antiques and art/crafts, all being well represented. Ceramics seemed to be a good buy with a wide range of merchandise at very easy prices.
At the opposite end of the main street from the tourist office is St. Juliana´s Collegiate Church, the most important Romanesque, religious building in Cantabria. It was built on the site of an even older monastery sometime in the 12th century. The church, adjacent museum and cloister are open to visitors every day (except Monday, the day we were there). Still, if you've seen one old church......
THE ALTAMIRA CAVES, were re-discovered by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola in 1879, are situated just behind the village. The walls and ceiling are covered in paintings and engravings of deer, bison etc which are 14,000 years old. Near the caves is the Investigation Centre and a Museum. The caves are designated a 'protected cultural heritage site' by UNESCO, so visits to them are strictly controlled and in fact, only 9,000 people are allowed to visit annually. Because of these restrictions, a copy of the caves has been built at the museum (no admission charge). Needless to say, we were not among the 9,000 lucky souls, so we had to make do with the museum. Or we would have, had it not been closed on Mondays.
So, what else is there to do?
Well, we could have visited a free attraction, the Jesús Otero Museum, which feature the work of the local sculptor of that name. Could have, if it had been any other day but Monday.
House of the Tagle and it's temporal exhibition family? Tuesday to Sunday...no problem. Monday?...forget it.
Merino´s Tower was open, but as it featured a display about engineering and old technologies, we gave it a miss.
We did pop into the El Solar Museum for a while. This is one of those mediaeval torture museums - not bad if you've never seen one before, but there's only so many times you can look at branding-irons, stocks, thumb-screws and various other wicked-looking, jaggy things before stifling a yawn. At least it was open.
A bit of research might have enabled us to visit Santillana del Mar when it wasn't closed, but we could only visit that particular day so it wouldn't have really helped. In fact, it might have put us off going there and the village was far too pretty and historically interesting to have missed.
We spent a very pleasant morning wandering around the quiet streets - by noon it was getting fairly crowded with the tour coaches disgorging their multitudes. The village is a major day-trip destination but it does have a good range of accommodation from camp-sites to hotels on the periphery, and from self-catering to a Parador in the village proper.
Eating and drinking in Santillana del Mar presents no problems, having everything from tea-shops to 4-star restaurants although thankfully, no sign of fast-food chains. Some of the bars and restaurants were very atmospheric and I would have liked to sampled some of their wares, but alas, I had a drive ahead so it was strictly soft drinks for me. We took advantage of one of the many inns for a spot of lunch though, and very good it was too, even though it was beer-less.
Advantages: Beauty, nature, peace Disadvantages: there isn't a good bus service
Well, really this opinion isn't about Zaragoza- but I will write one- but about a nice town that is between Zaragoza and Teruel. Zaragoza's land are 3 regions: Huesca, Zaragoza and Teruel and I am going to write about this last: Teruel.
First, I am going to talk about Albarracín and, after, I am going to talk about Teruel. Both are so nice and ideal for to spend a good weekend or a relaxing holidays.
Near Teruel there is Albarracín, one of the most beautiful Spanish towns. As Morella- in Castellón- and SantillanadelMar- in Santander-, Albarracín is a Middle Age town full of narrow streets and houses from XIV, XV, XVI, and XVII Centuries.
Walk by Albarracín's streets is a true present for your eyes, because you can find a nice house or an interesting place in every corner. All those streets are full of History and you can feel you ...
