leslieq

We are two recently retired couples heading to Spain in May 2017. We’re concentrating on the Basque country and northern coast (including a foray into the French Basque countryside). We fly into Barcelona and out from Madrid.

We were hoping to stay at a Basque farmhouse near Iturn that had walks to local villages from the house…with no car needed. It was perfect. However, our timing might not work for the innkeeper, so we’re looking for an alternative.

I’m sure there will be many questions about the trip, but the most important one for now is advice on a replacement for the rural inn/guesthouse. Can anyone recommend a rural guesthouse (or an area so I could check Nekatur)? We’re looking for a somewhere where we could do country walks to nearby villages, for example.

I had found a number of rural houses in the Urdaibai preserve. This area looks great, but hubby is wondering if there are villages to walk to, not just nature walks/hikes. We will be hiking in the Picos and along the coast during our trip.

We had planned for four days at the house near Iturn, heading there directly from Barcelona. Here is our draft itinerary so far for our trip in May 2017:

Barcelona – 4 nights (May 2-5)
Farmhouse/guesthouse - 4 nights (May 6-9)
San Sebastian or Hondarribia – 5 nights (May 10-15)
Santanilla del Mar – 2 nights (May 16-17)
Cangas de Onis – 2 nights (May 18-19)
Segovia – 2 nights (May 20-21)
Madrid – 1 night at airport hotel (skipping Madrid this time as have been before)

My husband just brought up the Rioja region. We’re not big into wine tasting, but wonder if there are some small villages we could visit (maybe from Laguardia?). That might work if we went there on the way to San Sebastian, I think.

So far the only things we have booked are the flights. I would love to get the location of our more rural stay settled as we are somewhat flexible for the location. Once we know that, I can book lodgings for the rest of the trip. Some places seem to fill up early. For example, I was interested in the Hotel Obispo in Hondarribia but it might be full already.

Thank you!

HappyTrvlr

The best resource for the Basque regions of Spain and France is found at www.maribelsguides.com. Click on the region.. She used to have Casa Rurales listed too and visits there annually. We used her suggestions in tne Basque refion and they were excellent. When in Hondaeibbia make sure you visit the French Basque villages Ascain, Saré, Eapellette, Ainhoa, etc. as well as St-Jean de Luz on the coast.

kja

I found the <i>Michelin Green Guide</i> invaluable for planning my time in the area. And you might find some helpful comments in a trip report I wrote covering many of these areas -- just click on my name to find it.

I'm sorry I can't comment on your question about a rural inn/guesthouse. I did stay in Laguardia and absolutely loved my B&B there, Erletxe:
http://www.erletxe.com

I love your overall itinerary! One suggestion: Have you considered Salamanca rather than Segovia? I enjoyed Segovia, and was glad to have a day there, but thought Salamanca absolutely breathtaking and easily worth the two full days I gave it. Just a thought!

Should be a great trip, no matter what you decide!

ribeirasacra

Use Booking.com to find your accommodation. You can locate them on maps once you have chosen the area you are interested in Staying in.
Stopping at Laguardia does not mean only wine tasting. Take a tapas tour too.
https://gastroranking.es/restaurante...ava/laguardia/
http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...ardia-tourism/

leslieq

How wonderful to see your replies!

HappyTrvlr - yes, Maribel is fantastic! After seeing your reply I researched a little more and found her recommendation for a beautiful casa rural between Bilbao and Vitoria...this one sure looks interesting.

kja - What an amazing trip report!!! LaGuardia also looks fantastic and love Erlexte. You have such rich detail in your report, plus it was great that you included your original questions and the responses you got. Very helpful!

I hadn't considered the Rioja region as am not a big wine drinker. However, looking at your report and Maribel's guide I think staying in LaGuardia could be just what we're looking for. Some interesting little towns. Can you tell me any more about the bird sanctuary?

It sounds like you found the Cangas de Onis area really crowded. I hope to stay at the parador there and hike to the lakes along with another walk. Another option would be to stay at the Hotel del Oso in Cosgaya (near Potes). We're avid hikers and are looking forward to some hiking in this area!

Also, I will have to take a look at Salamanca. Sounds beautiful. Segovia "called" to me as the town itself looked like it was beautifully situated on high and surrounded by rivers. It also as the aqueduct and the compelling alcazar. I hadn't even considered Segovia until a friend recommended it.

ribeirasacra - you also indicate that LaGuardia is not just wine tasting. I did follow the tourism link you provided and it does look fantastic.

Thanks to the three of you for your advice!

For now, looks like I need to keep on researching this part of the trip. It looks like I could slip in any of these new options into the four days we had set aside for the original farmhouse and still keep the timing for the rest of the trip. The innkeeper still might write me that everything worked out for her, so will leave this part of the trip as a placeholder for now and keep following through on your suggestions.

I just booked the four days in Barcelona at a nice B&B in Eixample area, L'Antic Espai.

Thanks again, and let me know if you have other ideas.

kja

I’m glad you found value in my trip report – thanks for letting me know! And I agree, those questions and answers were priceless.

I would describe the bird sanctuary in Laguardia as a very pleasant large pond / marsh, surrounded by grasses and trees with views of the hilltop town of Laguardia and, in other directions, the cliffs that edge parts of this region. I could be wrong, but I think it’s a bird sanctuary in the sense that it is a protected area that serves fly-over routes; I did see some birds, and at least one blind, but not many birds per se. I suspect that the number and variety of birds would depend on the season. (Note, however, that I’m not a birder; I just enjoy walks in interesting natural settings.) I believe I spent a bit more than an hour, but no more than 1.5 hours, on that walk, which included lots of time to stop and take photos. And there is an elevator from the cliffside Laguardia to the area around the sanctuary! The bird sanctuary was mentioned in a very useful brochure available through the Laguardia tourist information office, so you might want to contact them for more information about it and about your other options in the area.

Yes, I hit Congas de Onis on a ridiculously crowded day. But it was a spectacularly beautiful Sunday early in the season (perhaps the first such day of the season) so it probably called to everyone in the area. I suspect that it would seem much more manageable if the circumstances were a bit different. And FWIW, I was very glad to see it, even if I did have to share it with hordes! I found this web-site on walks in the area (with my thanks again to cruiseluv) particularly helpful:
http://www.walkingasturias.com

Segovia is delightful, and I hope I didn’t suggest anything to the contrary. But Salamanca is glorious, and better suited, IMO, than Segovia to a 2-day visit. Another consideration: Salamanca is a bit harder to reach from Madrid than Segovia, so if you are in the area, you might want to take advantage of the opportunity…. Just a thought!

HappyTrvlr

Re: Santillana del Mar. We had our only bad Parador experience ever there.
It was such a different experience than we have ever had a Parador.

kja

@ HappyTrvlr -- Which of the two paradors in Santillana del Mar was the one at which you had a bad experience? My stay at the Parador Gil Blas was quite nice, but of course, people do have different experiences.

leslieq

kja - thank you so much for the walking Asturias link. I hadn't found that one. No worries, you didn't say anything negative about Segovia! I'm still looking into Salamanca, as our friends that walked the Camino then went to a language school there. We're not birders per se, but do bring binoculars on every hike to try to spot as many as we can. I've certainly never taken an elevator to a sanctuary, however! I'm still working through your trip report and associated threads, so hope I can ask more questions as they come up. Like you, I love to plan a trip (last trip I planned was to Japan; we did just fine on our own...) and am sure this is not the last query I'll post here.

HappyTrvlr - thankfully, we're not planning a parador stay in Santanilla! I'm looking into Casa del Organista and Hotel del Marquez (I think that's the name) based on some recommendations from our friends.

We DO hope to stay at the parador at Cangas de Onis, though. If booked up, I will try Hotel del Oso nearer to Potes. It's surprised me to find several places booked up already. Our friends had told me that we should have plenty of time, but Hotel Obispo in Hondarribia sounds booked as well as one of the casa rural recommended by Maribel.

More to come....

kja

Of course -- ask any questions you want! And feel free to do so on any of the threads involved, as I'll see them top -- just post on whichever thread you think will yield the best answers.

OMG, that elevator was an unexpected bonus! I was already tired when set off for the bird sanctuary, but hey, I said to myself, I'll have the rest of my life to recover, and I have just this one time for the bird sanctuary ... all while another part of my brain was saying, um, hello!!! -- I am just a few days into a month-long trip, and I really don't want to wear myself out this early in my trip. So seeing that elevator was such a delight! it's just a short distance from the base of the cliff (i.e., the bottom of the elevator) through vineyards to the walkway around the ponds.

(I remember when you planned your time in Japan -- another great location, IMO! )