Maristella's Final (?) Northern Spain Itinerary, feedback please!
 

OK Fodorites, this is the final (as final as a travel plan can be..) itinerary for our Northern Spain trip in May. The sequence is pretty much set but I would love some feedback on things to do, trails to walk and sights to see:

Day 1: Arrive in Madrid, pick up car and drive to Burgos. We will stay in the Meson del Cid for two nights
Day 2: Burgos - possible day trip to Santo Domingo de la Calzada or Santo Domingo de Silos to hear the monks chant
Day 3: Drive to Bilbao, still need to select hotel for two nights. The Guggenheim and downtown is a must.
Day 4: Still in Bilbao. Would also consider a drive along the coast to San Sebastian depending on our mood and available time.
Day 5: Drive through Santander, walk a bit around and keep going onto Santillana del Mar. Stay either in the Parador Gil Blas or in Casa del Organista.
Day 6: I am still trying to maximize the Picos de Europa part of the trip! From Santillana to Potes, to Fuente Dé and back to either Cosagaya (Meson del Oso) or to Baro (Casona de Baro – recommended by Cova and Maribel yesterday :) )
Day 7: From Potes we would drive through the Northern Part of the Picos de Europa onto Cangas de Onís and stay in the Parador for one night. We would stop during the day and hike the Ruta del Cares or Desfiladero de Yesca
Day 8: We will drive to Leon but we still need to decide the route. We are considering Oviedo. We will stay in Posada Regia in Leon.
Day 9: Spend the day in Leon, ditch the car in Ponferrada and meet with the walking tour group (Spanish Steps) in the train station.
Day 10 to 18: Walk from Sarria to Santiago with the tour group, they have arranged lodging and dinners :( :)
Day 19: Arrive to in the morning Santiago ending the group portion of the trip. We will stay in Hotel Costa Vella for two nights
Day 20: Walk around Santiago and recover some from all the walking
Day 21: Morning in Santiago and fly to Madrid in the afternoon. Still need to decide on ONE great place for dinner in Madrid. We will stay in the Barajas Best Western
Day 22: Catch the flight back home :( and start planning the next vacation :)

Also, I would like to take advantage of the wonderful cuisine of Norhtern Spain, specially world-renowned Bilbao.

Hi Maristella,
May is a wonderful time for Northern Spain. Burgos can be quite hot in summer, much more enjoyable in May. While your trip seems quite fast paced, 1 night in each destination, the city to city distances aren't far.
Day 1: On the Madrid-Burgos drive, you could stop at the imposing ducal palace hotel Parador at Lerma for coffee break (which you’ll need after a long flight) and a quick look around the town. We stayed here for our last night in July before Madrid.

In Burgos: Had you considered the NH Palacio de la Merced facing the river? It's a stylish and "hip" property in a converted 16th place with lots of bells/whistles, fresher, more up to date than the "Old Spain" Meson del Cid. The NH converted palace properties, such as the NH Palacio de Castellanos in Salamanca are really lovely. It has a gorgeous Gothic cloister, but it can be pricey, as cova says. Travelhero.com quotes a 130 rate. See www.jpmoser.com/palacio-de-la-merced.html
Or for around 100, my friends, owners of a North Spain travel co. highly recommend the new, smart ABBA Burgos with easy parking, tastefully decorated all-exterior rooms, even a covered pool.
See www.abbaburgoshotel.com

Day 2:
Besides a visit to the beautiful La Cartuja de Miraflores (3 km. outside of town), a nice day loop from Burgos would be to Santo Domingo de Silos (last stop-to catch the evensong at the Monasterio and see one of the best prenserved ancient pharmacies in Spain) the charming, quintessentially Castilian town of Covarrubias, with its atmospheric Plaza Mayor and beautiful late Gothic Colegiata (pretty cloisters), and as cova told you, there's that short walk you can do through the Yecla gorge.
Day 3:
From Burgos to Bilbao, you'd enjoy a short detour to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a major staging post on the Camino, and a visit to the Cathedral is a must. They're opening a new Parador there late this month, the Bernardo de Fresneda, which we'll check out soon.
For your Bibao hotel, as a deluxe option, I'd choose the Gran Domine, right across from the Guggenheim (with garage) or the Miró (just down the block) or the new Sheraton, with garage which is handy to reach and has good intro rates. In the 78 (standard)-100 (sup.) range would be the newly renovated ABBA Parque, also with garage, that's right behind the Gran Via. www.abbaparque.com
Day 4:
If you can save S.S. for another trip, you could instead take a drive to Gernika to tour the very moving Museo de la Paz, then drive thru the Urdaibai Reserve past Arteaga to visit the cute fishing village of Elantxobe, then head west following a very pretty coastal drive past Llaida beach, Mundaka, Bermeo, stopping for a wonderful lunch near the San Gaztelugatxe shrine at the charming country inn, Restaurant Eneperi overlooking the water (had a suberb meal there last July-see www.eneperi.com). You can work up an appetite by taking the 400 steps up to the shrine itself, a great cardiovascular workout! http://www.bermeokue.com/iglesi1.htm Then drive on to Bakio (if it's afternoon, stop at the Donibane Gorrondona winery for a tasting of their white and red txakoli-info in my Basque file) then drive back to Bilbao inland thru Mungia, as the rest of the coastal drive back to Bilbao isn't as pretty.
As for Bilbao dining, I always go with Cova's recs. I have Yandiola on the very top of my list for this July. For a super splurge, I'd do the least exp. of the degustation menus at Etxanobe in the Palacio Euskalduna.

part 2,

Day 5:
In Santander, I's head straight to El Sardinero beach first and take a long beach walk down Primera and Segunda Playa-won't be crowded at all-before heading to Santillana. Be sure to secure reservations at the Gil Blas ASAP either on www.parador.es (charges your c.c. for 1st night's stay right away) or by sending an emial to [email protected] It fills up really quickly.
Day 6:
I would stay at the Casona de Bayó and dine at the Mesón del Oso, so that you can enjoy both. The teleférico at Fuente Dé starts in May 10 a.m. At the top, I would tell you to take the 5 km. walk to Refugio de Aliva but it doesn't open til mid June, and it may be quite cold up there. (I needed a jacket even in late June).
Day 7:
The drive through Arenas de Cabrales to Cangas is really pretty. It took my walking tour group 4 hrs. to do all of the Cares gorges walk, so you might want to do just a portion, or instead, walk around gorgeous Lago Ercina (spectacular Alpine like scenery!!!) above Covadonga (www.llanes.as/guia/sen/sen10.htm), or as cova says, take the funicular up the mountain from Puente Poncebos up to tiny Bulnes, population, 12 (the only Asturian hamlet without road access), which would be a remarkable ride-if they've decided to let tourists use it-it was original intended only for the use of the inhabitants of Bulnes to get back and forth-been quite a controversy.
Day 8:
I'd take the route from Cangas to León through Oviedo and spend some time strolling through the Old Quarter. See the 2 tiny Romanesque churchs of Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo outside of town, then on to León.
For your final night in Madrid and that great dinner, I'd head to either the atmospheric former 16th coaching inn, Posada de la Villa, or the highly regarded Casa Lucio (always a chance of seeing some famous faces here), both on Cava Baja in the heart of Old Madrid. Both are Madrid classics. Runner up in the “muy castizo” category: El Landó, cousin of Casa Lucio. Advanced resv. essential.
Hope this helps a bit, and have a great journey!

Maristella,
I just check the "oficios" schedule for Santo Domingo de Silos. There are vespers every day at 7 p.m. and "sextas" also at 1:45 p.m. when you can hear the monks. Also at noon on Sun.
See the schedule here: www.silos.arrakis.es/activida.htm

Mil gracias Maribel!!! Thanks for taking the time to reply in such wonderful detail :)

The Palacio de la Merced was a bit on the pricey side. The website price was close to 200E, add to that the conversion to dollars and the fact that I got a reservation in the Meson for 57E - a quick decision was made...the Meson. I do love the "Old Spain" feel. I will look into the ABBA hotel anyway, which proves the point that no plan is final until it has been executed!

I have made a resevation request in Santillana del Mar at la Casa del Organista. Do you think the Parador is a better option? I love beutiful, small, cozy hotels as opposed to the modern, resort type (not that the Parador would fit into this category).

Thanks again for your time and welcome back to the Forum!!!!

Maristella-- what a beautiful cybername!! :-D

Maribel--- Volviste!!! Bienvenida! Como estas? Espero estes bien y mucho cariño para la familia! (Maira).

Hey, Maribel, don't you think Madrid-Burgos is too far of a drive for a first day trip upon arrival?

Maristella-- please, please, please post upon return on the Walking Tour. My Book Club is thinking about this one for 2007 :-D (always planning 4 vacations ahead!!).

¡Saludos Maira! y muchísimas gracias por tu bienvenida y tu cariño. Te he echado de menos.

Maristella,
I was afraid that the NH might be too pricey.
The ABBA can't match the rate at Mesón del Cid , but I was just thinking that it would be handy with the parking and easy to find and relaxing with the gardens and the indoor pool after a long first day, to recover from jet lag.

About the drive to Burgos. It takes us under 3 hrs. from Barajas. That said, I've always had a self-impossed 2 hr. limit to the distance I drive after arriving on an intl flight, after fueling myself up with 2 coffees in Barajas. Jet lag really sets in after 1/2-2 hrs. on the road. So that puts Burgos outside of my own personal limit for the first day's drive. That's why we've stopped in Sebulcor (Posada del Duratón) or charming Pedraza (both a slight detour off the highway -1 1/2 hr. from Barajas) on our way north and Lerma going back (2 hr.-we have a 1:40 p.m. flight).
But it's your trip, not mine, so you will have to be the judge. I'd just like to see you have 2 nights at your first destination.

make that "self-imposed". 2nd day back and I still can't spell!

Maristella,
Forgot to answer your Santillana question.
I see a steep rate of 150 at the Gil Blas versus 120 for the annex in May, while for the Casa del Organista I see an incredibly low temporada baja rate.
See it here:
http://www.calidadcantabria.com/deta...alojamiento=26

For our 2 week trip in July, we're doing all Calidad de Cantabria lodgings-a mixture of palacios/casonas and posadas. They're of a high standard.

Mari,

I was a little puzzled by the price you got for the NH Palacio de la Merced in Burgos since I recently made a reservation for early July for 90 Euros per night. I don't know your exact dates but went to the NH website and priced a bunch of dates late April and in May( soemwhere I must have read this was your time frame) and I come up with per night rates of 90-115 Euros. Be aware that when you are requesting more than one night, the NH website gives you a quote for the whole stay. It can be confusing.

I also want to add my recommendation for Posada de la Villa restaurant in Madrid in Cava Baja. My husband and I had dinner there last summer( thanks to Maribel's recommendation) and loved it.

Hi cruiseluv,
I'm so glad you enjoyed your dinner at Posada de la Villa. I've been re-reading your great trip report, living vicariously through your days in Cangas and the Picos.

Maristella,
I just did a rate search too on www.nh-hoteles.com, putting in the radom date of May 19, coming up with 115 for a standard double at the NH. If it's a wkd. (like 5/20), it would be only 80.

Maribel,

My stay in Cangas was the highlight of my trip last year. Walking around the Ercina and Enol lakes was so peaceful , sometimes only the tolling of the cows' bells could be heard!Coavdonga was also very impressive. I want to go back and do the Ruta del Cares. Is it very hard walk (ie steep?) or moderate?

Hi cruiseluv,
We did a 3 hr. walk around Lago Ercina ending in a lakeside picnic surrounded by those handsome Asturian cows grazing peaceful among us.
I was lulled to sleep by the cow bells and the incredible pastoral setting! Could have stayed all day.

Because the Cares Gorge walk came at the very end of our 7 walking trip, I was really well conditioned by then! Nothing like the terrifying 4 hr. climb from the top of the teleférico at Fuente Dè to the Horcajos Rojos! Scary because it began to rain and was freezing cold!
The Cares didn't seem difficult at all. It can be easily done by folks of all ages. In fact, I passed an elderly lady doing it in the opposite direction (Poncebos to Caín) in low HEELS. Everyone remarked on her shoe attire, but she assured us those heels were darn comfy. I wore my Ecco walking boots, but you can do it easily in sneakers.
The only thing I found tiring was the end, getting out of the gorge on the steep dirt path that climbs up to Poncebos. The walk in the gorge itself is on a 3 meter wide path gouged out of the sheer walls in '46 for a hydro electrical project. Just beautiful, particularly at the beginning, walking in and out of the tunnels. While it wasn't crowded in late June, I've read it can actually be quite crowded on a late July or Aug. wkd.
From the Parador in Fuente Dé we were transported by 4x4 on a very back & bumpy road (mostly path) thru Posada de Valdeón up to tiny Caín where we started, then walked the easy 12 km. to Poncebos. But the whole thing does take at least 4 hrs.

I highly recommend it!

Thanks Maribel,

Is it better logistically to stay at Fuente De rather than Cangas for doing the Ruta del Cares?

Hi cruiseluv,
I honestly don't know.
I was with the now defunct Camino Tours. 3 nights at the Parador Fuente Dé and 3 at the Cangas Parador. We probably did the Cares gorge ("La Divina Garganta") walk from F.D. because from Cangas they gave us a visit to the prehistoric Cuevas de Tito Bustillo in Ribadesella, a kayaking day on the Sella, a shopping excursion to Llanes and the Covadonga + Lagos Ercina/Enol adventure.

I believe maria did her walk from the Parador in Cangas. I'd email the Parador and ask.

You'd just need to hire an outfitter to take you down there & back, like www.vivepicos.com Check their offerings.

And I would do it the other way, from Poncebos to Caín for a more dramatic effect. Caín is actually in León.
But the complete experience will take much of the day, 3 1/2-4 hr. for walk, getting to and fro.

See pics:
http://www.guiarte.com/cares/etapas/...%20del%20Cares

cruiseluv and Maristella,
I just checked the excursion offerings of the Cangas Parador. They offer a multitude of trips, including Covadona, Lagos Ercina/Enol and the Ruta del Cares.
On www.parador.es, select Cangas, then click on "como disfrutarlo". But I would still email them to ask for the details.

Thank You Maribel, I'll file this in my Cangas file for a future trip.

Hola chicas, I think I did make a mistake with the NH website! The numbers are different now and a lot better!

The drive to Burgos is just around our comfort zone (outside mine but very well inside husband's - I swear that man is immune to jetlag!!!)

Maribel, thanks for the Cares info. Is it a scary walk, sheer drops? I am not that confortable with heights.

Hola Maristella,
Not scary at all, and this is said by one who suffers from vertigo! For most of the path you have a 3 meter wide walkway, you pass in and out of some rock tunnels that I suppose might not be such fun for a really severe claustrophobe, but I found it fun, and it's one of the Picos de Europa's most popular trails.

When we're in Picos in July, as cova suggested, we'll take the tren (funicular) up to the hamlet of Bulnes, now that I've found the info. I didn't know that it was open to non-Bulnes residents, but indeed it is. The trip only takes 7 min., saving you a very steep 1 1/2 hr. climb, but costs 15,03 round trip. This controversial engineering project cost more than 2,000 million pts.

Read about it here:
www.el-caminoreal.com/cabrales/funicular.htm

and here:
www.llanes.as/guia/pnc/pnc12.htm

Maristella,
Another thought after re-reading your original post:

Since you'll be going thru Arenas de Cabrales on your drive from eastern Picos to the western side to Cangas, you might want to reserve 2 seats with a 4x4 taxi service for an easy drop off and pick up to do the Garganta Divina (Cares) walk, leaving your car in Arenas, then driving on to the Cangas Parador. This would maximize your time.
"Frontera Verde" offers this service, as I'm sure do other Picos 4x4 taxi co's:
www.el-caminoreal.com/rutacares1.htm

Maribel, as always you are a fountain of information.

I just made my reservation for Bilbao in the Abba Parque. The price was great compared to everything else. The dollar conversion is killing me!!! The charge for the Parador in Cangas de Onis turned into $163 for a single night. This will definitely not be a trip for splurging :( .

I will check out the websites you recommended.

Yes, the Cangas Parador, given the weak dollar, can be very pricey, even more so in high season. And it's always full. I sense that you want to keep your reservation there, but...

just in case you do need something beautiful, romantic and charming that's less expensive, there's another delectable option near Cangas-
the "Aultre Naray".
www.aultrenaray.com

The temporada baja rates are only 67, doble or 77 for a doble especial.

It's a member of the absolutely lovely "Casonas Asturianas" group, a delightful alternative to the Paradors (pequeños hoteles de encanto) plus a member of Rusticae, a charming hotel group with highly atmospheric properties all over Spain (kind of a poor man's Relais Chateaux group).
In fact the girls who run Rusticae are the former innkeepers of the Aultre Naray. The decor is elegant and refined.

It's also a selection of
www.karenbrown.com
www.innsofspain.com
www.secretplaces.com

We've stayed in several Rusticae and Casonas Asturianas properties and recommended more to very pleased Fodorites.

Just in case you're interested...

Hi all,

Cruiseluv, from the logistic point of view, staying in Fuente De in order to walk the Cares Gorge it doesn´t make sense. There could be a small reason if you were planning to walk from Cain down, but you should in that case drive to Posada de Valdeon and then down, and either walk back up or having something organized to pick up your car. We have done it a couple of times with a group going up and another going down, and swapping cars, but it is a bit crazy.
I would opt for staying first in Arenas de Cabrales, then maybe in Panes or in Cangas de Onís, and only in Liebana if I am forced to. While in Arenas we have stayed at a very small and simple place called Casa Florentina. They only have 4 rooms, and breakfast is quite simple, but price is good and the owners are very nice : http://www.casaflorentina.com/
http://www.toprural.com/ficha/es.cfm/idp/33/ids/342.htm

Mari, we stayed once in the Hotel Puente Romano in Cangas. It is an old casona near the roman bridge reconverted in a hotel. It should be cheaper than the Parador, and it is very well located.
http://www.picosdeeuropa.com/
http://www.galeon.com/puenteromano/
And sometimes, when staying in Cangas de Onis or Arenas, we have been crazy enough to have the best of both worlds : walk in the mountains during the day, drive to Ribadesella in the evening to have dinner and enjoy the sea.

Rgds, Cova
Near the house there is a small restaurant called La Panera. We have eaten there the best fried eggs and the freshest trout I can imagine :))

For the ones planning to walk the Cares Gorge, I would really try to go during the week. From the time we began going there as kids to nowadays, it has become a circus. We have seen the more incredible people walking there (and complaining afterwards that it was way too hard, of course, in high heels :) ), and it doesn´t seem to stop.

Maribel, instead of going to Bulnes with the tram, you could drive the road to Sotres, and before you arrive there, there is a deviation to the right. A small road goes up to the Pandebano pass (you must park the car around 20 minutes down the pass). From there you walk up, and you will be able to have a great view of the Naranjo de Bulnes. I think I mentioned this to Maristella, but I am not sure ;)

to cova,
Thanks for the alternative to the funicular; I'll filed the info away. This will be my 5th trip up there, so we'll pass on the Cares walk; it'll be late July. I checked the date on my last Cares walk- was July 8 not late June. We went morning mid-week and didn't have crowds at all, but I've heard those stories about the wkd..

I read all the lengthy and highly enthusiastic toprural.com reviews of the Casona de Baró. Did you happen to see the Posada El Bosque in Treciño? www.cantabria.com/elbosque/
Good friends of mine, Totally Spain, now in Cantabria, represent it along with the Casa de Frama www.periplo.com/lacasadeframa

Just curious as to how the 3 compare....and wondered if you had seen them....thanks

Mari,
I, too, can vouch for the Hotel Puente Romano, (right in town in Cangas) for meals. On my walking tour, we stopped and had a tapas/sidra feast at the outdoor tables. Great chorizo a la sidra et al...

Hi Maribel,

the only thing that I can tell you about El Bosque and La Casa de Frama is that friends of mine from Potes recommended them after we had already booked at La Casona de Baro. They spoke quite good of them, but I haven´t managed to have a look at them (although I rely on my friends, and they are usually spot on ).

My previous post looks a bit funny, sorry. La Panera is a small bar cum restaurant in Arenas de Cabrales, in case someone was wondering ...

Cova

Hola Cova and Maribel,

Thank You for all the suggestions for the logistics for Cares walk. I'm filing them as we speak!

Hi cova,
Thanks. I've added La Panera in Arenas to our July itinerary! (This yr. we're ending up at El Embarcadero in Getxo, which we just fell for when we inspected it last yr.)

For restaurant recs. you've always been spot on. I never did properly thank you for La Bejarana in Béjar. Very creative decor; it fit in perfectly to our day trip from Gredos on our Extremadura last March. We toasted to you 0:)

I'm more intrigued by the looks of Posada El Bosque (the views!) than Casa de Frama. Maybe we'll stay at Casona de Baró (saying hi to Ana for you) this time and leave El Bosque for next year.

thanks

cruiseluv,
The more I read, the more I think that it's just easier/cheaper to do the Cares walk hiring a 4x4 taxi service from Arenas, leaving your car with them. There are 2 listed under "Servicios y Equipamientos" at
www.cabrales.org
You can still stay in Cangas, but just pick up the Jeep in Arenas. You definitely only need the transport; don't hire a guide.