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.