Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Spain Itinarary Decided! Comments, Advice, Etc?

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Spain Itinarary Decided! Comments, Advice, Etc?

After loads of great advice from Fodorites we have come up with our Northern Spain Itinarary: Barcelona- 3 nights at the H. Continental Pamplona- 2 nights of San Fermin madness at the H. Albret. Pick up car while leaving. San Sebastion- 4 nights at H. Alemana Side trips to Hondarriba, St. Jean de Luz. Santander (stop in Bilboa on the way)- 2 nights, not sure of a nice moderate hotel here?? Haro or Laguardia- 2 nights, will do both but not sure where to stay yet?? Drive back to either Barcelona or Madrid to fly home. Does anyone have any opinion on which will be the easier drive? I'm interested in any advice or things to see in our chosen towns. We really wanted to do Potes and the Pico de Europa but we just don't seem to have enough time and we'd like to keep things leisurly (sp). Gracias! Wendy

It is my impression that Bilbao is more interesting than Santander, although I only drove through the latter town. It deserves more than a stop by on the way to ... The coast between San Sebastian and Guernica is gorgeous and worth the drive. Beyond Santander you should see Santillana del Mar. It is unclear if you are driving straight through to either Madrid or Barcelona. Otherwise a stop in Burgos is worthwhile.

Michael, thanks for the input. We decided to make Santander a stop so that we could relax on the beach for a few days. At this point we are thinking of driving straight thru from Rioja to Madrid or Barcelona. Will do a bit of reading on Burgos. Wendy

Wendy, Should you fly out of Madrid, Burgos is right on the way from La Rioja to Madrid, and worth even a brief stop. I stopped for lunch there on my trip from Madrid to Bilbao, and found it very easy to take a quick tour of the cathedral and the surrounding area, enjoy lunch and be on our way. If you decide to stay in Haro, there is a very pleasant hotel there called Los Augustinos. It is in an old monastery, and has a beautiful courtyard and a good restaurant. It was quiet as a tomb when I was there, but it was the off season.

Well with the big British Air fare sale it looks like we will need to fly in and out of Barcelona. But I'm getting $860 roundtrip from Seattle so a little driving shouldn't be a problem.

We are looking into Parador's in the Rioja region. Has anyone stayed at PARADOR DE CALAHORRA? How good is the location for exploring the nearby wineries? We have decided to stay at the Parador Santillana Gil Blas by Santander. Has anyone stayed here? Thanks!

Wendy: I have not stayed at the parador in Santillana, but it looks really great and the town is beautiful. If you will be there on a weekend, especially as it gets warmer, the town will be phenomenally crowded, though. I really enoyed the recently opened Altamira caves msueum and reproduction just outside Santillana as well.

Wendy, You'll be fine during the San Fermín madness at the Hotel Albret (as I think I told you in my Basque file, it's where the tour co. that I work for puts many of its guests). The Albret is far removed from the insanity, in the modern residential quarter near the University, so one can actually get a good night's sleep, but also you can just hop on the bus right in front of the Albret and in 15 min. be at the Plaza del Castillo, or take a good, brisk, 20 min. walk. The Albret is modern, immaculate, rooms are quite nice and the staff very pleasant. We really like dealing with them. We had a corporate group from Bilbao there last year that was very pleased with the hotel/service. Be sure to arrange your car rental well in advance. Hertz, Avis and Europcar have offices in Pamplona. Every July we use the wholesaler AutoEurope who subcontracts in Pamplona with Avis. In choosing between Haro and Laguardia, please choose Laguardia! It's truly unique, a completely walled, medieval bastide town where every house has a 2 stories deep underground wine cellar (subterranean Laguardia is larger than the town above), it has a beautiful, dramatic setting with the Sierra de Cantabria in the background, terrific restaurants (Marixa, Don Cosme Palacios, Mayor de Migueloa and tapas at El Pórtico at the top of Mayor de Migueloa) and the surrounding towns (Samaniego, Abalos, Briones, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Labastida, Elciego) are a true delight to explore, plus the several wineries, such as El Fabulista, Palacios or Ysios, that you can easily visit. We're taking a group down to Laguardia for lunch and a winery tour during San Fermín. Visit Haro as a day trip. You can see the town in an hr!. Bodegas Muga, down by the rail station in the Barrio de las Bodegas, has a good tour twice daily, Mon-Fri at 11 and 4:30, (they told us no reservations necessary when I called to reserve), and there's easy parking right across the street from the winery. The Hostal Alemana in S.S,. is just fine. It has a great location just a couple of blocks from La Concha beach. Very well run, nice for the price. If you don't already have reservations at the Gil Blas Parador in Santillana, please do this ASAP. It's extremely popular and always booked many months in advance. If it and the annex, now called simply the Parador de Santillana are already full, then look at the cute little new Hospedería Santillana or the Casa de la Guela, both at www.periplo.com (don't book at the aging Altamira). We've stayed at the Gil Blas and the annex and have inspected the other two. Or just move to Santander. But for pretty scenery and nice atmosphere, you'll definitely want to be at El Sardinero beach, rather than in the city itself. Outside of the great tapas bars (La Conveniente, Mesón Ramplay, Cañadío, Bodega Cigaleña) and the pretty portside promenade, the city is non-descript, as it was destroyed in a 1940's fire and rebuilt. For moderate prices in July at El Sardinero beach in Santander, look at the Carlos III (fax: 942 27 16 16) or the Las Brisas (fax: 942 28 11 73).

cont. From the Rioja, it's an easy 4 hr. drive to Madrid through Burgos. Very well maintained roads, easy driving-a snap. We do this route all the time. But I strongly urge you to take a detour off the E5/NI to the extraordinary, perfectly preserved medieval village of Pedraza in the Segovia province. It's one of Spain's top 5 picture-perfect villages, along with Hondarribia and Santillana. It actually rivals Santillana del Mar is its picturesque-ness. And don't miss a day in Santilana plus the superbly done replica of the Altamira caves. Don't think you'll have time for Potes and the Picos de Europa. That's a whole other, quite spectacular trip in itself. Have fun, and mayb we'll see you in Pamplona!

As always Maribel you are so helpful!We've got our reservations at the Gil Blas Parador in Santillana and will now start checking out some other places. Has anyone done any scuba diving in Northern Spain?

Wendy, funny you should mention diving. I am planning to go with these folks in Santander(http://www.godofredobuceo.com/) if I am ever there during the warmer months. I have been to their shop and it is a good dive shop and they seem very knowledgeable about diving in the area. Full 1/4" wetsuits required even in the summer, and they only have two small zodiacs for diving. From friends who dive in Cantabria, it is not great (cold water, limited visibility, not that much to see), although they claim decent spearfishing. I want to do it anyway, just to say I have.

I'm still looking for a hotel for one night on the beach in Santander, any suggestions? I'd love it if they had a web site so I could check it out. Would like to keep to a moderate budeget so any great finds for $100 a night would be great! Wendy

Hi Wendy, If the inexpensive Las Brisas isn't available (you can see pictures at www.hotelEnSantander.com), then you might need to try the more expensive 4 star options if you really want to spend a night in Santander at the beach. We've stayed very happily at the Rhin and the Santemar, both with lovely rooms, directly on El Sardinero, but have done so before high season, which starts July 15, so the rate was reasonable. We can also vouch for the pretty, newer, Belle Epoque style Hoyeula also facing the sea. But your dates will be after July 14, correct? The trouble is that the rates go up significantly then, plus these hotels get a very loyal, repeat clientele during the last 2 weeks of July and all of August, when the International Music Festival is held and the Universidad Internacional Menéndez y Pelayo holds its prestigious summer session. But check their web sites for availability just in case. You never know. Rhin: www.gruporhin.com San temar: www.h-santos.es (enjoy the Manuel de Falla music!) Hotels Hoyuela, Bahía and El Sardinero: www.gruposardinero.com (the El Sardinero attracts an older crowd-it's an aging dowager and may require half board in high season) Since Santillana is so very close to Santander (a very short hop), if you strike out on the Sardinero beach hotels, you might be able to add a night at the Parador Gil Blas and commute (more exp. than 100 euros, I know, and perhaps already fully booked at this date). Alternatively, there's the lovely, aristocratic village of Comillas, right next to Santillana, but on the sea, with a beach. Lodging options are limited in Comillas to the older family-run Casal del Castro with fairly basic rooms but fine regional food and the newish Hotel Comillas , very nice for the price. But neither is on the beach, and from July 15 on, the Hotel Comillas requires half-board. Hotel Comillas: www.ceoecant.es/aehc/hcomillas/ Casal del Castro: www.cantabria.com/casalcastro.asp Hope this gives you some ideas, and good luck with your search!

Marible thank you! Can you check the web address for Las Brisas? It didn't work when I tried it. wendy

Sorry Wendy! You have to start off at http://brisas.spain.com/

Have you thought about cutting a day off your stay in San Sebastian to allow you another day further west? You should arrive in Santander just in time for the pre-Santiago festivities (18-24 July). In addition to the usual midsummer delights (musicians, mimes, etc.) along calle de Burgos, there are daily bullfights. All along the coast they will be celebrating a Virgen de Carmen (16 July) with parades of lighted boats. There's a new Parador Nacional in Limpias, a few miles south of Laredo, halfway between Bilbao & Santander. The Gran Hotel Sardinero is right across from the Beach in Sardinero. We stayed at Hostal Paris (just behind it). There are a couple of 'discos' in that area thet let out at 3:00 AM and the roar of the motorcycles is almost too much. I stayed once at Hostal Picos de Europa in Potes. Very nice! Not sure if it's the right LaGuardia (Pontevedra, Galizia) but wife's nephew makes it to Madrid driving from there in 5-hours.

Hi Wendy, Just to clear up any confusion about the 2 Laguardias: The Laguardia near Haro is the one that's the capital of the Rioja Alavesa wine region, and located in the Alava province of the Basque Country. It's also know by its Basque name, Biasteri, and is indicated as Biasteri on some maps. The Michelin map 442, by the way, is invaluable to have when driving in this area. It covers Cantabria (Santander, Santillana), the Basque Country, Navarra, the Rioja, Old Castile and Madrid. I urge you to purchase it to take along on your trip, as it will make navigating Northern Spain so much easier for you. The La Guardia in the Pontevedra province of Galicia is also referred to by its name in gallego, A Guarda. The new Parador they're building in Limpias south of Laredo, still isn't open yet. I know only because I called yesterday to find out, as a friend wanted to stay there. The Parador they're opening on April 15 is the one in Lerma, on the road between Burgos and Madrid.

Wendy, just a resounding second to Maribel's suggestion of Laguardia in the Rioja Alavesa. We stayed in Haro last September and were thoroughly sorry. We spent a day in Laguardia, eating at the Mayor de Migueloa, etc. and swore we would come back just to stay in this scenic, friendly, tiny town. Stay here and drive into Haro for tapas some night if you must. Trust Maribel's advice!!!

Great input as always everyone! We definately are going to stay in Lagaurdia vs. Haro schildc1. And we are going to look into the Satander thing some more over the weekend, thanks nedsireland! Maribel as always you are a gem. Wendy