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Expect to feel at home in the region’s classic inns: they’re usually small, centuries-old, family-owned properties, with plenty that's pleasing, such as gardens, exposed stone walls, and genuinely friendly service. City hotels may not have the same country charm, but they make up for it with professional service, sparkling facilities, and spacious, comfortable rooms. Many big chain hotels may resemble their American counterparts, but you may not be able to assume that they also come with ample parking, big breakfasts, fitness rooms, or other amenities that are more-or-less standard back home. It's a very good idea to book ahead of time May–September, particularly if your stay includes a weekend.
A 16th-century manor house in the heart of the old quarter, this parador has guest rooms with recessed windows embellished with lace curtains and large wooden shutters; some face a small rose garden. It was built on the foundations of a Roman villa and has a baronial stone stairway winding up from the front lobby. The restaurant, which serves fine Galician food, is full of antique mirrors, candelabras, and portraits.
Most rooms in this low-slung former country house have glassed-in sitting areas with views across the ría to Asturias (No. 208 has the best). Parquet floors and harvest-yellow walls are accented by watercolors of the area. In the dining room a cornucopia of shellfish is served, much of it swimming around in a holding tank before you make your selection. Try the sopa de mariscos (seafood soup with a pastry top) and the ice cream flavored with O Cebreiro cheese and drizzled with honey. Fishing, horseback riding, and boating can be arranged.
Built in the 16th century, this imposing stone palace has baronial rooms with heavy wooden beams and splendid antique furnishings. The spacious dining hall has a medieval feel and specializes in local cuisine as well as roasts, stews, and soups borrowed from the Castilian tradition.
Clinging to the edge of the Canón do Sil, this parador, carefully built into the colossal 12th-century Benedictine Monasterio de Santo Estevo, stands out for its atmospheric setting and spectacular vistas. It's worth the extra cost for a superior room overlooking the canyon and forested hillside. Designer furniture and intriguing artwork by well-known Spanish artists pepper the common spaces and lounge areas, and a spa with an outdoor whirlpool encourages reconnection with nature. The cavernous restaurant is a safe if unremarkable bet.
This stately granite-and-chestnut hotel on the bluffs overlooking the Miño is filled with local art, and the rooms are furnished with antiques including four-poster beds. Views of the woods surround the dining room, where specialties from the region are served including lamprey eel, sea trout, and river trout. For dessert, try the pececitos, almond-flavor pastries made by local nuns.
Part of the inn is in a massive 15th-century tower that was once a fortress; a drawbridge leads to the two-story lobby, hung with tapestries. The three large octagonal chambers in the tower have beamed ceilings, wood floors, hand-carved Spanish furniture, and chandeliers. The restaurant menu includes caldo gallego and empanada de zorza y queso (with paprika pork and cheese); for dessert, order the stuffed filloas (crepes).
One of the finest paradores in the country, this 15th-century building was once a royal hostel and hospital for sick pilgrims. It has a mammoth baroque doorway that gives way to austere courtyards of box hedge and simple fountains and to rooms furnished with antiques, some with canopy beds. Dos Reis Especia—in the grand, vaulted dining room—serves top-notch regional fare including boiled octopus, foie gras, and apple-and-caramel filloas (Asturian crepes). The tapas bar, Enxebre, is lively and less formal.
This comfortable 18th-century Galician manor house, 7 km (4 miles) from Santiago de Compostela, has an antiques-packed living room that overlooks gardens with magnolias, palms, and a bamboo walk. There are six rooms in the main house and five large rooms in the old stable. Breakfast is served in the pazo itself, with lunch and dinner available in the nearby Restaurante Roberto.
This 16th-century stone manor house is surrounded by manicured gardens and has a terrace that looks out onto a labyrinth of hedges. The eight elegant rooms are decorated with a blend of classical and contemporary furniture, much of it antique. The generous breakfast buffet, which includes an array of cured meats, cheeses, and homemade pastries, is served in the big old kitchen, or, in good weather, in the sunny outdoor courtyard.
A typical casona montañesa (mountain manor) with painstakingly crafted stone and wood details, this intimate, gentlemanly hideaway makes a comfortable base for exploring the town and surrounding countryside. Dating to the 18th century, the house has rooms appointed with dark-wood furniture, patterned textiles, and exposed stone and brick walls. It is a handy alternative to the pricier and better-known paradores nearby.
This quirky rural hotel is a great base for wine tourism, thanks to the gorgeous vineyard views and complimentary visit to a local winery. The owner's passion shines through in the immaculately clean spaces and in-the-know activity recommendations. Upgraded rooms add balconies and scenic views, and some public areas are in repurposed hórreos (granaries on stilts). Amenities include an outdoor pool, west-facing restaurant (ideal for sunset dining), and Galician cooking classes (fee).
A few peaceful nights in this former rectory—complete with a pool and grapevine-covered pergolas—is a welcomed hideaway from the modern bustling port. Luckily it's just a short 10-minute drive from town.
Built in 1899 by a wealthy indiano (a Spaniard who made his fortune in the Americas and returned), this charming Asturian mansion on the hill above Luarca offers modern apartments in the garden or Belle Époque suites in the main building. One of the latter has a pleasant glassed-in reading room. There's also a small antiques museum and an old coach house surrounded by palm trees and imported shrubs.
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