NORTHERN SPAIN HOTELS

GALICIA • ASTURIAS • CANTABRIA • BASQUE COUNTRY NAVARRA • ARAGON • LA RIOJA • CATALONIA

WITH ITS ATLANTIC climate, the north coast is surprisingly green. The Pyrenees make a wonderful setting for rustic retreats, and, to the east, there are a few still unspoilt fishing villages on the Costa Brava. Northern Spain offers a vast choice of accommodation, from mountain hideaways, village inns and country mansions to palaces and converted monasteries, seaside villas and resort hotels. The great selection from the state-run parador network ranges from crenellated hilltop castles with vaulted rooms to handsome modern buildings. In Barcelona, the principal city of the north, are many large hotels, some ultra-modern, others with simpler old-world charm.

BARCELONO HOTELS

AGUILAR DE CAMPÓO

Posada Santa María la Real Typical of the region’s Romanesque architecture, this timbered Cistercian monastery has been thoughtfully converted. Much of the original craftsmanship has been preserved, with duplex bedrooms.

Parador de Alcañiz Also called Parador de la Concordia, this 12th-century hill castle combines the romance of the past – Gothic walls, cloisters, medieval murals – with the comforts of the present – white-walled bedrooms with carved furniture and tiled floors. Generous meals are served in a massive beamed dining hall.

ARGÓMANIZ

Parador de Argómaniz An ideal stopover, a handsome old building with a cavernous dining hall and sober, well-equipped bedrooms.

ASTORGA

Gaudí Excellent tapas are served in the bar of this elegant modern hotel (marble floors, chandeliers) on the main square.

ARTIES

Besiberri Modern variation on the Swiss chalet theme. Cosy, and family-run, it provides all comforts after a hard day on the ski slopes.

ARTIES

Parador Don Gaspar de Portolá By the smart ski resort of Baqueira-Beret, a parador littered with hunting trophies and comfy chairs.

AMANDI

La Casona de Amandi At the foot of the Asturias, yet only ten miles from the beaches, La Casona has the look and feel of a much-loved home. Surrounded by a huge flower-packed garden, it has several small sitting rooms inside, with good antique furniture, where you can always find a corner to yourself. At the time of going to press the hotel is for sale.

BARCELONA HOTELS

Claris A Neo-Classical façade masks a dazzling interior of pillars and sweeping marble floors, and at the top is a rooftop pool. It is not all uncompromising modernity though: Roman mosaics decorate walls and some bedrooms have Chesterfields and antiques. There is also a small museum of Egyptian treasures.

Arts Hotel Barcelona Stylish contemporary hotel with a waterfront location. Sophisticates flock to the minimalist 44-storey building, its grounds dwarfed by a gigantic gold whale sculpture. There are splendid vistas of city and sea from the bedrooms, suites and duplex apartments which top the luxury scale.

Condes de Barcelona In the heart of the ‘Modernisma’ or Art Nouveau area, this sleek, glossy hotel attracts an equally slick and glossy clientele. It occupies two 19th-century former palaces, facing each other across a quiet side street. A roof terrace, plunge pool and tempting restaurant are bonuses.

BARCELONA

Rivoli Ramblas Art Deco building and avantgarde design are combined in a great location. Spectacular views from the roof terrace.

BARCELONA

Le Méridien The curved lines of the 1930s recur throughout this lavish five-star hotel. Despite its size, it is warm and welcoming.

Duques de Bergara The airy foyer of this ornate Art Nouveau building has a distinctly Edwardian feel, with its imposing marble staircase, smart tiled floor and potted plants. Renovated in 1998, the decoration and furnishings are appealing thoughout. Suites have private terraces. The restaurant is Catalan.

Ritz Hotel Barcelona The name alone conjures up an image of luxury and elegance, realized in each imposing salon and restaurant. Though splendid, it is not intimidating, largely due to the professional yet friendly staff. The Barcelona Ritz opened in 1919; both public rooms and bedrooms blend original fittings with modern facilities.

Gran Hotel Havana The 19th-century façade belies the avant-garde design inside. The Havana has a great central location and a lively atmosphere. Live music is played each evening in the bar-lounge built around an atrium. Meticulous attention to detail is evident in the elegant bedrooms. Pool currently being built.

Aigua Blava A hotel that puts a tasteful slant on the idea of the holiday village. It is located over pine-covered cliffs and flower-filled gardens, at the head of a picturesque creek, and its group of pristine whitewashed buildings contain everything you could possibly need.

BAYONA

Villa Sol Antiques, pictures and books fill the tall rooms of this grand villa in a lush garden, home to the hospitable Rodríguez family.

BAQUEIRA-BERET

Gran Melia Royal Tanau At Spain’s most elegant ski resort, a swanky five-star hotel with luxurious bedrooms.

BAYONA

Parador de Turismo de Bayona Huge, with impressive amenities and a terrific site within a pre-Roman wall on the Monte Real peninsula.

BESNES

La Tahona A cobbled track ends at this hotel with mountain views. Inside it has Spanish flair: beams, whitewashed walls and red tiles.

BENASQUE

Aragüells In winter the lively bar is packed with locals and visiting skiers. Attic rooms are prettiest, but all have great views.

BIELSA

Parador del Monte Perdido In a remote valley of streams and stunning scenery is this modern parador with rustic rooms.

Hotel Ciria This central family-run hotel is one of the best in the popular skiing area of the Benasque valley. It has excellent facilities, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Local lamb and game dishes are the specialities at the splendid restaurant, El Fogaril. The most attractive bedrooms are the ones in the eaves.

BOLVIR DE CERDANYA

Torre del Remei Up in the Pyrenean forest, Josep María and Loles Boix have created a five-star winner in their stylish Belle Epoque summer palace. Exquisitely decorated with Grecian marble, Italian furniture and Tibetan carpets, it also boasts an exceptional restaurant. Golf, riding and mountain-climbing nearby.

BILBAO

López de Haro Don’t be put off by the somewhat severe architecture; inside the old HQ of the republican newspaper El Liberal lies a hotel that is both luxurious and vibrant. It is also handy for the Guggenheim Museum. Guests can choose from a clubby English-style bar, a salón de té with live music and the trendy Club Náutico restaurant.

BURGOS

Landa Palace The 1960s realization of a Gothic fantasy, described variously as charming and pretentious. Its origins lie in a 14th-century tower, bought by a restaurateur, who had it dismantled and rebuilt on the Madrid road. Around it, he built the rest: vaulted pool and dining room, spiral stairs and sumptuous suites.

Méson del Cid On a square opposite the cathedral, this literary-themed hotel has been decorated with great style and sensitivity.

BOLVIR DE CERDANYA

Chalet del Golf On a golf course and popular with enthusiasts, this newish chalet has an abundance of wood in snug rooms.

CAMBADOS

PT del Albariño Built around a courtyard garden with palm trees and a fountain, the parador offers cool and relaxed accommodation. Swimming pool.

COMILLAS

Casal del Castro Grand drawing rooms reflect the past of this 17th-century house in a beach resort popularized by King Alfonso XII.

CAMPRODON

Edelweiss Standing in the heart of a pretty Pyrenean town, with hills rising behind it, is this four-star hotel with a pleasing brick façade and balconied, white-shuttered windows. Inside are public rooms with panelled walls and ceilings, dotted with tasteful reproduction furniture. Swimming nearby, and shiatsu by arrangement.

CASTELLO DE AMPURIAS

Allioli The charm of this 200-year-old Catalan farmhouse eclipses its less-than-ideal location in a dip below a main road. Inside, its character is enhanced with well-placed lamps, antiques and flowers, and huge hams hanging to dry over the snug bar. The beamed, whitewashed bedrooms have a country elegance; spotless bathrooms.

CARDONA

Parador de Turismo de Cardona Commanding panoramic views in every direction, this mellow medieval fortress seems to grow out of the rocky hilltop. The interior is equally impressive, with a sense of period evoked through the solid oak furniture and rich fabrics. Imaginative regional cuisine is served in the fine dining room.

CASTRILLO DE LOS POLVAZARES

Hostería Cuca la Vaina In this tranquil spot, only birdsong or the morning rooster are likely to disturb your peace. A new hotel in a medieval town, it was purpose-built to reproduce the local architecture. The result is harmonious and stylish. All the rooms are decorated differently; even corridors are brightened with plants or flowers.

L’ESPLUGA DE FRANCOLÍ

Hostal del Senglar Simple, whitewashed hotel in a pretty garden. Food is hearty.

COSGAYA

Hotel del Oso A traditional-style house, with . flowered balconies and arched veranda. Tennis court and pool, cosy rooms.

CORNIDE-CALO

Casa Grande de Cornide A pretty garden, with pool, encircles this antique-filled house, with fine paintings and a library.

ESCAIRÓN

Torre de Vilariño A 17th-century rustic stone house in an off-the-beaten-track village. Antonio García Beltrán is a genial host.

COLLIA ARRIONDAS

Posada del Valle Nigel and Joanne Burch have transformed a late-19th-century ‘priest’s farmhouse’ on a rock outcrop with stunning views over the Picos into a cosy, friendly family hotel. There’s a garden for guests, set in an organic farm with wildflower meadows, cider apples and sheep. Walk, surf, fish and canoe to your heart’s content.

DONAMARIA

Donamariako Benta In one of the least spoilt parts of the Pyrenees, on a secondary pilgrim route to Santiago, this rough-stone inn is a perfect retreat for jaded town dwellers in search of a rural idyll. It is a hospitable place, too. There are two sitting rooms, furnished with originality, and modest bedrooms in an annexe.

COVARRUBIAS

Arlanza Ask for a room on the cobbled square and watch village life go by. An old nobleman’s house, the Arlanza’s dark, beamed interior is done out in rustic style, with a fine tiled staircase and modestly furnished bedrooms. Meals are the highlight: soup so hot that it has to be eaten with a wooden spoon, and local wild boar.

ESCALANTE

San Román de Escalante A refined 17th-century house is the setting for this restaurant with rooms, plenty of class and a Michelin star. Guests who stroll in the lovely garden will encounter modern sculptures, while the period-style rooms are filled with paintings, old and new.

FUENTE DÉ

Parador Río Deva The stupendous panoramic setting, high in the Picos de Europa, makes up for the dull rooms at this modern parador.

LECUMBERRI

Ayestaran This friendly hotel, with tennis court, is split between summer and winter buildings. Both are simple but with welcoming rooms.

HARO

Los Agustinos Old monastery with vast beamed sitting room. Plain bedrooms.

LENA

Hostería del Huerna Modest mountain hotel, a favourite with Madrileños seeking a cheap weekend break. In winter, the snug salon has an open fire. Rather small bedrooms.

Mas Pau Just outside Figueras, home to the Dalí museum, stands this 17th-century farmhouse in mature grounds. The public rooms are done out in modernista style (Spanish Art Nouveau), with mirrors, wicker chairs and ferns; old photographs jostle for space on stone walls. The seven suites are restful in pale shades.

FORMIGAL

Villa de Sallent There is no off-season for this hotel at the foot of a Pyrenean ski resort: in summer, it’s a base for walkers. A modern building of stone and slate, it has a wood-panelled interior full of pine furniture that lends it a Scandinavian feel. The owners are restaurateurs so satisfying meals are guaranteed. Three- and four-star rooms.

FIGUERAS DEL MAR

Palacete de Peñalba This confection of a house, built in 1912 by a follower of Gaudí, is now a national monument. Signs of its eccentric Art Nouveau style are much in evidence: the curved double stairs to the entrance, the glazed and tiled atrium, and the original furniture that has been preserved. Meals can be taken in the owners’ waterfront restaurant. Nearby golf club.

LA GARRIGA

Termes La Garriga In a spa town 35km (22 miles) north of Barcelona, this is ideal for the energetic or those keen to get into shape: there’s a health centre, a pool, bikes for guests’ use and golf nearby. Even if keeping fit leaves you cold, the yellow-painted hotel with light, elegantly decorated rooms is a comfortable base.

LLANARS

Grèvol A well-equipped Pyrenean base, which reinvents the classic Swiss chalet. Pool and sauna.

LLANES

Gran Hotel Paraíso In the lively main street close to the seafront, this contemporary hotel has standard rooms and small apartments.

La Arquera Modern B&B with bright, cheerful exterior and mountain views, handy for the pretty port of Llanes and its beaches.

MUNDAKA

El Puerto A simple, traditional house with shady garden, much-loved by surfers who flock to this part of the Basque coast.

GRANOLLERS

Fonda Europa In a pleasant market town, behind a distinctive orange façade with blue and white panels, is this delightfully traditional Catalan hotel. It has been in the capable hands of the Parellada family since 1714. They have furnished the hotel with taste and refinement, and provide unfailingly courteous service.

HONDARRIBIA (FUENTERRABIA)

Obispo This elegant Renaissance house has been converted with restraint. The traditional stone and wood interior, set about with period furniture, has been softened by light, floral fabrics and each bedroom designed with style. There is a terrace with views over the bay, two sitting rooms and a cafeteria.

A GUARDA

Convento de San Benito Behind its simple exterior, the interior of this 16th-century convent has been restored with sympathy and flair. Reception is in the old portico, where ornate detailing has been preserved. Also intact are the cloister, fountain and turnstiles, which gave the nuns access to the outside world. The converted cells make charming bedrooms.

OVIEDO

Hotel de la Reconquista Sumptuous salons and bedrooms behind an impressive façade.

PUEBLA DE TRIVES

Casa Grande de Trives This distinguished 18th-century house has an elegant interior.

PERATALLADA

Castell de Peratallada Medieval castle with splendid vaulted dining room and tented beds.

PONT DE MOLINS

Molipark This old mill, furnished with antique-shop bargains, has a fine restaurant and a few modestly priced bedrooms.