Asturias country hotel, Spain
| country: | Spain |
| location: | Asturias, Picos de EuropaSee map here |
| price: | From 62 - 75 double room per night. We are closed from 02 Nov 2008 - 31 Mar 2009. Currently taking bookings for April 2009 onwards |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
| Holiday Details |  4 reviews |
Asturias country hotel, Spain
This comfortable friendly country hotel with spectacular views was built at the end of the 19th century in wood and stone and restored preserving its original architecture. Its decoration has been inspired by a balance between rustic and modern. There are 12 double bedrooms all with en-suite bathrooms, a delightful bar lounge plus a panoramic lounge with a small library as well as terraces and gardens making the hotel an ideal place to relax. The restaurant open exclusively for the hotel guests serves excellent imaginative home cooking with a strong emphasis on the use of local and organic produce.
The hotel is surrounded by its own 20 acre organic farm with wild flower meadows, cider apple plantations, and Asturian rare breeds including; xalda sheep, asturcon ponies and pita pinta chickens. There is also a vegetable and herb garden for the kitchen.
Due to the hotels strategic location close to the Asturian Mountains including the Picos de Europa, the Cantabrian Sea and rivers, there are a wide range of activities available such as walking, wild flowers, canoeing, fishing, horse riding and swimming. An extensive range of self guided walking notes and guided walking are available from the hotel. We also provide detailed tourist information on the area. Environmental values have a central place in the hotel's philosophy and this helps to the good and friendly atmosphere and the guest well being. Guests are requested not to smoke in the hotel
The hotel is surrounded by its own 20 acre organic farm with wild flower meadows, cider apple plantations, and Asturian rare breeds including; xalda sheep, asturcon ponies and pita pinta chickens. There is also a vegetable and herb garden for the kitchen.
Due to the hotels strategic location close to the Asturian Mountains including the Picos de Europa, the Cantabrian Sea and rivers, there are a wide range of activities available such as walking, wild flowers, canoeing, fishing, horse riding and swimming. An extensive range of self guided walking notes and guided walking are available from the hotel. We also provide detailed tourist information on the area. Environmental values have a central place in the hotel's philosophy and this helps to the good and friendly atmosphere and the guest well being. Guests are requested not to smoke in the hotel
traveller reviews for Asturias country hotel, Spain
Most memorable was no single event, just every day new unfolding experiences - the mountains, the sea, the food, the local town, interesting people. (more)
rooms, food and facilities
Organic holidays: Our hotel is situated in its own 20 acre certified organic farm producing fresh fruit and vegetables for the hotel restaurant as well as commercial crops of lamb, breeding sheep and cider apples. The farm is managed to develop, rich wildlife habitats and in particular wildflower meadows, and integrate this with low intensity organic farming. Over 85% of all produce used in the hotel restaurant is certified organic with an emphasis on the use of seasonal, home grown and local produce. The hotel restaurant is open exclusively to guests to enjoy an excellent imaginative home cooking making the most of these quality ingredients.
special things to do and see here
Walking: The hotel makes an excellent walking base, due to its close proximity to both the mountains and the coast. This makes for very varied walking, from high mountains to rugged coastline, with lots of spectacular views, wild flowers and birds. At the hotel we have a full range of walking maps of the area for guests to borrow and there are also notes on over 20 self guided walks available. We have also developed a 7 day walking holiday combining walks direct from the hotel and the use of public transport (2 walks have a short drive, or taxi transfer for those choosing not to hire a car.)
Cycling: We have 2 bicycles available for guest use (we do not charge for their use).
how to find us
By ferry: There are ferries from Plymouth to Santander (18 hours). The journey from Santander to Arriondas (3kms from the hotel) is 2.5 hours by bus or 3 hours by train. There is a taxi service from Arriondas to the hotel.
By train:
By air:
Nearest Airports: Asturias 90 kms, Santander 120 Kms & Bilbao 230 Kms
By car:
Once in the town centre of Arriondas, take the AS260 out of Arriondas. We are just outside Collia.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Asturias is a rural area with traditional mountain and hill farming. We operate an organic farm using many traditional practices but also look at how to increase the value of these products. One of our major interests and concerns is how to make the local farming more profitable with a positive impact on the environment and landscape.
We have a policy of buying local and organic produce whenever possible and quality permits. We try to buy direct from the farmer or producer ensuring quality for our guests and providing alternative markets for the supplier. We are actively working to try and reduce the impact of our business (including its carbon footprint) at the same time as giving our guests an enjoyable experience. We recently did a review of the food we serve in the hotel restaurant and just over 33% all the food we serve is produced on our own organic farm (so has zero carbon footprint from transport). We cook on site another 20% of the food we serve from basic organic ingredients (bread, cakes, jams, etc), contributing to a big reduction in carbon transport. The amount of meat we use is a very important factor in our carbon impact so we have a policy of always placing a vegetarian option on the menu alongside the meat option. We enjoy establishing a close relationship with farmers and producers, sharing information, and in some cases have been able to put them in contact with alternative outlets for their produce such as quality restaurants. We have implemented various measures so as to reduce our impact on the environment such as: not use individually packed items, we recycle and encourage guests to do likewise, compost our own organic waste, use low energy light bulbs where applicable and use sensors to illuminate only when necessary, control water pressure. We have contracted our electric supply with Electra Norte, the only Spanish company (from Asturias) which use exclusively, wind, solar and hydroelectric sources. We provide guests with information on excursions and walks in the area without using their car. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
 Reviewed 01 Aug 2007 by Bisi Williams | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
No single event, just every day new unfolding experiences - the mountains, the sea, the food, the local town, interesting people.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Unfortunately it would be hard without a car. I hadn't realised there was a closer airport than Santander - Easyjet to Asturias.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very good, very enjoyable and I felt wonderfully relaxed and healthy at the end of it.
| Reviewed 21 Jul 2010 by Catriona Slorach | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The view from our window, delicious homebaked bread, and stunning walks using Nigel's directions
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don't miss canoeing down the river - great fun and easily arranged by the hotel - but leave some time in your stay to just enjoy the hotel and grounds
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes - homegrown organic food, lots of local products, local staff, real efforts to preserve wildlife - a genuinely green place
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent: a beautiful place within easy reach of both coast and mountains, great walking, very friendly helpful hosts
| Reviewed 13 Apr 2006 by Brook Hagler | |
We stayed at this accommodation in Asturius, Spain. It was a gorgeous place. I wish we'd been able to stay longer than one night.
Your website is a great resource for me when I am looking for holidays.
Your website is a great resource for me when I am looking for holidays.
| Reviewed 23 Oct 2008 by Laura Allais-Mar้ |  |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Just discovering the area was really special. We were very pleased to discover a place of such peace and tranquillity and of such a high standard in the remote area that it is situated in.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
To accept whatever weather they find. To take all the advice from the hotel staff...
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
8/10
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