Beautiful country house close to all major attractions in Cantabria
We are a family of five and spent a week in this property. It is a really beautiful country house, right in the middle of Puente Viesgo, a lovely village located around 30 minutes away from all major attractions in Cantabria: Santander, Santillana del Mar, Comillas, Beaches, etc....
The house is un excellent state, just like the pictures show and I would definitely recommend it for families who want to spend sometime visiting Cantabria.
Wonderful small town in Cantabria to use as a base. The house is comfortable, clean, and perfectly situated. Everything was as represented, comfortable and basic. The owners were very gracious and helpful with minor issues such as changing the propane tank to heat water and turn the electricity back on after the fuse box tripped. They also gave great suggestions for nearby visits, including the prehistoric caves. Our eight-day stay (2 senior couples) in early May was as expected, somewhat rustic and genuine. Highly recommend.
Patricia, USA
La casa es tal como se ve en las fotos. Enclavada en un lugar idĂłneo para desplazarse por la regiĂłn. A tiro de piedra de la autovĂa pero en un pueblo tranquilo.
This is a lovely cottage in which to stay. Denise and Andrew were really helpful with ideas and tips for our stay. The property is really well situated for trips out to loads of places within very easy (and longer) travelling distances for historical, cultural and activity based days. They are right on the green cycle route which stretches in both directions taking in views, rivers and countryside is suitable for all ages. The cottage has everything you need for a family stay and we eeally appreciated the cool airy interiors after long hot days out. Highly recommended.
From the very first, staying here was a relaxing time. We were met by the owners friend Fernando, the only spaniard we have ever met who could speak English with a scouse accent. The cottage was excellently and tastefully decorated. A comfy lounge, kitchen/dining room and a downstairs bedroom. The village itself was a great place with many restaurants and interesting river walks. For groceries we recommend a short trip to the Lupo supermarket in Vargas, about 10 mins drive. Don't miss a trip to the ice cream shop for the cheese flavour, sounds strange but it's absolutely fantastic. You'll really enjoy your stay here, Andy & Denise are great hosts even if they support Liverpool F C!
All in all a wonderful vacation.
Lovely little authentic house in a delightful village. Loads of things to do if like us you enjoy sightseeing. Particularly loved the prehistory and caves in the village and at the amazing Altimira nearby. Wonderful spa over the road. Andy and Denise very helpful settling us in with lots of good local info. Wifi a bit dodgy at times but it's the countryside! All in all, a good week!
We loved our time in Puente Viesgo. The village is very small, but there is a wealth of places to visit nearby, and the caves in Puente Viesgo are much better than the Altamira Nuevo Cave. The house accommodated four of us easily, and although Andy and Denise were in the U.K., Fernando took good care of us.
A Large, Comfortable House a two minute walk from the center of the Prettiest Village in Cantabria
The hosts make you feel totally welcome, and stayed in touch offering suggestions .The house has been lovingly renovated and has everything you could need! We needed a downstairs bedroom so we rented the apartment as well as the house. A great house for someone with a disability. We would recommend it to a family or group of friends.In a country with a shortage of parking spaces this house has a private parking space right in front of it. Amazing! The weather allowed us to have breakfasts and cocktails or dinner on the table on the patio. Across the street is the big 5 star hotel where we treated ourselves to afternoon tea in their lounge, and across from the hotel is their Cafeteria with tables overlooking a great verandah and while having huge portions of fried Calamari ( known in Spain as Rabas) we watched wedding parties down the hill in the Gazebo. The walk along the river on the covered RR tracks offered enjoyable place for evening strolls, and chance to watch the families swim in the various swimming holes created by the river Pas and it's Falls.
Had most enjoyable meals at El Marques, overlooking the river. Fresh fish and the best Pulpo legs ( Octopus) we had in 2 weeks in Spain.
Note** Yes, parking is a problem everywhere but supermarket parking lots! You have to be ready to pay for parking. By US standards it is not expensive, but looking for a parking spot could ruin your visit)
Just a 2 minute drive from the house are the El Castillo Caves . The oldest site of cave drawings in the world! And one of the few caves where you are allowed to visit the actual caves ( with a guide of course). Most of the other caves are resorting to offering a simulation of the cave in order to preserve it. Awe inspiring, comes closest to describing the experience of being in the caves. Like being in a timeless cathedral.
From the house, we could drive 20 minutes to visit nearby beaches , at Camillas ( where you can see the first house designed by Gaudi, ) or a bit longer at St, Vincente de la Barquera. For a wonderful day trip go to Santander. Take the Hop on Hop Off bus to learn about and see the playground of the Spanish Royals, see the wonderful architecture of this elegant city, spend time on their beach, take a short ferry ride to Pedrenas to have lunch of grilled gloriously fresh fish from one of the two restaurants just across from the ferry dock. We visited Guggenheim in Bilbao, 1hour+ drive , on good higways with great views.
Lovely location for our family holiday with a wide variety of things to do nearby. For example caves, lovely beaches, pretty towns, wildlife park, cycle path to outdoor pool and high ropes course. We booked some canoeing and climbing activities in the Picos de Europa mountains which are about 80 mins away. There is a spa pool in the hotel opposite which is really nice but expensive. Helpful and friendly hosts. House was nice. We brought kids bikes with us and used the two adult bikes that were free to use with the property. Bikes need a bit of maintenance but were usable.
We were met by Andy and Denise on arrival at their delightful former farm house in the hill village of Puente Viesgo, about half an hours drive south of Santander. The green Cantabrian hills (mountains) which surround the little village are truly stunning.
The cottage a former farm house, is very well equipped in fact we can't think of a single item we could have reasonably asked for. A family of up to six would feel quite comfortable in the three bedrooms and as we were a party of just two it was quite luxurious.
Andy and Denise gave us a run down on some of the best places to visit and to eat. It was a really nice thing to do as we were able to benefit from their 10 plus years in the area... It also probably saved us several hours of planning. During the week we worked through the list Andy gave us but didn't manage to do much more than half of it but hey there is always the next time.
All too quickly our week was over but it was one we will long remember and to the question would we go back our answer is yes, yes, yes.