The Hotel Bahia was the perfect spot to spend a few nights while exploring Santander. It’s location was great, near the water and the old town. Santander was similar to A Coruña but on a much bigger scale. The waterside setting was lovely for sea walks and the old town nearby for dinner. Across from the hotel was the Estacion Maritima where we saw a big Brittany Ferries ship dock at midnight on Saturday, arriving from Cork or Plymouth!
Again this was a clean Spanish town that seemed like it would be a nice place to live. It didn’t feel at all touristy but there was a nice atmosphere with lots of families about. Lots of people spending time outdoors enjoying walking and cycling along the waterfront. Oh and the dogs, everyone had a dog which kept the boys entertained if not a little jealous. There were sculptures everywhere too. We especially liked the one of the kids diving from the promenade into the water.
Also near the hotel was the Centre Botin. A recently built art gallery poised to become a major art destination. The building is an impressive feat of architecture. Is was designed in two halves with an interconnecting bridge. The exterior is covered in pearlescent discs which glimmer in the sunlight. The centre is visible all along the promenade. The art and the architecture are a big draw.
We walked along the promenade to the Marina. Paseo de Pereda Promenade was a nice place to stop for ice cream and sit to watch the world go by.
On Sundays many Spaniards enjoy a long, lazy lunch at lunchtime. Most restaurants are then closed in the evening. We searched for a place serving a ‘menu del dia’ but settled on a selection of tapas instead at Mesón Rampalay near Plaza de Cañadío.
A big draw for the boys in Santander was playground near the hotel with the huge climbing frame. They were most amazed that the busiest time there was at about 8pm on Saturday where they played in the near darkness with lights from the carousel. Another kids attraction was the toboggan slope that remained as part of the Christmas attractions. They had many turns on that before it got dismantled on our last day.
We took a taxi to the beach, Playa El Sardinero. It was a beautiful expanse of sandy beach with rolling waves and a busy promenade. The taxi driver drove us around the Magdalena Peninsula, home to the Palacio where the royal family spend their holidays. He then dropped us at the very end of the promenade so we could enjoy walking back.
We found another climbing frame on the beach!
A beautiful walk with a stop for lunch. The boys balked at the idea of more garlic prawns and chorizo so we caved and went to a Chinese instead! It was good for a change, they were having fried rice withdrawals so we’re good again now for a few days 😂.
We walked back to the hotel, about 6km in all. Hotel Bahia a welcoming beacon on the horizon. The Seville football team had stayed there last night, Mark met players and fans in the lobby earlier. Now they were gone, with a 5-0 win under their belt. Next day we were gone too, headed for Basque Country.
We had a quick lunch stop at the beautiful seaside town of Castro-Urdiales en route to Bilbao. We shared some prawns, mussels and fish on an outside terrace overlooking the marina. Bliss.
Hairylambthewanderyears 