If it is luxury that you are after then the best advice should be to head straight for the exclusive hotels and ?Paradors? but to be honest even the basic family ?casas rurales? are extremely good value for money. The region is dotted with mountain refuges with stunning views not to mention that in the coastal areas you can find quite a few campsites.



As expected the hotels in Galicia and Northern Spain are extremely spacious very clean and comfortable. The hotels are awarded between one and five stars and these are allocated by the local tourist Authority. If you need actual visible proof of the standard of your hotel you can find confirmation indicated by a small blue plaque near the hotel front door.

Hotels usually have en-suite bathrooms or at least a shower in the room. Hostels and ?Pensions? usually do not have en-suite facilities and have fewer comforts than hotels so as to be expected are slightly cheaper.

Spain's star rating system reflects the number and range of facilities available rather than the quality of service one star is given to the most modest hotels and five stars to the most elegant and expensive ones. The more exclusive hotels offer all kinds of extra facilities, such as air conditioning, on-site parking, internet-access and rooms with televisions as well as facilities for the disabled.

Two or three star hotels are the most popular in this region and their rates vary on the season or time of year that you stay there. In some cases the hostels (hostales) and guest houses are more popular in this region primarily because they are cheaper. These are usually small family-run establishments offering just a few beds.

It is estimated that there are approximately 92,000 registered beds in this territory, described as ?Green Spain? and there are in excess of 1500 hotels.

Grupo Sol-Melia and NH are the biggest chain of hotels in the area. The quality of these hotels is extremely good. There are a growing number of small privately run hotels that have quite distinctive character and charm and can also provide a quite relaxing and memorable stay.

Throughout Spain you'll find in key areas tourist accommodation known as Parador's. Paradors are between three to five stars in accommodation standard. There is now quite a wide network of Paradors throughout the country, the first one opened in 1928. They are located close together so that there is never more than a day's drive to the nearest one. In Santiago de Compostela you can find possibly the best known Parador in the area and this is the Parador de los Reyes Catolicos. Other Paradors can be found in Castles, Monasteries and various other monuments?. You will quite often find that there are a growing number of purpose built Paradors and these can quite often be found in either towns of historic interest or areas of spectacular scenery.

You can rely upon the Parador to deliver a consistently high level of comfort but it might not necessarily be the best hotel in town. The standard of each Parador is extremely consistent with comfortable and spacious bedrooms all furnished to the same high standard. Some also offer fine regional cuisine. It is usually wise to plan ahead and book your accommodation if you wish to use the network of Paradors. Paradors can be booked through the Central de Reservas in Madrid or by calling each Parador direct. As with most areas if you travel in the high season you will find accommodation can be quite expensive but if you are able to shop around you can quite often find special deals available.