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.



The standard of accommodation in the area is extremely high as you would expect from Galicia and Northern Spain. Hotels are categorized and awarded stars by the regional tourist authorities. 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.

You can usually find en-suite bathrooms or at least a shower in each Hotel bedroom. You may well be surprised but it is unlikely that these sorts of facilities would be found in the smaller hostels and ?Pensiones?.

Don't assume that just because you might be forced to stay in a one or two star hotel that the quality of the service is inferior to a five star hotel because in some cases it might actually be better because the stars are allocated for the facilities the hotel can offer not the quality of the service. As is usual in most quality hotels the standard facilities on offer include air conditioning, televisions in each room, facilities for the disabled, Internet access and on-site parking.

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 establishments that can only offer a few beds and by and large are family-run.

There are in excess of 1,500 hotels with a total of 92,000 beds registered in the territory of ?Green Spain? -- the Atlantic regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque country.

The biggest hotel chains in northern Spain are the Grupo Sol-Melia and NH with hotels in the main towns. The standard of accommodation in these hotels is extremely high. There is also now a growing number of small individually run hotels with a distinctive character and charm, for a memorable and relaxing stay.

In Spain they have dotted throughout the country a series of state run hotels that are known as Paradors. These have classifications of anything between three to five stars in accommodation standard. Spain's first Parador opened in 1928 and now there is a wide network of them throughout the country. They are located close together so that there is never more than a day's drive to the nearest one. The Parador de los Reyes Catolicos in Santiago de Compostela, located in a former royal hunting lodge is possibly the best known Parador in the area. Other Paradors can be found in Castles, Monasteries and various other monuments?. Some Parador's have been purpose built often in spectacular scenery or in towns of historic interest.

The local Parador might not be best hotel in town but it will usually deliver a predictably consistent standard of comfort. The bedrooms are usually spacious and comfortable, and all furnished to a standard that varies little from Parador to Parador. Quite often you will find that they offer outstanding samples of 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.