Hotel Altamira

A manor house on calle del Cantón

The Hotel Altamira is in the very centre of the medieval town, at number 1 calle del Cantón, the shopping street that links Plaza de Ramón Pelayo with calle del Río and the collegiate church. It occupies a 16th-century Cantabrian manor house that belonged to Juan de Valdivielso, Santillana's notary. It is a hotel with a family feel, which presents itself as stately and quiet, and whose staff help organise your stay and excursions.

The rooms

There are 32, rural in style, with private bathroom and television. The website distinguishes five types:

• Double and double for single use, rural in style.
• Triple, with three single beds and a flat-screen television.
• Quadruple and family, on the third floor: a double bed and a small sitting room with two beds, separated by a door. They are the option for families with children.

The website does not publish prices or sizes, or whether there is a lift to the third floor: ask when booking if you are travelling with lots of luggage or with older people.

Eating and parking

The hotel has a restaurant with set menu and à la carte of regional produce and dishes, in the dining room or on the terrace. Santillana's old town is pedestrianised: the car is left in the car parks at the entrance, and the nearest is 200 metres from the hotel. If you arrive without a car, La Cantábrica has buses from Santander and Torrelavega.

Who it is for

It suits those who want to sleep inside the town and walk it first thing or in the late afternoon, when it empties of visitors. The family rooms on the third floor make it practical for families. For couples looking for something smaller and tucked away, the Posada La Casa del Organista is on a quieter street; for a Baroque manor house on the square, there is the Parador Gil Blas.

What is nearby

On foot, the whole walk through the town and the collegiate church. According to the hotel, the Altamira Museum and the Neocave are 4 km away, the Santillana zoo 3 km, Comillas 17 km and the El Soplao cave 44 km. The nearest beaches it mentions are Los Locos, in Suances, 10 km away, and Luaña, in Cóbreces, 13; another option is Santa Justa beach. Bookings on 942 818 025 or on its website.