Parador de Santillana Gil Blas

The Barreda-Bracho house, on Plaza de Ramón Pelayo

The Parador Gil Blas occupies the former Barreda-Bracho house, a 17th-century Baroque mansion built in the manner of the homes of the mountain gentry. It is in the lower part of the Plaza de Ramón Pelayo, Santillana's main square, beside the Torre del Merino and opposite the town hall. A more recent building was added to the old one, and the two form the hotel. The name comes from Gil Blas of Santillana, the rogue in Lesage's novel.

Sleeping here means being inside the pedestrian old town: you step out of the door onto the square and walk down to the collegiate church of Santa Juliana in about five minutes, along the streets of El Cantón and El Río.

Wooden floors and fireplaces

The rooms have wooden floors and decoration in the Cantabrian mountain style, and some, a few, have a fireplace. The house also has terraces and lounges to stay indoors on rainy days. Paradores does not detail on that page how many rooms of each type there are or what price each has: compare it in its booking engine by date.

A word of caution when booking: Paradores has another establishment in the town, the Parador de Santillana del Mar. Check that you choose the Gil Blas if it is the mansion you are after.

Driving to a car-free old town

Santillana is 24 km from Santander. From the road that runs from Santander to Comillas, a cobbled street of about a hundred metres leads to the parador. The parking is outdoors and paid; ask the price when you book. Without a car, there are La Cantábrica buses from Santander and Torrelavega.

Eating without going out

The parador's restaurant cooks Cantabrian recipes: cocido montañés, rabas, Santoña anchovies and quesada pasiega. It is also open to those not staying. For something more informal, the Sidrería Casa Miguel is on Calle del Río, on the way to the collegiate church.

Bookings at Paradores

Book on the Paradores website, on 942 028 028 or at [email protected].