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Caminos by Casas Cantabricas

NC1 Bilbao to Santiago - Norte Traveller Reviews

Reviews of NC1 Bilbao to Santiago - Norte

Overall Holiday Rating
97%
Excellent 15
Good 3
Average 0
Poor 0
Terrible 0
Reviews Submitted: 18
Reviews Accepted: 18
Reviews Rejected: 0
18 reviews
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NC1 Bilbao to Santiago - Norte by P & J, 26 Sep 2016
Holiday Rating:

Northern Spain - East to West

We toured, over14 days, from Bilbao to Santiago de Compostella. It was an interesting mix of coast, mountains and towns. The hotels we stayed in were very varied, including a medieval house, a grand villa, a monastery and an ultra modern hotel.

We toured, over14 days, from Bilbao to Santiago de Compostella. It was an interesting mix of coast, mountains and towns. The hotels we stayed in were very varied, including a medieval house, a grand villa, a monastery and an ultra modern hotel.

Rating for tour operator:

We booked the flights independently but everything else was arranged by Casa Cantabricas. Everything worked to plan and there were no problems. We were supplied with good information about all the areas we stayed in. The hotels had obviously been chosen carefully and the staff spoke English and were very helpful

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 03 Oct 2016:

Many thanks Paul, we're so glad that you had such a great time and enjoyed the mix of places we chose for you. We like to think that it's the individual characters of the hotels we use which make the difference to the trip and it's so rewarding when that element is appreciated!

NC1 Bilbao to Santiago - Norte by Dave, 16 May 2016
Holiday Rating:

A well organised holiday with good hotels and a good route though Northern Spain

The holiday was very well organised. Everything went smoothly with the hire car, the hotels and the taxi transfers, and all the people involved in these (and with the bookings) were friendly and efficient. The route selected met our needs entirely, and took us to the key parts of Northern Spain. Hotel selection was good, both in terms of the quality of the hotels and their accessibility (particularly for Bilbao as the hotel was easily located ...

The holiday was very well organised. Everything went smoothly with the hire car, the hotels and the taxi transfers, and all the people involved in these (and with the bookings) were friendly and efficient. The route selected met our needs entirely, and took us to the key parts of Northern Spain. Hotel selection was good, both in terms of the quality of the hotels and their accessibility (particularly for Bilbao as the hotel was easily located by car, and the city centre was very close and easily and pleasantly reached via the funicular railway. The idea of leaving the hire car at Santiago airport and doing the remaining transfers by taxis was very good, as a car would just be a hindrance in Santiago. All the above made for a pleasant and sress-free holiday.

Rating for tour operator:

Very friendly, efficient and easy to deal with when booking, and clearly had the experience and knowledge to put together an excellent package of route, transfers and hotels. The Vamoos application (on Ipad for me) worked very well and meant my documentation was all in one place. A nice touch was the arrival of a guidebook and map shortly before we left.

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 02 Jun 2016:

Thanky you so much David - that's most appreciated! We're so glad we hit the mark with the hotels and that you appreciated some of the finer details (like the transfers in Santiago and the hotel location in Bilbao) which we like to think make the whole thing tick

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 02 Jun 2016:

And thanks for that feedback - there's obviously a lot goes into the app in particular and it's lovely to see it's appreciated!

NC1 Bilbao to Santiago - Norte by Bart Simpson, 2 May 2016
Holiday Rating:

Santander - Santiago - Santander over 8 days

We travelled in early April, arriving in Santander on April 6th, travelling to Libardon for 2 nights. We then travelled to La Senra for one night before arriving in Santiago on Saturday afternoon. After one night there we returned to Santander stopping in Puerto do Vego { 2 nights) and Santillana for one night. Each hotel stop was superb, where we were made most welcome. The programme put together by Casas Cantabricas was excellent in every way...

We travelled in early April, arriving in Santander on April 6th, travelling to Libardon for 2 nights. We then travelled to La Senra for one night before arriving in Santiago on Saturday afternoon. After one night there we returned to Santander stopping in Puerto do Vego { 2 nights) and Santillana for one night. Each hotel stop was superb, where we were made most welcome. The programme put together by Casas Cantabricas was excellent in every way. I had not been in Northern Spain since 2005 and this was a memorable week for both of us. I plan to return in 2017.

Rating for tour operator:

Casas Cantibricas put together an excellent bespoke programme for us which met and surpassed our expectations. This involved hotel and car hire package, which worked very well.

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 11 May 2016:

Thanks Bart, that's great feedback and the first of 2016 - most appreciated!

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 11 May 2016:

And thanks for those comments. We were only too happy to adapt our standard route to the bespoke Camino and thrilled to hear it turned out so well!

NC1 Bilbao to Santiago - Norte by Tony, 12 Sep 2015
Holiday Rating:

Great variety in an unspoilt part of Spain

Mixture of historic cities and rural locations, with many unspoilt beaches and coastal villages in one of the best parts of Spain. The old towns in Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela offered the chance to walk through medieval streets with many shops, bars and restaurants. Santillana del Mar was a real surprise - an ancient town almost unaltered over the centuries, but with interesting shops and good restaurants. Luarca is a jewel of a fishing ...

Mixture of historic cities and rural locations, with many unspoilt beaches and coastal villages in one of the best parts of Spain. The old towns in Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela offered the chance to walk through medieval streets with many shops, bars and restaurants. Santillana del Mar was a real surprise - an ancient town almost unaltered over the centuries, but with interesting shops and good restaurants. Luarca is a jewel of a fishing village, with ancient harbour, excellent beaches and none of the tourist attractions and modern hotels that, for me, spoil large parts of Spain, especially in the south. All our hotels were excellent, all being small and very traditional - several of them historic buildings of some note.

Rating for tour operator:

Very useful to have everything arranged for us, but to our individual specification and not as part of a package or tourist group. We arranged our own flights, but everything else was done for us. This included a hire car at Bilbao airport, which we left at Santiago de Compostela two weeks later, maps and instructions to guide us to each of the six locations we stayed in, guide books and information about the whole area and the booking of traditional small hotels in unusual locations that we would never have found ourselves. The tour operator had personal, first-hand knowledge of all the places we stayed at and was well-known to all the hotel owners.

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 14 Sep 2015:

That's fantastic Tony, many thanks! Knowing that you have travelled quite extensively in southern Spain it's all the more satisfying that you found the north so much to your liking.

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 14 Sep 2015:

And thanks so much for those kind words, most appreciated!

NC1 Bilbao to Santiago - Norte by Dr J H 15, 9 Sep 2015
Holiday Rating:

Northern Spain Adventure

A fantastic trip through the real Spain. Historic villages, cities, beaches, fishing villages and the magnificent Picos. Relaxation, history, walking and plenty of great food. Small, friendly family run hotels each with something special.

A fantastic trip through the real Spain. Historic villages, cities, beaches, fishing villages and the magnificent Picos. Relaxation, history, walking and plenty of great food. Small, friendly family run hotels each with something special.

Rating for tour operator:

Very helpful at every contact and excellent local knowledge....really got the feeling they care about their tours and would definitely travel with them again.

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 10 Sep 2015:

Excellent! So pleased to hear that you had such a great time - sounds like you really discovered the essence of Northern Spain!

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 10 Sep 2015:

We certainly do care and it's lovely when that is acknowledged. We'd love to hear from you again in the future and are preparing plenty of exciting new tours in other parts of 'Real Spain'

NC1 Bilbao to Santiago - Norte by comqua, 12 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

Very well organised and instructions excellent

We thoroughly enjoyed the variety of hotels we stayed in. It was great to have different types of places and to enjoy the countryside surrounding them. The distances between the hotels was about right and gave us plenty of time for exploring. We didn't feel pressured at all. We received wonderful welcomes at all the hotels - almost as though we were members of the family returning home!

We thoroughly enjoyed the variety of hotels we stayed in. It was great to have different types of places and to enjoy the countryside surrounding them. The distances between the hotels was about right and gave us plenty of time for exploring. We didn't feel pressured at all. We received wonderful welcomes at all the hotels - almost as though we were members of the family returning home!

Rating for tour operator:

The organisation of the booking was extremely good and they kept in touch with us throughout ensuring that we got exactly what we wanted. They even made some suggestions about the best time to give up the hire car as there was nowhere to park in Santiago.

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 13 Aug 2015:

That's wonderful thanks Rosemary, particularly the last comment about the welcome received at the hotels - that's exactly what we are trying to achieve by working with small, individual hotels rather than larger hotels or Paradors. So glad to hear you had a nice time!

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 13 Aug 2015:

And thanks so much for those comments. We hope it's that level of personal service and local knowledge which differentiates us from our competitors and which help you get so much more out of the experience!

NC1 Bilbao to Santiago - Norte by Prioress, 10 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

Northern Spain - self-drive

We travelled from Bilbao to Santiago de Compostela and back over 2 weeks staying at 6 different hotels. We enjoyed the variety of the holiday, it gave us a good experience of northern Spain.

We travelled from Bilbao to Santiago de Compostela and back over 2 weeks staying at 6 different hotels. We enjoyed the variety of the holiday, it gave us a good experience of northern Spain.

Rating for tour operator:

Casa Cantabricas sorted the hotels, car hire and provided information on routes and points of interest. We sourced flights independently. They also made sure that some individual requests were accommodated, and tailored the holiday to suit our flight preferences.

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 12 Aug 2015:

Excellent! We're so happy you enjoyed your Camino del Norte tour.

NC1 Bilbao to Santiago - Norte by Scottish traveller, 17 Jul 2015
Holiday Rating:

Great fly drive holiday across Northern Spain

Great to be able to fly direct from Edinburgh to North Spain (Santander)and then pick up a car. Driving along the Costa Verde and up into the Picos mountains was fantastic - great scenery, really nice, family-run, small hotels and lovely food and drink. I'd recommend it to anyone

Great to be able to fly direct from Edinburgh to North Spain (Santander)and then pick up a car. Driving along the Costa Verde and up into the Picos mountains was fantastic - great scenery, really nice, family-run, small hotels and lovely food and drink. I'd recommend it to anyone

Rating for tour operator:

I happened on Casas Cantabricas through Google and they could not have been more helpful - pulling together a fly drive package that exactly suited our needs and consulting and advising us at all stages.

Caminos by Casas Cantabricas responded to this review on 21 Jul 2015:

That's wonderful Mark, many thanks! We'd love to see more travellers from north of the border taking advantage of that direct link to Santander