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This is a modern 4th floor apartment with a nice view of the beach, in Castro Urdiales, a town on the northern coast of Spain which is on the Northern Camino de Santiago . In summer you can see the pilgrims walking along the paseo. It has wooden floors throughout, full central heating and ceiling fans in all bedrooms. Main bedroom has 150cm bed, second bedroom has two singles and third, small bedroom has 135cm bed. It has a well equipped and modern kitchen, two full bathrooms (one en suite) and a small balcony which overlooks the beach (smokers please smoke here). There are only 14 apartments in the building and we are the only non Spanish residents. There is a lift to all floors and a lock-up garage in the basement. The apartment is close to the centre of the town, so shops, supermarkets, restaurants etc are all within walking distance. Castro doesn't see many foreign tourists, but it is very popular with the Spanish. The bus to Bilbao stops virtually outside the front door and from the central bus station in Bilbao, you can take the bus to the airport, therefore you do not need a car.
WE WISH TO EXCHANGE WITH A MAXIMUM OF 4 PEOPLE, ALL OVER 14 YEARS OF AGE. SORRY BUT NO PETS.
MAXIMO de 4 PERSONAS MAYOR de 14ANOS. LO SIENTO, PERO NO MASCOTAS.
MAXIMUM de 4 PERSONNES PLUS de 14 ANS. DESOLEE MAIS PAS DE MASCOTTES.
“Calm apartment, just in front of the beach(no road between). The temperature of water was good in August, Castro beaches and the center was pleasant. No foreign tourists, only Spanish people who speak only Spanish ! Beautiful towns, ports and villages to visit and various beaches 100 kms all around.”
We are a retired couple in our 70's, who enjoy travelling, eating local food and enjoying the odd glass of wine (or two). Peter is a retired neuropsychiatrist and Lesley a retired psychologist. We really wouldn't be happy somewhere remote where we had to travel some distance to local restaurants. My sister, also retired, sometimes accompanies us. As one of us now has minor mobility problems, very sorry but we cannot consider apartments higher than the 1st floor (2nd floor in USA) without a lift. As we have our home in the UK, we are not looking for an exchange anywhere in the British Isles. We would like to be able to drive to our exchange and to have private parking (i.e. not on the street or public carpark).
Castro is at the eastern end of Cantabria, a small province on the North coast of Spain, only 10 miles from Bilbao (bus every half hour from outside the apartment). There are two streets of tapas bars in the old part of town. The Cantabrian coastline consists of wide, clean, sea-washed beaches, backed by green mountains. There are many picturesque and well known villages to explore (eg Santilla del Mar, Potes, Comillas), prehistoric cave art to visit (eg the famous Altamira cave, known as the sistine chapel of prehistoric art.) and good shopping and eating in Bilbao, where there is also an opera house and art galleries.
Because of its situation on the North coast, the climate is different from that of the Mediterranean coast, being more unpredictable and on the whole, wetter. You should not expect the white villages and blinding heat of Southern Spain, think more of green pastures, mountains, stone built houses and wide empty beaches. If you are looking for a Mediterranean beach holiday, this may not be for you. If you are looking for a quiet holiday, you should not stay in a Spanish town in summer. But if you are looking to experience the real Spain you will find it here. You will not come across many non-Spanish tourists in Castro, and as a consequence there is little English spoken here, so unless you speak some Spanish, you will need to brush up your sign language.
France (Basque region) is about 2 hours driving by motorway. The Rioja wine area is also about 2 hours away by a scenic motorway which crosses the Cantabrian mountains.
It is possible to get from Bilbao airport to the flat by bus. Castro is 20 minutes from the Ferry terminal at Santurzi (Bilbao) and 45 minutes from the ferry terminal in Santander (ferries 2 or 3 times a week to UK).
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