Hotels and places to stay in Isla

Isla, in Cantabria, is a small town but with a wider range of accommodation than it seems: 47 options including apartments, hotels, guest houses and the occasional villa. Most are concentrated in the town centre, near the church and the bridge over the river Miera, and in the area that goes up towards the main road. If what you're looking for is peace and quiet and being able to walk to the bars and shops, that area suits you well. The apartments, of which there are 20, tend to be spread around the old town and in low-rise developments; the hotels, 12, are located more at the entrance to the town or next to the road, which makes parking easier but means a bit more traffic noise. The guest houses, 5, are on inner streets and tend to be the cheapest.

The main difference between one area and another is the distance to Isla beach, which is about two kilometres from the centre. If you're coming with children or intending to spend the day on the sand, you'd do well to look for accommodation in the lower part, towards the campsite and the river mouth, although there is less availability there and it fills up earlier. The rest of the town is a twenty-minute walk or a five-minute drive away. To get around, the most practical thing is the car: Isla has no train station, and the regular bus stops on the N-634 road, a kilometre from the centre. From Santander, which is about 45 minutes away, you can get there by car via the A-8 and then the CA-141. In the town, parking in August is difficult, so if your accommodation doesn't have a space, ask beforehand.

As for prices, the lowest you'll find is around 53 euros per night, and the average is 178, which gives you an idea of the range. The average category of the establishments is 3.1 stars, so don't expect great luxury, but rather decent, family-friendly places. If you want it to come out cheaper, avoid July and August, and above all the week of Santiago (late July) and the first half of August, which is when it rises the most. May, June and September are the months with the best value for money, and many accommodations lower their rates during the week. Before booking, check whether the price includes bed linen and towels, because in some apartments it doesn't, and confirm whether check-in is in person or with a code, as at the H Pelayo Isla Auto Check-In Rooms, which works with automatic entry. It's also worth checking whether there is a minimum number of nights at weekends and whether they accept pets, because not all of them do.