{"id":2460,"date":"2017-01-18T09:26:37","date_gmt":"2017-01-18T08:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.travel-advisor.eu\/?p=2460\/"},"modified":"2017-01-18T09:27:04","modified_gmt":"2017-01-18T08:27:04","slug":"llanes-untouched-gem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travel-advisor.eu\/en\/llanes-untouched-gem\/","title":{"rendered":"Llanes, an untouched gem in Asturias, Green Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Genevieve McCarthy, Owner of Cellar Tours<\/strong><\/p>\n

www.cellartours.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Flanked by the majestic Picos de Europa mountain range and facing the sea, Llanes in Asturias has one of the most dramatic settings in Spain.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The town is compact and quain<\/strong>t and features a medieval core bursting<\/strong> to the brim with cozy cider houses and busy tapas bars, a picturesque fishing port, three charming cove style beaches and a number of gorgeous coastal walks.<\/p>\n

Llanes became a prominent town<\/strong> under King Alfonso IX of Leon in the 13th<\/sup> century and there are still remnants of the medieval wall<\/strong> that surrounded the town, and a wonderful medieval tower, in addition to the beautiful Basilica of Santa Maria,<\/strong> the chapels of Santa Ana and the Magdalena.<\/strong> But it is the Palacios de los Indianos that distinguish this lovely town. The <\/strong>Indianos were emigres who traveled to Cuba and Mexico in the 1800’s and early 1900’s and brought back vast fortunes made in tobacco, textiles and banking, building wonderful colonial mansions<\/strong> which now characterize the region of Asturias<\/strong>, an in particular this part of Eastern Asturias, near the border of Cantabria.<\/p>\n

Llanes and Mexico are still very much linked and in summer the town swells with visiting Mexicans descended<\/strong> from these Llaniscos, many of which still have family houses in the area. Indeed there are some fantastic Mexican restaurants<\/strong> in the area founded by these descendants such as Chibiski in Llanes and El Mexicano in the nearby colonial village of Colombres, both highly recommended. The nearly 150-year-old local newspaper El Oriente<\/strong> de Asturias, has a great archive of some of the best known Indianos.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Llanes is a town but also a province, <\/strong><\/p>\n

extending 30 kilometres along the coast and inland to the Sierra del Cuera<\/strong> mountains. There are approximately 14,000 residents in the area, and the area is pristine with beautiful coastal hamlets and unspoiled rural pueblos<\/strong>. There are 30 white sand beaches in Llanes<\/strong>, and some of the loveliest include stunning Andrin and twinned Ballota, dramatic\u00a0 Cuevas del Mar, dreamy\u00a0 Antilles in Cue, astonishingly beautiful Torimbia with its<\/p>\n

half moon bay, lively Palombina in Celorio, surfer heaven San Antolin<\/strong> and breathtaking, amusingly name Poo, pronounced Poe in Spanish.<\/p>\n

There are also two unique interior beaches with no sea shore,<\/strong> both declared natural monuments- Cobijeru and Gulpiyuri. The sea water surges through tiny natural tunnels<\/strong> in the limestone cliffs high tide to these unusual beaches, and they are great picnic spots for families with small children.<\/p>\n

Another unique geological phenomenon in Llanes is the Bufones.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These natural sea geysers<\/strong> shoot through holes created by erosion near the cliffs and make an impressive, loud whoosh when the waves come crashing in and shooting water out through these small holes. The best ones are the Bufones de Pr\u00eda, the Bufones de Arenillas, the Buf\u00f3n de Santiuste and the Buf\u00f3n de Santa Clara. Going inland, you will find magical meadows and local architecture such as the Horreos, which are used to store and dry<\/p>\n

the corn and other grains off the ground and away from scavengers and damp.<\/p>\n

Asturias is home to literally hundreds of artisan cheeses<\/strong>,<\/p>\n

and Llanes province is rich in terrific local cheese. Some of the best ones included the smoked queso de Pria<\/strong>, the delicate cow’s cheese from Queser\u00eda Picurriellu<\/strong> in the Valle Oscuro, the sublime mixed goat and cow’s cheese from Queseria Bedon<\/strong> and the semi cured sheep’s cheese from Queseria <\/strong>Collera in the beach town of Vidiago.<\/strong> The cheeses perfectly accompany the locally made and abundantly consumed sidra, natural cider.<\/p>\n

Ciderhouses, called Chigres, are everywhere in this area and you can get a wonderful plate of local artisan cheeses at virtually all of them, a gourmet luxury.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Llanes is a town and a region that will enchant you and have you returning summer after summer!<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What to see and do<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Llanes, visit the old town, Paseo San Pedro- a 1km long coastal promenade overlooking cliffs, and the Playa de Tor\u00f3 beach- best place for an aperitif at sunset overlooking the ocean. In the area, there are a number of cute villages to visit for lunch before or after a beach session such as Nueva, Buelna, Naves, Cue, Barro, and Andrin. The whole region has a vast network of paved coastal walking and cycling paths and there are delightful walks between Poo and San Martin, Naves and Bedon, and Pendueles to Bustio, to name only a few. Llanes is also on the northern coast pilgrimage path of St James \u2013 the Camino de Santiago- and you will see many pilgrims on these paths.<\/p>\n

There are endless excursions you can enjoy from Llanes under an hour drive. For culture and shopping, Oviedo and Gijon are great Asturian towns. Oviedo is especially known for theatre and antiques. For meandering along the coast and enjoying great seafood spots for lunch, Tazones and Lastres are absolutely idyllic little fishing villages with unbelievably fresh fish eateries, also very well priced for the high quality. For bustling markets, Cangas de<\/p>\n

Onis has a marvellous country market on Sundays which guests can finish off with a chigre lunch and a digestive walk around the Lakes of Covadonga.<\/p>\n