A Family Holiday to Northern Spain
Back in 2008 we took our 9 week old Firstborn to Spain to meet her Abuela, and somehow in the blink of an eye 17 years had gone by and we hadn’t made it back. Well this Easter we rectified that, and took all 3 children to see their Abuela, and to also to see where their Dad grew up. To try and make the visit into more of a holiday we stayed at a Eurocamp called Camping Playa Joyel in Noja, luckily just a 30 minute drive from where my Mother in Law lives. This meant the kids got the benefit of the pool, beach and play areas on site, but without sacrificing family time.
Visiting in April meant we had a mixed bag weather wise, but luckily most of the April showers had the decency to happen at night time or when we were indoors, and there was still enough warmth when the sun came out for our hardy kids to brave the unheated outdoor pool (I was not as brave!)
I had low expectations for the site, as it is the only Eurocamp in Northern Spain so it was the only real option, but I was pleasantly surprised. Our caravan had a view of the sea, and was less than a minutes walk to a gate that took you straight onto the beach. The children were disappointed by the lack of waterslides at the pools, but we took their rubber rings and they still had a great time playing in the 3 different pools. And given the cooler temperatures they usually had the place to themselves.
Looking back at the campsite from the beach. One of those caravans was ours.
Our kids have outgrown play parks, but the on site one looked fab, and our Youngest had fun making the most of the on site table tennis. There was also mini golf, but unfortunately it didn’t open till May. The on site shop was packed with everything you could need for the week, and then some, and wasn’t too overpriced. There is also an ice cream and sweet shop which was a big hit with all 3 children.
The town of Noja also had a good range of shops, supermarkets and eateries. You could easily find everything you need there without having to venture far, but then you’d miss out on all that Northern Spain has to offer, and it has so much.
Here’s a little run down of what we got up to whilst we were there. Hopefully it will inspire you to visit this beautiful part of Spain.
Noja
We spent a lot of time in Noja, as it was where we were staying. The coastline is so beautiful and dramatic, as you can see from these images, taken across the whole week we were there.
Laredo
We visited Laredo a couple of times, as it is very close to where my Mother in Law lives. Walking through the tunnel to the beach there is a must.
Walking through the tunnel in Laredo.
Santander
We had an amazing day out in Santander. We spent a rainy morning in the Valle Real (an indoor shopping centre) which was a big hit with our teenage daughter. The rain subsided in time for lunch, and so we headed into the centre of Santander. We had a delicious lunch at the “Picos De Europa” cafe, and our very fussy children said it was one of the best meals they’d ever had, so I can highly recommend checking it out.
We then walked through the centre to check out the famous Los Raqueros statues. A tribute to the children who worked in the docks. They were very haunting and moving statues.
Then we went to visit the Magdalena palace and gardens. I fondly remember my Husband taking me here back when we were dating, so it was fun to re-visit all these years later, and with our three children. As well as penguins and seals, they have beautiful grounds to walk around with amazing views out to sea. And it’s all free!
Liencres
By far my favourite day of the holiday. We traveled 40 minutes to Liencres to meet up with some of my Husband’s friends. They took us on an incredible walk through the forest and down to the beach. The coastline here is so dramatic and beautiful, and I actually wished I had a geologist with me as I was fascinated by all the rocks and formations there. My photos do not do it justice. Add it to your must do list if you are ever in Northern Spain.
We also had the most amazing meal out at a local restaurant called Hosteria De Boo, where I was brave and tried the set menu of the day, and was rewarded with my favourite meal of the holiday.
All in all we had an incredible week visiting Northern Spain, and I hope this blog post helps inspire your travel plans.
Below is a little video summary of our holiday if you fancy having a watch.
Snippets from our holiday to northern Spain.
Practicalities:
We flew with Ryanair from Birmingham to Santander, but you could also opt for the ferry to Santander if you don’t want to fly. My daughter and I both get sea sick so we didn’t fancy spending 2 days on a boat. We try to avoid flying whenever possible due to the environmental impact, but this was our first flight since 2019, so hopefully the planet will forgive us.
We hired a car for ease of exploring, and visiting family and friends, and it was definitely essential for us. So I can’t speak to how good the public transport there is.
We stayed at Camping Playa Joyel, we booked via Eurocamp and stayed in a premium caravan.
My Husband is fluent in Spanish and this definitely made so many parts of our holiday easier to navigate, but I don’t think we would have struggled if we’d only spoken English, and most Spaniards were pleasantly surprised to hear him speaking Spanish, so I assume the majority of tourists don’t.
Parking: We were pleasantly surprised to find most car parks were free. We only paid for one, which was in the centre of Santander. I think the Spanish government want to encourage people to visit the beaches and beauty spots, and we definitely appreciated it.
