Casa Cusau, Asturias: a stylish family base for exploring the rugged charms of northern Spain

Victoria Averill and her family find adventure in Spain's off the beaten track Asturias region
1/5
Victoria Averill24 January 2018

There seem to be fewer and fewer places left in Northern Europe which feel off the beaten track and yet still accessible and ripe for adventure.

For me the ultimate holiday comprises majestic, rugged mountains sweeping down towards wild, hidden beaches. A place where you can get up and trek along mountain paths in the early morning and then in the afternoon pack your swims and head towards the coast, following tracks you’re not entirely sure even head towards the sea until you happen upon surfers, boards on heads, trekking down a cliff path towards a sandy cove. This is northern Spain’s Asturias region.

Casa Cusau is a restored cattle barn nestled in a mountain hamlet in the Picos de Europa national park. The Picos are nothing short of spectacular - groups of massive sheer cliff faces housing small villages and hamlets and dropping abruptly down towards woodlands, streams and rivers. This is a place for trekkers, birdwatchers and surfers alike as well as those like us on a family trip where you can grab a short hike along a mountain stream with the promise of an icy plunge into clear waters at the end.

After work stints abroad, urban planner and architect Olga Ramalle and Marc Funival hung up their globetrotting boots but wanted to find a bolthole away from London. Olga, a native Asturian, hankered to return to her roots and the pair had a feeling that the area, with well-connected flights from London and mainland Europe - could work for them. Both Santander and Asturias airports are just an hour’s drive to Casa Cusau.

The house:

We met Olga and Marc at La Molina village, at the western end of the Cabrales Valley and it was then a two minute drive down the winding mountain road to their hamlet. Originally a stone barn, their two storey holiday house has been lovingly restored and modernised using natural materials from the local area.

The cosy sitting room

The couple have created a paired-down, minimalist interior with much thought going into the furniture and layout - the kitchen, dining and living area are upstairs with views out towards the Picos mountains, with a beautiful stone fireplace and small stone terrace to take your morning coffee. A full wine rack stacked with Galician red, Alessi crockery and comfortable bed linen are just a few of the small touches that this generous spirited couple have provided to make this mountain hideaway such a cosy retreat.

One of the simple but stylish bedrooms

Where to eat and drink:

With both mountains and beaches easily accessible from Casa Cusau, you can afford to indulge in both delicious sea food one day and local mountain meats and cheeses the next. The traditional Asturian dish is fabada, a hearty meat and white bean stew which should be washed down with locally brewed cider drunk “escanciada” (a little poured from height to aerate it and drunk straight away).

Las Arenas de Cabrales is the nearest town with a host of tapas bars and small restaurants. For more upmarket cuisine head to Ariondas or Lugar Cruz de Illas where you’ll find three Michelin starred restaurants: Casa Marcial , El Corral del Indianu and Koldo Miranda. Along the coast Ribadesella, a pretty seaside town, is a good place to find excellent grilled fish and seafood.

From the village of La Molina, Arenas de Cabrales, a 15 minute drive, has a large selection of shops to stock up on provisions and there are weekly markets in the nearby towns of Llanes, Ribadesella, Posada and Nueva.

What to do and see:

Beach of Torimbia, near to Llanes in Austurias
Shutterstock

There are numerous hikes and treks ranging from the kid-friendly Casano river walk which takes you alongside the river lined with Chestnut trees (perfect for taking back to roast on the open fire) to a bathing area - to the more challenging circular Andara walk which takes in spectacular mountain views. The Casa Cusau website gives detailed descriptions of walks in the area and you can find maps and guide books at the house.

The northern Spanish coastline is beautiful and wild and is a Mecca for surfers in particular the beaches west of Llanes. Mino at Llanes Surf & Adventure is a teacher and a font of knowledge on all the good breaks in the area.

How to get there:

Casa Cusau is 90 minutes from both Santander (Ryanair has flights one way from £34) and Asturias airports. Bilbao airport is two hours away.

Details

You can book Casa Cusau through Cool Stays here. From £131 per night.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in