Spain Travel – Asturias:
Exploring Llanes, a Country Drive in the Mountains
and Great Hospitality at the Posada de Babel
On this gorgeous sunny day I had already fallen
in love with one Asturian coastal town: the scenic
town of Ribadesella had truly captured my heart
and made it into my personal travel memory bank
as one of the most scenic ocean-mountain towns I
had ever seen. Now in the mid-afternoon I had to
continue eastwards towards Llanes, another picturesque
coastal town on the Cantabrian Sea. I was going
to stay overnight near Llanes in a small country
hotel called “la Posada de Babel” in
the village of La Pereda.
Images from my drive along the northern shoreline
of Asturias
Most of my drive to Llanes took me very close to
the Atlantic coastline and I had to stop several
times to gaze out over the sandy beaches on the
ocean. After 3 pm I arrived in Llanes, a small ocean-front
town of about 14,000 people that stretches out along
the Green Coast of Spain. The Picos de Europa mountains
almost reach down to the sea here and the town is
framed by the coastal range called Sierra del Cuera.
A look at the Playa del Sablón in Llanes
with the mountains in the background
Today Llanes is a fishing port with a long history:
the remains of the town’s walls date back
to 1206. Of course, tourism has also become an important
contributor to the local economy. I stopped at a
beach area called “Playa del Sablón”,
a small scenic crescent-shaped beach that was surrounded
on the north side by a long elevated promontory
that offered gorgeous views of the entire area.
Another look at Llanes
I left my car parked at the beach and strolled
into the town which was amazingly quiet right now
because it was siesta time. Tourists in Spain have
to be aware that any time between 2 and 5 pm, Spanish
stores may close and activity ceases until the frenzy
resumes during the cooler hours of the late afternoon.
A few restaurants were open, and these were the
only places where I actually saw people. The streets,
for the most part, were completely empty.
Gorgeous architecture in Llanes
The medieval streets in the old downtown of Llanes
were narrow and cobble-stoned, The old town is centered
around the Church of Santa Maria del Concejo and
the remnants of the town’s fortification wall.
With its salt trade and fishing activity, the town
became an important trading post between 1000 and
1500 AD, giving rise to the medieval architecture
that characterizes the town’s centre.
The locals are enjoying a late lunch in Llanes
To reach my hotel for tonight, I had to conclude
my walk in Llanes and keep moving. I drove westwards
on the coast through beach towns like Celorio, Barro
and Niembro where I came across an absolutely gorgeous
little church on a small lake just inland from the
ocean. I just had to stop and take a few photos
and video clips of this extremely scenic location.
The Church of Dolores (La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora
de Dolores de Barro) is surrounded by a cemetery
with a high wall and is set right above the lake.
Sometimes impromptu travel presents you with the
most scenic unexpected vistas.
The gorgeous little Church of Dolores
Then I turned in from the coast to head up into
the mountains. Having grown up in the Austrian Alps,
I have to admit I am always a sucker for mountains
and the mountains of Asturias reminded me so much
of my home country. I drove inland on the AS 115
highway and turned off at Torrevega to get on a
narrow mountain road behind the coastal mountains.
The mountains of Asturias felt just like home
Cows and sheep were grazing on the green mountain
slopes, and the cow bells were ringing throughout
the valley. I felt like I had been transposed back
to my childhood in the mountains of Austria and
my heart started beating noticeable faster with
fond memories.
Driving through the mountains
The road became ever narrower until it pierced
the coastal range and allowed for distant views
down to the ocean and the coastline of Llanes. On
the winding serpentine curves I made my way down
the other side of the mountain and was able to locate
the village of La Pereda in the now flatter terrain.
I found the sign for “Posada de Babel”
and took a narrow road and a long driveway to enter
the country estate of my small family-owned hotel
where I would spend the next two nights. A small
white dog and a cat welcomed me as I entered the
reception area of the main building.
Blanca and Lucas, the owners the La Posada de Babel
After checking in I dropped off my suitcase in
my comfortable second floor room which overlooked
a large meadow and a forest with the coastal mountain
range in the background. I could not have found
a more idyllic and restful location than La Posada
de Babel. I went downstairs into the large library
where I sat down for a chat with the owners Lucas
and Blanca who have been running this small hotel
for almost 20 years. In the large library, guests
can enjoy two fireplaces, a bar and two great sitting
areas with floor to ceiling picture windows that
provide a stunning view out into the countryside.
Great sitting areas in the library of La Posada
de Babel
Lucas is originally from Colombia and moved to
Spain many years ago. He used to work as a tour
guide in Madrid while Blanca was working as a psychologist.
Both of them had had enough of the urban rat race
and decided they wanted to move into the country.
They chose this location outside Llanes and became
hotel entrepreneurs. They have two daughters, Elvira
and Blanca, and the family is joined by Luna, the
terrier, and Katy, the cat.
The Cube
Both Lucas and Blanca are art lovers and original
artwork is displayed all over the huge library and
the reception area. Lucas is also a big fan of modern
architecture, and in addition to the main building,
which was constructed in 1992 and holds seven guest
rooms, there are three other buildings. One of these
is “the Cube”, a 7 x 7 metre cube with
a modern minimalist design. Lucas also showed me
the Garden Suite on the main floor of the family’s
house.
The "Horreo", the converted grain storage
building
This contemporary private retreat holds two large
beds and a sofa bed and has a direct walkout to
the garden. Then there is “the Hórreo”,
a typical Asturian grain storage building from the
early 1900s that has been renovated into a two-story
room with a bathroom on the main floor and a bedroom
on the other. Lucas and Blanca obviously love architecture
and have spent a lot of time and money on creating
a truly unique environment here at the Posada de
Babel.
Lucas and his special spot in the forest
Lucas took me on a stroll around his 3.5 acre property.
He says he never gets lonely out here in the country
and feels completely at peace here. In the forested
area of his property he has even built an elevated
wooden deck where he sometimes comes to lie down
and look up at the treetops or to gaze at the stars
at night. Both Lucas and Blanca radiate a profound
sense of balance and peace and it seems they have
found their real calling with the Posada de Babel.
The Garden Suite
But not only the spiritual side is well nourished
at this idyllic country retreat; the Posada de Babel
also has a fine dining restaurant that caters to
the more earthly needs of the hotel guests. Lucas
added that when they opened their hotel, the restaurant
was open to the public. But it became so popular
and resulted in such a huge workload that Lucas
and Blanca decided to close down access to the public
and turned the restaurant into a private facility
for hotel guests only.
The restaurant at La Posada de Babel
After working 20 hour days at the beginning of
their career as hotel owners, they fine-tuned things
over a number of years and finally found the right
mix which allows for a great personalized guest
experience and a good quality of life for the owners
as well. Lucas added that he absolutely loves making
a personal connection with the guests, which had
already become evident in our conversations as we
walked around the property.
My room at La Posada de Babel
After this enjoyable initial introduction I retreated
upstairs to my room and enjoyed a much-needed rest
for a couple of hours until I came downstairs to
experience the hotel’s restaurant first-hand.
As an appetizer I enjoyed delicate tempura vegetables
with sesame sauce, and then Lucas had a surprise
for me. He called me into the kitchen to explain
the making of my dinner tonight.
My appetizer: tempura vegetables
Armed with my camera, I was ready to document the
entire process with photos and video clips. Reyes,
the chef, has been working at the Posada de Babel
for 13 years now and has become a real member of
the family. She started cooking while Lucas was
explaining what was happening. My dinner was going
to be locally caught “merluza” (hake)
and Lucas explained that this fish had been caught
by an angler on a hook, not by a large trawler in
the ocean.
Reyes, the gifted chef at La Posada de Babel
Reyes started by quickly pan-searing the fish on
both sides, and then Lucas shared the secret with
me: the key to making a perfect fish filet is to
wrap the pan in aluminum foil and take the whole
pan and put it in the oven to cook the fish through.
This is the perfect way to prevent the fish from
drying out. Reyes had already prepared a tasty salsa
with tomatoes, garlic, onion and virgin olive oil
that would serve as the bed for my delicate hake
filet. Since I had requested a spicy fish, she added
ginger and fried leek on top of the fish and drizzled
olive tapenade on the side of my plate. Together
with some fresh Asturian bread I had a delicious
spicy dinner with real ingredients from the Asturian
oceans and the countryside.
My spicy hake is ready...
Well, it had been a very long and exciting day
today, and I dropped into my bed absolutely exhausted.
But tomorrow, on my
last full day in Asturias, I would have another
chance to explore the area around Llanes and get
to know the coastal regions even better.
