Federica & Co, a charming cottage in Nogales
Can there be a better plan to celebrate love than a weekend in Cantabrian lands? Nature and fresh air in forests and beaches that encourage you to walk; a house with a special charm for sleeping; local shopping and a gastronomy of licking the fingers.
Check out our practical guide to enjoy a weekend of love lost between the green and the sea.
SWEET AND LOVING DREAMS IN AN INDIANA HOUSE
Federica & Co. , is a wonderful gastronomic cottage, renovated by its own owner and located in the small town of Novales.
Although, as she herself says, her first idea was to use it as a warehouse for the online store, now it is a direct sales space where you can find antiques and tableware from very chic markets in France, Italy, England or Sweden.
Don't forget to say hello to Darwin!
If you want to surprise your partner, Fede offers interesting one-day Mediterranean cooking courses –with a clear Italian family influence–, and romantic candlelight dinners in its vintage parlor Accompanied with music according to the moment.
She takes care of everything, and doesn't skimp when it comes to shopping, based on gourmet products of exquisite quality, because "I always look for what I would like to eat," she says.
Sleep in one of its three wonderful rooms, decorated with the characteristic Laura Ashley floral wallpapers, linen sheets and antique furniture, It cannot be a better option for a romantic weekend.
A good plan? enjoy a relaxing candlelight bath in the antique tub.
Finally, do not say goodbye to this place without two obligatory things: greet Darwin, the most famous donkey in Spain, and acquire some of the decorative objects and household items that she exhibits in the store, installed in the garage.
The rooms are decorated with the wonderful floral wallpapers of Laura Ashley
MEALS TO SURPRISE
In this weekend class it is essential conquer the couple by the stomach, and there is no better way than to do it with Cantabrian product one hundred percent natural and of quality. Two options for lunch and one, without a doubt, for dinner.
The networks it's an essential classic next to the old wharf of San Vicente de la Barquera. In front of their kitchens are Susana, known in the municipality and surroundings as a teacher of rice dishes and local dishes such as the sorropotun (Cantabrian tuna stew) , cod tripe or guadañeta baby squid, and on the other José, in charge of selecting and preparing the best fish and shellfish from the nearby fish markets, always wild and at its point.
To top off so much love, a little sweet won't feel bad, that's why you shouldn't stop trying her homemade desserts, all washed down with one of the more than 250 wine references that make up her letter.
** Abacería la S al , “a small establishment with a lot of personality”** would be the best definition of this restaurant, led by the young and charming Leticia.
A perfect option for an informal meal in the form of Coquettish gastro-bar with a gourmet products shop and only two tables in the back.
In Abacería la Sal you can enjoy their products and buy your favorites in their store!
Try your Russian salad with magic formula, its salmon, its sausages, its preserves, its spoon stews and other top delicacies like Cod loin with ratatouille and homemade fried tomato.
In addition, by having a small store, most of the food you taste at lunch you can take home. Above all, its star product, the bottle of Cabezón de la Sal salt.
Finally, for a great dinner you have to go to Cofino House , a restaurant with more than 50 years of life and great recognition throughout the province, installed in a small typical house in the town of Caviedes.
Although, you have the option of enjoying some tapas in the bar area, if you choose this place it is to treat yourself an authentic gastronomic tribute.
It is a benchmark in mountain cuisine, and although its stew and its meats are the most popular, the menu also highlights seafood such as squid rings, anchovies, mussels, ventresca and bonito or cod with tomato.
Salt from Cabezón de la Sal, a souvenir to season your recipes at home
You should know he's known to have one of the best wine bars in Spain. So much so that several experts have cataloged it as the second best in the country, after Atrio. Eye, one important thing, Reserve, because there is a queue at the door!
LANDSCAPES FOR THE SOUVENIR PHOTO
There is no weekend in love without an image to remember, and if Cantabria has something, it is landscape to get the most romantic and beautiful photo. Two options; mountain or sea, depending on the couple's taste.
if searched clean air, green decorations and nature in its purest state, your destiny is Sequoia Forest, a true fairytale landscape. It is located in the Mount Cabezon , and it is a protected space full of imposing sequoias, which can exceed 100 meters in height and can live up to 200 years.
The Sequoia Forest looks like something out of a fairy tale
It is such a spectacular site that sometimes the photo is the beauty of the tree itself. A local legend tells that, if you hug him, he will give you good luck.
For lovers of the sea, who enjoy the unmistakable sound that the waves of the Bay of Biscay make when they break, the place is the Oyambre beach, with more than 2 km. long and next to the mouth of the Ría de la Rabia.
It is one of the best preserved in the region and its dune field, which separates it from the estuary, stands out. The best selfie? Up.
Oyambre beach, love between the waves
SOUVENIRS IN THE SUITCASE
In addition to the photos, it is worth taking a souvenir of the trip, and in this region of good food, it is a must a stop in Aramburu, in the beautiful town of Comillas. A gourmet store, which has an impeccable selection of local products from top brands and denomination of origin.
What do you want to put in the shopping basket? Red meats, homemade sausages, pantrucos, cheeses, jams, honeys and typical sweets, They coexist with a complete wine cellar, natural cider and spirits.
A visit to the House of the Quesadas, in the picturesque town of Santillana del Mar. It is worth queuing to buy a delicious bag of sobaos or a rich portion of quesada.
And it is that, it is said, that in love the diet does not matter.
The sobaos: simply irresistible