Official UK partner to the Paradors, Pousadas, Pestana Hotels & Resorts,
Teritoria, and European Hotels Collection. Keytours International,
formerly Keytel International, your agent in the UK.
Cantabrian-style manor house (3*)
The attractive Parador de Santillana del Mar, which originally served as an annexe to the nearby Parador de Santillana Gil Blas, beautifully maintains the traditional local style of architecture, with stone arches, pantiled roof, wooden balconies and beamed ceilings. The cosy building has the feel of a Cantabrian-style mansion house or coaching inn, such is the lovely traditional design of the building and its setting. Located conveniently close to Santander (15 miles away) and on the main square of one of the most attractive and well-preserved old villages in Spain, the Parador de Santillana is a good base for exploring both the northern coast of Cantabria with its superb beach-es and coves, and the magnificent mountains of the Picos de Europa. Also nearby are the world-famous Altamira Caves, with their prehistoric cave paintings.
The Parador de Santillana del Mar has just 28 bedrooms – making it one of the smallest and prettiest Paradors in the network – and although it may not share the same historical significance of the original Parador de Santillana Gil Blas, it certainly has charm aplenty. Guests often tell us that there is little to separate the two properties in their appeal (except for the location of the bar and restaurant in the original Parador and the difference in price between the two properties of about 10%). Bedrooms generally overlook the delightful gardens, with wooden furnishings and rustic décor. The facilities available at Santillana’s Parador include gardens and the bar and restaurant – where you may sample traditional Cantabrian dishes – are located in the Parador de Santillana Gil Blas, just across the square. There is exterior parking at this Parador for a daily charge. The Parador is accessed through the entrance to the old town, which involves passing through security bollards which will be raised immediately when you identify yourselves as guests of the Parador.
Keytours tips
The town’s name is fascinating since it seems to imply that this is a seaside town, and although the town isn’t far from the coast, it is the place where ‘’Santa Iliana came from the sea’’. Described by Jean Paul Sartre as ‘’the loveliest town in Spain’’ and by Unamuno as ‘’a town enveloped in literary prestige’’, Santillana is a delightful stopover either on the Camino de Santiago (the Pilgrim’s way of St James) or along the northern coastline. In the 18th century the French author Lesage wrote his novel ‘Gil Blas de Santillana’ and the town was declared a national monument in 1889. Many of Santillana’s original buildings and monuments have been maintained - generally houses of the nobility which still display their coats of arms today – and the town’s records reach back to the 9th century when the north of the peninsula was resisting the Moorish conquest. The monastery of Santa Juliana, later to be extended and converted into the Romanesque collegiate church in the 12th century, and it was the Church that controlled and oversaw the surrounding lands until the 16th century when the nobility finally governed.
Much of the town’s architecture dates from the period of Spain’s good fortunes in the Americas and in the 19th century in southern Spain, and in the 1920s, the Count of Guell extolled the virtues of Santillana and helped to spread word of its appeal. He was the founder of the hotel in the 17th century building, set on the main square, which later became the original Parador de Santillana Gil Blas in 1944. The town benefited from the importation of exotic plants and furnishings from far-flung lands and the influence of the colonies is still evident in the design of many gardens.
The Parador is currently closed for refurbishment until 31st July 2026*.
*Current schedule for reopening, subject to change. Please check our Parador closures page for the most up-to-date information here.
Breakfast is served from 8.00 to 11.00 in the Parador.
Dinner is served in neighbouring Parador de Santillana Gil Blas from 20.30 to 22.30. It may be possible to arrive up to 22.00 and still enjoy a meal.
The Parador is located in Santillana del Mar's main plaza, in which the city's most characteristic buildings are also located: Torre de Don Borja, Casa del Águila y la Parra, Torre de Merino and the Town Hall. You can reach the Parador from the Travesía Santander-Comillas by way of a cobblestone street almost 100 metres long. Santillana is located 24 km from Santander.
Exterior parking (with daily charges) shared with Parador de Santillana Gil Blas.
Part of 'Green Spain', Cantabria has a variety of landscapes to offer from quaint coastal towns, to the peaks of the Picos de Europa and delightful Parador hotels in charming locations.
