Kampaoh Somo Parque

As well as its proximity to Playa de Somo beach (five minutes’ drive), this site has easy access to the cliff-backed crescents of sand at Playa de Langre (10 minutes) and Playa de Antuerta (20 minutes). A promontory of sand sticking out into the Bay of Santander, Playa del Puntal (five minutes) sits on the bay opposite handsome waterfront Santander (25 minutes’ drive). Take the ferry across the bay from Playa del Puntal to catch art exhibitions at Santander’s Renzo Piano-designed Centro Botin or stroll under the palms along the seafront Paseo de Pereda – and of course you can also dine like kings and queens in cosy tapas bars or gourmet restaurants. Another urban day trip might be to Bilbao (an hour) for a mooch around the Old Town with its ornate galleried facades, before popping into contemporary galleries in the gleaming Guggenheim Museum or discovering the gastronomic delights of the covered Mercado de la Ribera. Heading inland, you can spot elephants, giraffes and rhinos at Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabárceno (20 minutes), a nature park set in a former open-cast mine, where there are also hiking tours around canyons, lakes and limestone rock formations.