Spanish Steps - Fact file - Accommodation

Spain and Latin America offer visitors an elaborate variety of places to stay, from the basic to the luxurious.

If you're in Spain lodgings are easy to spot. Look for the small blue sign at the entrance which indicates the type of establishment - F for fonda, H for hotel, and HS for hostal - along with its star rating.

For budget travellers, el hostal, basic hotel or hostelry, and la pensión, small guesthouse, offer accommodation of a modest nature and are fairly widespread throughout Spain and Latin America. Here, the guest will find a family atmosphere - it is usually the owners who do the cooking and clean the rooms. In Cuba, alternatives to the state-run hotels are casas particulares, private homes, which are not only much cheaper, but a great way to meet local people.

For the better-off traveller looking for luxury mixed with history, Spain has its paradores, state-owned hotels situated in prime locations. They may be in historic buildings such as castles, convents and palaces, are relatively pricey - 4-star hotel prices - and need to be booked well in advance.

Rural tourism, el turismo rural, has witnessed a spectacular boom in recent years and this has led to accommodation springing up in small villages, allowing the traveller to come into direct contact with the way of life of rural communities. In northern Spain, the Basque Country's agroturismo and Navarra's casa rural programmes offer excellent cheap accommodation in rural areas, usually in beautifully preserved and well-maintained private houses.

In a similar vein, there has been a massive resurgence of eco-tourism throughout Latin America, particularly in countries like Peru and Ecuador. Here accommodation usually takes the form of una cabaña, a wooden cabin or lodge. These lodges generally come with the basic mod cons, but don't expect a mini bar or cable TV. In Argentina, many people find lodgings in estancias, ranches. As well as food and board, they can also try their hand at being un vaquero, a cowherd or ranch hand.

Links

Turespaña - guide to accommodation in Spain

Paradores de España - search for a parador

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