Much more than a simple holiday home, this property has been created with top quality local materials, equipped to a very high standard and furnished for maximum comfort.

It represents the opportunity to explore the secrets of rural Cantabria in Green Spain from particularly impressive lodgings, for from here spread out the panoramic Pasiego valleys with delightful vistas, rambling walks, and historic popular and ecclesiastical architecture.

You'll be delving into an extensive and delightful corner of Northern Spain that very few people know exists, stopping off in villages for inexpensive and excellent cooked meals. And don't miss out on the sponge desserts that Cantabria is well known for.

The hamlet is charmingly pleasant, with just a little bar to ensure basic needs are met. Just 4 km away are shops, restaurants and other facilities in the attractive spa town of Puente Viesgo (population 2,650). It was habitable even 150,000 years ago, as the famed prehistoric cave paintings here go to show.

The setting is of green grazing fields and forest around the village, with rolling hills and rocky mountains as a backdrop.

The house is located on the hamlet's peaceful thoroughfare. We were surprised by its spaciousness and pleased by its high standards. Solid traditional materials of oak, chestnut and local stone are softened and brightened with colourful cushions and curtains, quality finishing and furnishings. There is attention to detail in every corner with antiques, well thought-out lighting, and decoration to match.

A hallway, rustic and welcoming, leads to a high-ceilinged living room, whose most striking feature is its tremendous view over hills and pastures through a massive window.

Living and dining areas are furnished to make evenings a real pleasure. Meals at the large oak table may be rounded off by a spell on the excellent leather sofa in front of a wide-screen TV.

The country kitchen has everything you need and an old-fashioned range to boot.

Off the hallway is the kind of stylishly decorated bedroom you would expect of a boutique hotel. The floor and ceiling are of thick chestnut and it is painted in a soft green tone. This and the other three bedrooms have en suite shower rooms.

A solid wooden staircase takes you upstairs to two bedrooms, both sizeable and full of classy rustic touches. The double-bedded room has two balconies and a sitting/reading area; the other room is twin-bedded and has sloping ceilings and a skylight.

The fourth bedroom is reached directly from the living room via an iron staircase forged by a well-known local artisan. It is also en suite and has south-facing french windows onto a balcony.