Hotel Rural La Engaña — Hotel in Merindad de Valdeporres

Stayed here in September 2010.||||Well actually there was a change of arrangements.||||The main business nowadays at Casa La Engana is running English courses, although when we booked no course had been arranged. However when we arrived on the only FEVE train of the day from Leon we were told that after our earlier booking a course would now in fact be running for the duration of our stay.||||After viewing the old fashioned bedrooms (which I liked) and noticing the wooden floors and knowing there would be some 10 students rattling around the house, we accepted the offer to stay instead at La Serna which is the other Casa Rural in the village. Casa La Serna has no owner living there, and in effect what you get is a room in an old converted school House (with 8 bedrooms) and with a communal kitchen and a shared sitting room. As hardly anyone was there it was gloriously peaceful and comfortable. The house (with own parking and an excellent view and no air conditioning which was not needed anyway) is in very good condition. Beds are made up and the house is well cleaned each day. ||||However back to Casa La Engana (a few minutes walk from the station).||||We decided to have dinner there each evening. The food was excellent and just about enough for my appetite. Wine was included generously. The delightful old house has considerable character - rather like its owners. Before dinner Duncan who is English (his wife is Spanish) took the whole group including us, and his friendly dog Spikey, to all the local historical sights as well as for walks high in the spectacular countryside each evening. The Spanish students were mainly professionals and, and struggling under pain of a slow death, they were never allowed to speak a word of Spanish. So it was interesting to meet local articulate people and find out more directly about life in Spain. The curriculum appeared demanding to say the least and there was a strong sense of bonding among the students which comes with some management courses. Added to which Duncan’s dry humour and slightly iconoclastic approach contributed significantly to banter and exchange of strong views on many subjects. If you stay here between courses there is a very large sitting room with a TV which is linked to some English stations.||||Had we not been able to enjoy such good hospitality we would have missed out on the best walks in such a beautiful, peaceful and remote part of Spain which the main purpose of our visit. Buy good large scale maps in advance. Duncan will tell you the publisher.||||The village has just a few fairly basic food shops, a couple of foodless bars and a swimming pool. In the next village (Santelices about 25 minutes walk away) there are couple of bars where you can eat. Santelices is also where you catch a bus to Villarcayo where we changed to get a second...

Great place to meet and converse with Spanish people learning English. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed and provides the opportunity to talk to men and women from all walks of life and from different regions of Spain and futher afield. The rustic accomodation is excellent with comfortable, spacious rooms which are steeped in history with many interesting original features. The food is of a high standard, with a set breakfast, lunch and evening meal, offering a different variety of international and traditional Spanish dishes each day. There is a wonderful atmosphere at meal times, set around a large dining table, providing an opportunity for the students to practice their english with the hosts and guests and the conversation is informal, relaxed and entertaining. The surrounding areas and mountains provide some stunning scenery and picturesque walks. We will definately be...

A very nice place. We specifially liked that the house was not destroyed during the renovation/adaptation to convert into an hotel. It has a very particular charm. The owner was extremely nice and gave us a lot of very useful informations about the surroundings. It's a very warm place where you feel very well. The breakfast was very good, with fresh products some even homemade. We even could meet and speak with other guests and the owner (being this a compliment, not a complain, we quite enjoyed it). We will recomendo this place to all our friends and gladly return when in...