Hotel on the Rails

What if you could forget about hotel-hopping on your next trip and your accommodations followed you instead? The El Transcantabrico of Spain’s state-owned railway line, FEVE, proposes just this. The train (which runs along the historic La Robla Railway), allows you to spend your days conquering several regions of Northern Spain, while returning to the comfort of a luxury hotel in the evenings. Private cabins feature bathrooms with hydro sauna, turbo massage and steam bath, and include a pub carriage featuring a bar, music and dance floor. If you're not exhausted from an evening under the strobe light (I'm not kidding, our pub carriage included a strobe light), you'll want to head to the dining car in the morning where Spanish buffet breakfast and coffee awaits, along with the daily newspaper en Espanol or Ingles.

El Transcantabrico refers to the journey as a, “Cruise on the rails,” since passengers dock at various sites, perhaps pursuing the enchanting Picos de Europa one day, or the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Santiago de Compostela the next. And, you'll also have the option to dine at Michelin-starred restaurants in the white-washed town of Luarca like I did, or even trying your luck at the casinos of sunny Santander’s posh beach community.

During a week-long trek, the train travels through Green Spain, snaking in and out of pre-romanesque and medieval towns and villages of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country and Castilla y Leon. My favorite sites included the capital of Asturias, Oviedo, where the quaint Old Town holds a magnificent Gothic cathedral,
San Salvador. Other areas of interest included the Paleolithic cave paintings of Altamira in Santillana del Mar as well as its stone houses dating back to the 15th and 16th century, and of course, the Basque Country’s Bilbao, where the famous Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim features funky permanent collections and traveling exhibitions.

If departing from Santiago de Compostela, we recommend flying into Madrid, and connecting with a flight to A Coruna, Galicia, or Leon, Castilla Y Leon.

For further 2010 and 2011 travel dates and itinerary, log on to the official website. Click on English and cruise away!