43.2400° N · 4.3600° W — Saja-Besaya National Reserve · Cantabria
The exclusive Cantabrian hub of Spice Escapes: a stone casona in the Saja-Besaya reserve where every meal is cooked for you and the bar is free. Come on your own and join a group holiday — hosted and escorted, no forced single supplement — for beach rides, mountain walks and wild surf.
25° in the valley right now · soft grey lightCantabria Escape with Thrive Fitness Coaching
Next week · Cantabria Escape with Thrive Fitness Coaching · 17–21 Sep 2026 →Travelling solo? Join a hosted week.jpg)
Hosted by Rob & MaríaATOL 9046 protectedSpice Escapes · group holidays for 40+ years“Just to say what a lovely few days I had staying at Agara and visiting the beautiful…” — Anne Marie, past guestPick a scheduled week and book with Spice Escapes, our exclusive booking partner (ATOL 9046 protected). Come alone or with someone; there is never a forced single supplement.
Fly to Santander and we pick you up — the house runs two vans and transfers are included. An hour later you are in the valley.
An 18th-century stone casona, 12 bedrooms, and Rob and María at home with Chispa the dog. Breakfast and a home-cooked dinner every day, vegetables from the kitchen garden.
Walks in the reserve, surf on the coast, horses, yoga or painting — a plan every day and no obligation to join it. Arrive alone; leave with people.
This is a hosted, fully catered house, not a self-catered rental you come home hungry to: your host is on site throughout your stay, with breakfast, a light lunch and a home-cooked dinner served every day, and the wine cellar, local beer and spirits open all day, self-serve, on the house. What you do with the hours in between — out there, not indoors — is the whole reason to come.
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Local guides · beach & forest · all levels
Canter along the sand at dawn and ride the Saja-Besaya trails in the afternoon. The kind of day a group talks about for years.
Read the guide
No scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next horse riding week →Meanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
From the front door · coast & mountain · Picos de Europa 1 h
Ancient oakwoods, coastal paths shared with wild horses, and ridgelines under circling griffon vultures. Routes for walking clubs and serious hikers alike.
Read the guideNext week — with Spice EscapesCantabria Escape with Thrive Fitness Coaching · 17–21 Sep 2026 
Wild beaches · ~40 min · schools and hire
Some of the best waves in northern Spain, for first-timers and experienced surfers. Wide golden beaches, turquoise water, hardly anyone on them.
Read the guideNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next surf week →Meanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
Legendary climbs · forest tracks · ride from the house
Pedal straight out of the gate into the protected forest, or take on the climbs that made Spanish cycling history. Secure bike storage at the house.
No scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next cycling week →Meanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
Equipped yoga room · beach yoga · real silence
An indoor yoga room, forest and valley in every window. The setting our hosted yoga weeks are built around — join one as an individual.
Read the guideNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next yoga & wellbeing week →Meanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
Medieval towns · Gaudí · cave art · 35-45 min away
One of Spain's densest culture clusters is half an hour away: medieval Santillana del Mar, the Altamira cave, and Gaudí's El Capricho by the sea in Comillas.
Read the guideNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next culture week →Meanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
River Saja · on the grounds · Cantabrian coast ~40 min
The river Saja is a short walk from the door; sea fishing on the Cantabrian coast within the hour.
No scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next fishing week →Meanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
Cantabria is real forest, serious mountains and a wild coast of turquoise water. It rains, and that is why everything is green. The Cabuérniga valley and the Saja-Besaya reserve are among the most unspoilt corners of the north — and Agara sits right in the middle.
Griffon vultures over the ridgelines, thousand-year-old oakwoods, stone villages, and the sea under an hour away.
Live forecast for Fresneda de Cabuérniga. This is Green Spain: the rain is why it’s green.
Fancy a bit of adventure, some new friends and the north of Spain without organising a thing? Join a scheduled group week at Casa Agara as an individual — hosted, every meal cooked for you, with vegetables from our own garden. We bring the house and the region; you bring the appetite for it.
Hosted weeks have run here since 2023 — priced per person, no whole-house booking.
17–21 Sep 2026
Four nights at Casa Agara with the Thrive team: an optional coached workout on the lawn each morning, coastal walks, paddleboarding, Gaudí's El Capricho and a Santander finale — with home-cooked dinners and a free bar every evening.
24 Apr – 1 May 2027
We head to Northern Spain and your chance 'brush' up on your art skills. This trip includes tuition as well as the usual Agara hospitality.
8–15 May 2027
We head to Cantabria in Northern Spain and your chance get your boots on and explore the area. This trip includes walks with our walking hosts Jen and Jim as well as the usual Agara hospitality.
Our exclusive booking partner
Casa Agara is the exclusive Cantabrian hub of Spice Escapes — every week hosted & escorted · ATOL 9046
The Spice Escapes hosts — the team behind every hosted, escorted week, including the holidays at Casa Agara, Spice’s exclusive Cantabrian hub.
You book a place, not a house: join a scheduled hosted week as an individual — every meal cooked for you, breakfast, a light lunch and a home-cooked dinner every day, vegetables from our own garden, and every drink from the house included. No forced single supplement: twin-share at no extra charge, or take a room of your own for an optional supplement.
Walking, cycling, riding, yoga, surf and more — real dates, real availability, priced per person. Every week is booked through Spice Escapes, our exclusive booking partner (ATOL 9046).
Our exclusive booking partner hosts trips all year for people travelling on their own — city breaks, cruises, ski weeks and more, all ATOL-protected. If this valley or these dates aren’t right, they almost certainly run something that is.
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Every meal cooked, doors open: you're welcomed in person every day, with breakfast, a light lunch and a home-cooked dinner — vegetables from the garden — and someone who knows every trail, tide and village in the valley. Rob and María, on site; and Chispa, the house dog, always up for a walk in the valley.
Hosted weeks have run here since 2023.
What guests who’ve been say:
“Just to say what a lovely few days I had staying at Agara and visiting the beautiful locations in Cantabria. Thank you and Maria so much for making us feel at home from home and showing us around the stunning area.”
In Fresneda, in the Cabuérniga valley of Cantabria, northern Spain, inside the Saja-Besaya National Reserve on the river Saja. One hour from Santander airport, ninety minutes from Bilbao.
On your own is how most people come. Every week here is a scheduled, hosted week that you join as an individual, so you arrive alone and eat at one long table with the same people all week. Couples and pairs of friends join the same weeks, and that mix is part of why it works.
There is no forced single supplement. Twin-share is offered at no extra charge, so coming on your own costs the same per person as coming with someone. If you would rather have a room to yourself, that is available as an option and priced as one.
Every meal. Breakfast, a light lunch and a home-cooked dinner, every day, with vegetables from the kitchen garden. The light lunch is taken at the house, or carried with you as a picnic if the day is a walk or a ride. And the bar is free: house wine, beer and spirits are poured all day, on the house. This is not half board, and the only lunch you pay for is one you choose to eat in a restaurant instead. The middle of the day is still yours, for walking, the coast or a village. You just do not have to feed yourself in it.
Every week is booked through Spice Escapes, our exclusive booking partner. They are ATOL 9046 protected and handle the payment, the paperwork and any question about your booking. Choose a week from the scheduled trips and a deposit holds your place.
Tell us which week caught your eye — or what kind of week you are after — and we reply with dates, prices and honest advice. Usually the same day.
Barrio Abajo, 3 · Fresneda · Cabuérniga · Cantabria
43.2400° N · 4.3600° W
Join a scheduled hosted week as an individual — hosted, every meal and the house bar included, and no forced single supplement. Tell us your dates and we'll point you to the right week.
Reply within 24 h · English & Spanish spoken · +44 7778 298497 · +34 699 489 998
Our exclusive booking partner · ATOL 9046Rob & María answer in person
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