Hotel Barosse, Jaca, Spain

Where it is

Barosse is a few minutes from Jaca, a handsome old town with a star-shaped citadel and Romanesque cathedral, on the Camino de Santiago. Zaragoza is about an hour and a half by road and Pamplona about 110 kilometres.

Within easy reach are the cliff-sheltered monastery of San Juan de la Peña, the vast restored Canfranc international station near the French border and the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, one of Spain's most spectacular.

Rooms

The rooms are adults-only, cosy and full of character, with exposed stone, timber and garden views; some have fireplaces or lofts. With so few of them, it feels like staying with stylish friends who know the mountains well. Separate apartments are available for those travelling with children, so the hotel itself stays peaceful.

Food, sauna and the rest

Evenings centre on the library lounge with its honesty bar, and there is a garden and sun terrace. A sauna and massages ease tired legs. Breakfasts and dinners are a highlight, built on Aragonese produce, and Jaca's tapas bars are a short drive away.

The moment

A day walking among the beech woods and waterfalls of the Ordesa valley beneath towering limestone walls, then back to Barosse for a sauna, a glass of Somontano wine by the fire and a dinner of local lamb.

Why we chose it

Barosse offers what many travellers dream of: an intimate, adults-only hotel with warmth, good food and big mountains, at a very fair price. It is ideal for walkers and couples who want somewhere off the beaten track.

For another Spanish mountain escape, see La Almunia del Valle near Granada.

When to go

The hotel is open all year. Spring, from April to June, and autumn, from September to October, are the best seasons for walking, with mild weather, wildflowers or autumn colour and quiet trails. August is the busiest month, when Spanish families head for the mountains. Winter brings skiing at Astún and Candanchú, about half an hour away.

The longer stay

A week works beautifully: days in Ordesa, the Tena and Canfranc valleys and the monasteries, with rest days in Jaca. Combine it with San Sebastián's food or Zaragoza's architecture for a fortnight in northern Spain.