Hotel Ego 4*

Just 400m from Praia da Area, one of Viveiro's beautiful beaches, and 3km out of town, is the Hotel Ego, a delightful boutique hotel where most of the attractive, air conditioned rooms have sea views and the restaurant is renowned for its seafood.

Tucked away by an inlet on Galicia's dramatic north coast is the delightful and untouristy old town of Viveiro, boasting the kind of beautiful deserted beaches you see in ads but seldom experience. Popular with visiting Spaniards in the summer months, its grand entrance gates lead into an elegant medieval centre where narrow streets and pretty squares are lined with quaint old fashioned shops. The turreted walls originally had 6 of these impressive entrance gates but sadly only 3 remain, the most notable being the Porta de Carlos V which is a national monument. Things of interest include the Puente Mayor, a medieval bridge, the Casa de Los Leones and the church.

The oldest eucalyptus forests in Europe are a short drive south at Souto da Retorta and, well worth a visit whilst in this area, is the Sargadelos ceramic factory (16km towards Ribadeo). Founded in the 1800s the most beautiful fine blue and white china with celtic designs is crafted here.