Driving along the coast of Cantabria on the second week of our second family camping road trip one cool Covid-free summer. Here’s a review in pictures of camping on the cliffs of Faro de Higuer, right on the border of Spain, overlooking the coast of Bordeaux, France, where we landed our modern gypsy family caravan.
Okay, okay… technically it’s camping with the view of the Bay of Biscay and the Cantabrian Sea. . . not ocean view. But, you know what I mean ; )
For more info on the campground, text follows at the end of the pictures below. Enjoy!
NOTE: In case you’re wondering. . . NO, we have not received any form of compensation or freebies or anything at all for reviewing or mentioning this or any others on our blog. We do it for the fun of it and it is helpful to you and others.
What we like about this campground?
Oceanview cliffside camping–that’s the one thing that we liked about Camping Faro de Higuer on the Spanish side of the border of Spain, overlooking the Bay of Biscay and the coast of Bordeaux, France. Okay, okay… technically it’s camping with the view of the Bay of Biscay and the Cantabrian Sea. . . not oceanview. But, you know what I mean ; )
What we don’t like about this camping site?
So, what about what we did not like about Camping Faro de Higuer? If there is one thing that we need to put into this category, it’s . . . the clogged up shower. Yup, at the time of our visit, the shower was draining soooooo slowly, we had to develop a technique called burst-fire shower, where you turn on the shower in 6-second bursts to let it all the yucky water down the tubes.
PRICE
€38.80 euros (including tax) for a family of 4 (2 kids–1 under 5), 3-person tent WITHOUT electricity at the beginning of the high summer season (first week of July). However, you may be able to charge up your phones/computer in the bathroom or the parking lot.
[TO BE UPDATED]: Breakdown: €x.xx per night for a pitch that is big enough for a 3-person tent, a car, a table and cooking ware, and then some more! €x.xx for an adult, €x.xx for children between 3 and 12 years old.
PLAY area & Swimming Pool
Playgrounds are always a nice family friendly addition that our children appreciate. . . what child wouldn’t?!?
Here, there’s a small playground with a view of the Cantabrian sea/Bay of Biscay. Now, this is particularly picturesque because the camping site is located at least 30 meters above the water. The playground has one small, standard house-like, climbing structure with a slide and two swings of two seats each.
It’s basic but it’s still good enough for the kids. The playground does NOT have any enclosure (you know, like a fence). So, like in the rest of the camping, be mindful of your kids at all times. You are camping on a CLIFF after all!
Pools? One small swimming pool for both adults and a separate kiddie pool. There are no sunbathing chairs on manicured grass lawns. The pool is enclosed by a some kind of short metal barrier that you can climb over if needed.
Need to wear swim with a hair/head cover a “gorro” (the ones we are wearing in the photos =, if you don’t know what that is exactly. It may be a Spanish law thingy to wear one.
PITCH
How’s the pitch? The campground is big but most of it is made up of semi-permanent mobile homes or cabins. The main building also hosts guests like a hostel of some sort. The good thing is that management seemed to have given the pitches for tents the preferred view of the sea, right close to the cliffs.
The tent pitches are almost right next to each other and your car needs to be outside the fence, about 10-15 meters from the main tent area.
As most pitches in the north of Spain (with lots of moisture), the pitches are covered by grass. . . lots of it an the ground is quite soft. There was NO problem sinking tent pegs.
SHADE
NO shade at all which is especially tricky when camping in the summer. Fortunately, there are some cloud-covered summer days in the north of Spain. Thank God, Gaia and the big fat happy Buddha for that.
Privacy hedges
NO privacy bushes in between pitches/plots. In fact, you can be a soft-conversation distance away from your next door neighbors.
You may be lucky enough to have a pitch in a separate area–apart from the main pitch/tent area–lower down the cliffs. If available, that’s highly recommended, although to have it, you may need to spend more than a couple of nights at this campingsite.
ACCESSibility
You would be able to easily see the entrance to this camping site from the main road. However, to get there you will need to drive down a narrow winding road. So, slow down because if there could be a long line of cars behind you and sudden stops can be dangerous.
As you get near the campground, you’d see the usual flags at the entrance. The gated entrance is a little tight to maneuver into from the road. But once you get passed the gate, there’s plenty of maneuverability and parking spaces.
Once in, the reception would be a little to the right of the gated entrance.
SANITARY FACILITIES/WC/Bathroom/Wash
Basic, small, and sufficiently cleaned bathroom and washing areas. Not airy, apart from the open doors.
Modernized shower and bathroom stalls. Big enough walkway to have 2 people walk together.
Hooks or shelf to put your clothes and things while showering? Yes.
There was some serious problem with drainage at the time of visit.
No problem with hot water.
There’s a little section of the main tent area with some kid of tiled structures for grilling and a basic sink with water for washing. If you want something better, you’d have to go further up the camp site, closer to the reception.
NO toilet paper. Bring your own. In fact, always bring your own when camping, just in case.
We did NOT see a FAMILY WC/bathroom–which is a unique feature at some camping sites.
There’s another bathroom building further up with more (and better) washing areas around it.
DINE or DRINKS
There’s a big bar/restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating areas, with view of the water and playground, in the same building as the reception. It has limited selection. Looks like STONE-OVEN PIZZAs are the main fare. Full-sized meals (raciones) cost about €15 (Jamon Iberico), €12 (Chorizo/Salchicon Iberico), €4.50 (patatas bravas), €4 (patatas fritas), or €6.50 (calamares/croquetas). You get the idea, right?
WI-FI
Not sure.
others
It did not look like this camping site had activities for children, especially if you stay in the peak summer season beginning in July. This is not really a concern for us, but may be important for other family campers out there.
We did NOT see fridge, freezer or microwave or a kitchen. It is not usual for camping sites to have these extra benefits. Maybe we just did NOT ask. The place was quite big anyway.
TIPs for Camping Faro de Higuer
To be able to use the swimming pools, make sure to bring swimming caps/headgear (you know, those little things you put over your head to make sure your hair does NOT get into the pool, and if you have it on too tight, your eyes start to squint like a drunken runaway monkey. . .) Yup, you need it here.
In fact, it would do you good to bring them with you when camping in Spain (maybe even France too) to save you money, just in case the camping site that you ended up in has a pool. They can be a stickler about. But, hey, it’s the law, apparently.
what to do near CAMPING La Faro de Higuer
So, what to see or do nearby?
Beach: If you are thinking of beach, this is NOT the place for it. The coast is rocky and there is no real sand beach here. For real sandy beach, you’d wanna go a little bit to the southeast of the camp site: to “Hondarribiko hondartza“, to the side directly opposite France.
Hiking/Trekking/Senderismo: However, if you go on a little trekking/hiking, you may be able to discover certain parts of the rocky cliff areas that go down to the water and has some kind of small swimming area that should be good enough for some kind of private swimming session, like “Praileen hondartza” or another one on the other side. Be mindful of your kids though.
There are some vantage or observation points that has panoramic views of the area, like Mirador GR-11, Begiratokia and Islote de Amuitz (the part that juts out and lets you appraciate the beauty of the rock island).
TIP: This is NOT Andalucia. So, the water can be cold for us “southerners”.
Sightseeing: At the port side (Puerto Pesquero de Hondarribia), on the eastern part of the are, you can see a small castle called “San Telmo gaztelua”.
Next Stop
The Gugenheim Museum in Bilbao, the largest sand dunes of Europe, and. . . of course, more family camping ; )
Last Stop
From the mountains of Asturia to the sea sands of Cantabria. . . Here’s a review in pictures of Family Camping Laredo, where we landed our modern gypsy family caravan on the second week of our second family camping road trip one cool pre-Covid 19 summer.
In Pictures: Potes and Monastery of Saint Toribio in Cantabria (Day 6): An unplanned stop at a historic mountain monastery and pilgrimage site that holds a piece of the cross of Christ (Monasterio de Santo Toribio de Liebana) and a strategic ancient Roman town (Potes) where two rivers and four valleys meet that is also known for its deliciously potent grape brandy, Orujo.
In Pictures: Gray Day at the Peaks of Europe (Los Picos de Europa). . . with Kids (Day 5) in the mountains of Cantabria and Asturia in northern Spain. They say, these mountain peaks were the first sign of Europe that people travelling on ships from America would see
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