Kampaoh Santillana del Mar

The staff were friendly, local, and clearly worked hard. It's a great base for day trips to local sights, and the Spanish prices were fair, with sodas at €1 and coffee at €1.50. Some people seem to judge the site by what they expect from camping in the Netherlands, Germany, or France, but this is a Spanish campsite. The showers and washing facilities aren't the newest or cleanest, so keep that in mind. I'd recommend staying here if that works for you.

The tents themselves are beautiful, but ours had almost no room outside. The table only just squeezed between the ropes of our tent and the one beside it, while people heading to the bathroom kept walking right in front of the entrance. With a small child, even a little space to move around would have helped. Some tents did have a patch of grass in front, but not ours. The layout really lowered the experience for me. It feels like Kampaoh may be focusing a bit too much on the commercial side.

Privacy is poor here. The tents are right beside one another, so you hear everything from the people next door, and the shower doors leave gaps at the top and bottom that make you feel exposed. Tall people may find that especially uncomfortable. Our bed was uneven, and the pillows and sheets were dirty when we arrived, so we slept badly. The staff weren't very friendly either, and they asked us to send feedback over WhatsApp. I wouldn't recommend Kampaoh's service.

You can walk from the campsite to Santillana del Mar, so there's no need to drive there. For the cave, though, it's better to take the car. We had a lovely stay and found it an interesting experience. There are rules about noise, but when people returned after midnight, we could still hear footsteps and tent zippers. That was fine for me, though light sleepers might want earplugs.