The core of a stay here is the thermal water. It rises from the spring next to the hotel at 48 °C and carries chloride, sodium, sulphur and nitrogen, plus naturally occurring radioactivity, which is why spas of this type have long been prescribed for respiratory and rheumatic complaints. The treatment list is practical rather than fancy: inhalations and nasal or throat sprays for the respiratory side, thermal pool baths, jets and showers for joints and muscles, and a separate area for massage and hands-on manual treatments.

Because there is a medical service connected to the spa, guests are usually seen by the doctor before starting a course of treatments, and the sessions are matched to what you came for — a chest that gets congested every winter, a stiff back, a skin problem, or just wanting to relax in hot water for a few days. That medical side is what separates a traditional Galician balneario like this one from a hotel spa with a hot tub and a massage room.

The building has history. In 1780 a scribe called Joaquín Dávila built the first bath house on this spot. It was rebuilt and extended over the following centuries, and the building you stay in today went up at the end of the 19th century under its then owner, the lawyer David Legerén Cespón. It is two storeys in an Eclectic style, and the front is dominated by a replica of a Roman altar that was dug up at the spring — a sign that people have been bathing here since Roman times.

Outside the hotel, Caldas de Reis is easy to walk. The garden park, laid out in the 1800s in an English style and listed as a National Picturesque Site, covers 7,200 m² on the bank of the Umia right in the middle of town, with paths through more than a hundred plant species and a viewpoint over the river. Next to it is a 23,200 m² oak grove. From there the Water Route follows the river up to the Segade waterfall, passing a string of old mills, some of them restored. For bigger views, Monte Xiabre looks out over the Ulla and Umia valleys.

The Portuguese Way of St. James runs straight through town, so there is a steady flow of pilgrims, and some guests use the hotel as a rest stop on their own walk to Santiago de Compostela. Food-wise, Caldas is known for lamprey pies, pan de manteiga (a wheat bread made with cow's butter), and an oddly body-shaped Easter sponge cake that is baked year-round and even has its own festival.

What's included

- Accommodation at the two-star thermal spa hotel - Access to the medical service linked to the spa - Wi-Fi - Heating - Use of the social lounge and garden - Parking

What's not included

- Travel to Caldas de Reis - Thermal treatments not included in your booked package (confirm with the hotel) - Massages and manual treatments (confirm with the hotel) - Meals not included in your rate - Travel insurance - Personal expenses