After writing review after review of my eating habits in Spain, which on a given day, will include…read moreenough ice cream, magdalenas, empanadas, and wine for 6 people, I have a confession to make: I always exercise while visiting. It's closely related to my other addiction in Spain: shopping. The clothing at Blanco runs small by American standards, and we all know (Laura A. especially) you can never have too many dresses or jeans from Blanco. Health clubs, gyms, and yoga studios have the tendency to be expensive in Cantabria. Therefore, I was happy to discover that the Hotel Real in Santander offers free gym access for its guests to Thalasso Real. The buildings are adjacent to one another; all one needs to do is walk through a parking lot. Thalasso Real is first and foremost a day spa, with massage services, a sauna, and waxing services. I cannot provide any opinion or observation on these amenities because I have not used them, but according to the price list, everything seems very expensive. The gym itself is alright; it is definitely not on-par with the grandiose marketing that the spa uses for its other services. There is one treadmill, a stair master, and a few exercise bikes, a small rack of free weights (nothing above 10kg - apologies to all of the bodybuilders out there), and one of those Bow-flex type weight machines. The view from the fitness room is lovely though; the stretches of beaches and little houses that dot the steep terrain along the Bay of Santander are beautiful and make you forget that you're sweating out all of last night's overindulgence.

This hair salon was just steps from the place I was staying at in Santander. I stopped by one day…read moreand asked for an appointment for the day after and they were able to fit me no problem. My haircut was very good. My hairdresser asked me how I wanted my cut and he listened. He was very detailed oriented and he was nice and chatty during my haircut. The entire salon was clean, spotless and air conditioned. I fully recommend this hair salon in Santander just a block behind City Hall.