Travel black book: Spain for all seasons

Who: Chang Yong Ter, 44, founder of Chang Architects. The Singaporean won 12 local and international design awards last year, a number of them for his design of Lucky Shophouse in Joo Chiat.

Favourite place: Asturias, Spain

Why: Asturias is located on the north-west coast of Spain, a green, mountainous region of the Iberian Peninsula.

My family and I were there for the first time in 2010 after attending the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona. After two days of listening to architectural ideologies and presentations, featuring the latest modernistic and urbanised design schemes, Asturias was a breath of fresh air. In contrast to the culturally vibrant and well-connected city of Barcelona, Asturias is geographically diverse and remote. In the hotel where we stayed, we were told that we were the first guests from South-east Asia.

Best place to stay

My wife does most of the planning and hotel booking for our family trips. So far, her picks have never disappointed.

In Asturias, we stayed at the Hotel Torrecerredo (Vega de Barrio, 33554 Las Arenas de Cabrales, tel: +34-985-846-640) located in the town of Arenas de Cabrales. This was a two-storey house that has been converted into a hotel.

It gets its name from its strategic location - the backdrop of all the rooms is the spectacular Torrecerredo, the highest peak of the Picos de Europa and the Cantabrian Mountains.

The breathtaking views were one of the reasons for our subsequent return visits; the other reason was the personal level of service and the special relationship that we had built with the hotel owner, Pilar Saiz.

My mother had been suffering from deep-vein thrombosis for a week in Barcelona without us knowing the actual reason for her discomfort. When we arrived at Pilar's hotel, the owner was quick to identify my mother's symptoms. She drove us to the nearest hospital, which was 45 minutes away in a town called Gijon. After examining my mother, the doctors were puzzled as to how she had survived that long. If not for Pilar's decisiveness and initiative, the consequences would have been dreadful and I would have deeply regretted taking my parents along on that trip.

Rooms start from €39.95 (S$68) a night.

Favourite restaurant

It is Cafe Cares (Carretera General, Arenas de Cabrales, tel: +34-985-846-628). The restaurant decor is generally simple and unpretentious, but it adds to the whole gourmet experience. A must-try dish is the Fabada Asturiana, or simply Fabada. This is a rich Spanish white bean stew, cooked with shoulder of pork, black pudding, chorizo and saffron. This is typically served with crusty bread and best eaten with cider or red wine.

A seasoning that adds to the distinctive Spanish flavour of the dishes is the paprika. Every time we visit Spain, my wife brings back some paprika for that magical touch to her minestrone soup.

Must-do cultural activity

If you are there this summer, be sure to stay up late on the night of June 21 for the Festival of Saint John (San Juan). This festival is also known as a "verbena", or open-air festival, in celebration of the summer solstice. This is the longest day of the year when Asturians old and young will wear traditional, colourful costumes and the streets are filled with music, dance, and fireworks. The festival dates back to pagan times when fire was celebrated as a symbol of abundance, purity and fertility. A popular custom which is still practised today is the jumping over a bonfire, which is believed to bring forth a better life.

Best way to get there

For enthusiasts of contemporary architecture, be sure to land at the Sondika Airport designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Characteristically Calatrava, this airport has been nicknamed La Paloma, or the Dove, for its dove-like silhouette composed in exposed concrete and steel ribs.

From this airport, it is a five-hour drive to Arenas de Cabrales, where we stayed. Although not the closest airport we could have landed at, this is certainly an elegant landing pad worth arriving at and departing from - just for the experience.

Only European airlines fly into the airport, such as AirFrance, Lufthansa, KLM and Alitalia.

Best day trip

The Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre (Avenida del Zinc, 33400 Aviles, Asturias, tel: +34-984-835-031), which is also known as Centro Niemeyer.

This is located on the estuary of Aviles, an industrial port town in Asturias.

Designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, this is probably his last-built masterpiece while he was still alive.

A visit to this cultural complex, the only work of Niemeyer's in Spain, is a fitting pilgrimage to pay tribute to this legendary visionary, who shaped the modern image of his country.

Reminiscent of some of his greatest works, the Centro is a choreography of forms and shapes in white, red and yellow. It is socio-spatially rich with curves that suggest to one to move along to discover what's next. The architect died in December 2012, a year after the inauguration of this centre, at the age of 104.

Best hidden find

The warmth of Asturians. Eventually, our three-day visit to Asturias was extended to two weeks, following my mother's hospitalisation. It was the first time she had been hospitalised. I must say that her hospital stay was not at all as dreadful as we thought it would be. In fact, it turned out to be a very pleasant stay - she was impressed with the way she was treated and the wards were exceptionally clean and orderly. What was most memorable to her, though, was the love and care she received from the doctors, nurses and cleaners, even though none of them could communicate with her as they spoke only Spanish.

Best time to visit

I would recommend going in May and June if you are interested in trekking as this would be the drier season. I have been there during summer and winter, and both times are equally good -- different seasons offer different sights and experiences.

jennanid@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 1, 2014.
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