We wanted our Spain vacation to include mountain scenery and a small, quiet village. Since we were traveling from Donastia to Tamariu, the lovely village of Ainsa in the Spanish Pyrenees was the perfect (almost) mid way stop. It was only a 1 hour drive from the entrance to the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. The park is large (about 96 square miles), so we only able to explore a small portion. It reminded us of Zion National Park in the U.S.
We also drove about 20 minutes away to the tiny village of Samitier (we only saw one person in the village!). There we hiked to the Castillo de Samitier. At first, we had a hard time finding signs for the trail and weren't sure where to go. Along the trail, there were views of the tower of a submerged church in lake Mediano and 2 ermitas. The last part of the hike was steep but definitely worth the views.
We stayed for 3 nights in the Hotel Los Arcos, located in the Plaza Mayor. Our room was located in the back of the hotel with an awesome mountain view. However, our plans to enjoy the quiet village were changed when we discovered a festival was taking place during our visit. It didn't matter...we had a great time!