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They have tripled billing, filled rooms and exhausted reservations. The hoteliers of the Sierra del Guadarrama and the North of the region are breaking records in post-confinement. Local tourism in the Madrid summits has become more fashionable than ever and finding a place to sleep this summer in most hotels, rural houses and apartments is an impossible mission. One of the most popular accommodations is the rural house with pool, whose offer is sold out until October.

"What everyone is asking us for is swimming pool enclosures and there has been nothing for a long time, " explains Gustavo Nash, president of the Association of Entrepreneurs of the Sierra Norte de Madrid (Atusima). The wave of requests began long before the phases of the de-escalation made it possible to move around the region, because people "began to despair" and began to reserve for the first moment "when the light was seen at the end of the tunnel," he emphasizes. . "The explosion came when it was finally known that Madrid was going to phase 1," adds the association's spokesman.

Virtually all rural accommodation is complete for all July and August, both weekends and between days. The very few gaps that have been left free will be used to do "deeper" cleanings, following the consensus that "things must be done well" so that the Sierra is a "sustainable and safe" destination against the coronavirus, as it has It has been these months, when there have been very few cases of contagion.

The Sierra de Guadarrama Development Association (Adesgam) confirms that the summer is being "very satisfactory" due to the high demand for accommodation. “The reservations are practically complete. And what is taking place is that customers who used to go three or four days in other years now stay two weeks and that is one of the dynamics that has attracted the attention of hoteliers, "says Miguel Ángel Jara, manager of Destino Sierra Guadarrama de Adesgam. "And it is also very striking to see how young people who had never come to the home of their grandparents or relatives in the Sierra are now discovering them," he adds.

Parking of the port of NavacerradaÁNGEL NAVARRETE

There is also another very significant fact that shows the attraction of this summer for the Sierra from the point of view of restoration. “Many restaurants are in demand for the first time from people who want food to take away or to their homes because there are people who may be reluctant to consume on the premises. This has produced that some restaurants have incorporated this service and are working very well and it may be a new activity for the future, "says the manager of Adesgam.

The mayor of Navacerrada, Ana Paula Espinosa, of the PSOE, does not stop working these days. A town of 3,000 inhabitants has quintupled the population this summer. «We are about 15,000 people. This year Navacerrada is going to be the main destination for many people. The rural houses and hotels are full and that is why we must unite all the people from Madrid who visit us every weekend and in fact today [yesterday] we have had to cut off access to the Barranca Valley at nine o'clock in the morning. tomorrow », pointed out the councilor.

In addition, he congratulated himself for having managed to open the Navacerrada health center again on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. after being closed for three months due to the pandemic: “It was something we had been demanding since we have also opened all camp activities and children's house ».

In Guadarrama, the mayor, Diosdado Soto (PP), has a clear indicator that his municipality supports more vacationers this year than other years. "We are collecting more tons of garbage than ever and that shows that we have more population," says the mayor. The avalanche of tourists has grown so much on the weekends that the Town Hall has launched a free shuttle bus that takes hikers from downtown Guadarrama to the car park located next to the La Jarosa recreational area , from which numerous walking routes through this Guadarrama valley.

La Casona de Navalmedio in Cercedilla is a 15-room accommodation located 1,300 meters above sea level and on seven hectares included within the Guadarrama National Park. "We only have one day off during the week, the rest of the summer is full until September and everything has been used up before other years," says Carlos Eraso, manager of this establishment with one of the most amazing views of the Sierra.

Casona de Navalmedio in CercedillaSERGIO GONZÁLEZ VALERO

We are tripling the hotel billing after the coronavirus, for sure. We have had people who called us before May and reserved us for the first day to be released after confinement, "says the hotel manager. "Also, before we didn't take turns for food and now we have three batches for the restaurant," he says. "We have recovered economically in a month after monthly losses of more than 20,000 euros upon closing," he says optimistically.

In Collado Mediano is one of the most avant-garde hotels in the Sierra, La Torre Box Art Hotel. It is an old renovated building with eight exclusive rooms and a modern restaurant, Koma BAH, with chef Rubén Amro on the stove. The night costs between 135 and 215 euros and they also have most of the summer already booked. " We are above other years and that we have closed the spa due to the pandemic, " explains its manager. “We had loyal repeat customers, but now there are many new people who are discovering the Sierra and looking for a different place. The owners are so delighted that they are preparing to open another similar hotel in Navacerrada, ”he says.

Hotel La Torre in Collado MedianoSERGIO GONZÁLEZ VALERO

Not only hotels and rural houses are full. The tourist apartments in the Sierra are also at maximum capacity. After having triplets, María Ángeles opened in Cerceda last February Acero y Piedra, five original apartments made in ship containers that have gone around the world and from which you have wonderful views of La Pedriza. "Fortunately we are full almost all summer," says the owner of these original rooms, which cost between 85 and 90 euros per day during the weekend. It is also an ecological accommodation where everything is recycled, with a decoration different from that of any hotel. “We offer something different and the response is being great. We have almost everything already full and it has deserved the great investment we made, "he says.

In the Tourist Innovation Center of the Sierra Norte de Madrid they have also noticed a "super high" demand from customers, especially in areas such as Rascafría, Patones or Buitrago. Likewise, the campsites have seen their influx grow, as has happened in the El Picachuelo accommodation, in El Berrueco, whose owners claim that in Phase 1 they have already multiplied by 20 the number of motorhomes they received at their facilities.

Given the lack of accommodation to spend the night, the trails and sports plans to spend the day have become another of the Sierra's great attractions. An example of this are the routes of the Hayedo de Montejo, in the Sierra de Rincón, which were activated on June 6 and within hours all places virtually sold out all season.

The arrival of tourists to the Sierra Norte does not leave anyone out, not even to the least populated municipality in the Community of Madrid, Madarcos, with fifty inhabitants and where "the occupation will be total." "Because there are no more places, which, if not, would also be filled," explains Fran Sueiro, manager of the Madarcos Lodgings. For two months, he says, there was "an absolute halt", without the traditional visits of groups or environmental schools, something that, despite everything, is not going to recover with a "crazy and gapless" summer. However, he believes that this push "will boost morale."

Given the avalanche of people, some towns weigh the pros and cons of this increase in tourists on their streets.

Entrance to the Acero y piedra apartments in Cerceda.SERGIO GONZÁLEZ VALERO

This is the case of Garganta de los Montes, which has 348 registered inhabitants and more than 150 tourist places , to which the second residences are added, so this summer the usual population will double. The mayor, Juan Carlos Carretero, tells Efe that this has its positive side, because people "give life and joy" to the towns, but it also raises some doubt, since "the municipality is not always prepared to receive so many people "

There are many families, a large part of them with children, and this sometimes results in "shortage" of health resources or garbage containers, among others, and increased waiting times in shops or pharmacies, a situation of most concern at the moment, with the crisis of the coronavirus. In spite of everything, the persons in charge of accommodations in the Sierra Norte open their arms to tourists, although they ask for individual responsibility so that the months of coexistence are peaceful and nobody is in danger.

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