The photos on this page are from other weddings of ours (Luanco), not from Palacio de Villabona.
Palacio de Villabona is a manor house in Villabona, in the Asturian municipality of Llanera. It is listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural and is now hired out for weddings. Turismo de Asturias and the directory bodas.net present it as a venue for celebrations. On bodas.net it appears under the name Palacio de Villabona - Jardines del Llar. Almost all the practical details in this guide come from that bodas.net listing, a directory of wedding suppliers. No other page confirms them, so each one should be checked with the palace itself. According to that listing, the manor house dates from the seventeenth century and has been fully restored. It hosts outdoor civil ceremonies and banquets in indoor reception rooms, and holds only one event a day.
Where it is and how to get there
The postal address is 33480 Villabona, Villardeveyo, Llanera, Asturias. Vivirasturias places the palace in the Nora district, in central Asturias. Wikipedia locates it near the village of Villabona. Bodas.net describes the setting in three words: in the countryside. None of the pages consulted say how many kilometres or minutes it is from Oviedo, Gijón, Avilés or Asturias Airport. Nor do they explain how guests get there or whether any organised transport exists. The simplest way to work out journey times is to look up the postcode on a map from each of those cities. As the palace is deep in the countryside, it is worth asking the venue whether it recommends a coach for guests. It is also useful to know what access is like at night, as the party can go on until late.
Spaces and capacity
Bodas.net describes three moments of the day in three different places. The civil ceremony takes place outdoors in the gardens, which are spacious and full of greenery. The cocktail reception is served in the courtyard surrounding the palace, with the façade as a backdrop. The banquet is served in the indoor reception rooms, which the listing describes as elegant. The same page lists further spaces: a terrace, a marquee, a dance area and a children's area. It also includes a category called «otros» (other) without specifying what it covers. As for guest numbers, the directory gives a single figure for the banquet: a minimum of 100 people and a maximum of 300. It does not say how many people fit in the gardens, the courtyard or the marquee separately. The pages consulted do not mention a chapel or religious ceremonies on the premises either. They do expressly mention a space for the civil ceremony. According to the listing, the palace is accessible to people with disabilities.
Menu, prices and conditions
The food is prepared by the palace's own kitchen. Bodas.net makes clear that it is not possible to hire the space alone without the catering service. The listing mentions market, traditional, regional, signature, international and fusion cooking. The menu starts at 134 euros per guest. That price includes hire of the palace, floral decoration for the top table and the guests' tables, and three hours of open bar. It also includes a welcome aperitif with 11 canapés, a ham station, a cheese station and flambéed queen scallops. There is no separate fixed fee for the venue. Menus can be adapted, and there are options for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs, people with allergies, diabetics and people with high blood pressure. The palace serves the cake, although the couple may also bring their own. There is a minimum of 120 adults in high season and 100 in low season. For each guest short of that minimum, 50% of the chosen menu is charged. Payment is by bank transfer, and the celebration ends at five in the morning at the latest.
Accommodation and parking
To the question of whether it offers accommodation for guests, the bodas.net listing answers no. Guests coming from further afield will have to book a room themselves. The pages consulted do not say whether there is a room where the couple can get ready or change during the day. It is best to ask before signing, especially if the bride or groom wants to dress at the palace itself. Parking does appear in the directory's list of spaces, though without the number of spaces. With a banquet that can reach 300 people, that detail matters. It is also worth knowing whether cars can stay there overnight and be collected the next day.
If it rains
The civil ceremony is designed for the gardens, but in Asturias the weather changes quickly. Bodas.net mentions covered spaces: the indoor reception rooms, a marquee and a terrace. The reception rooms are already where the banquet is held. The marquee could serve for the ceremony or the cocktail reception, but the pages consulted do not explain what the specific plan is if it rains. Nor do they say how far in advance the switch is decided, or whether the marquee has side walls or heating. All of this is worth asking about on the visit.
Spots for photographs
Based on what the pages describe, there are several obvious spots for photographs. There are the ceremony gardens, with their abundant greenery. There is also the courtyard surrounding the house and the façade, which bodas.net calls impressive. According to Wikipedia, that façade still bears the coats of arms of Toribio Alonso de Villabona and his wife, Quiteria González Oviedo y Portal, lords of the palace. The same encyclopaedia records that two of the six original capitals are preserved in the palace. The reception rooms complete the list. The directory listing includes 24 photos and a 360-degree virtual tour that lets you see the place before you go. Evan and Natalia Simon have not photographed any wedding at this palace, so there are no images of their own of the venue here.
Contact and what to ask
The pages consulted give no telephone number, email address or website of the palace's own. The route they offer is the «Solicitar presupuesto» (request a quote) button on the bodas.net listing, which also invites you to write to the company. There it shows a rating of 5.0 and that 100% of the couples who left a review recommend it. There is also one discount promotion and five gift offers. On the visit it is worth asking which months count as high season. Also whether a religious ceremony can be held there, what the «otros» category includes and where the ceremony takes place if it rains.
Links
Information checked on: turismoasturias.es, bodas.net, llanera.vivirasturias.com, es.wikipedia.org.