Hostal de Los Reyes Católicos

The nice thing about driving through Spain is seeing the variety of the landscape.
The next best thing is having an inn or an historical building as a place in which to sleep and eat.

Just imagine traveling the length and breadth of the country and sleeping on the grounds of The Alhambra in Granada, or walking the pilgrimage route to Santiago and taking that first shower in the famed Parador of Santiago de Compostela.

All this and more is possible thanks to the foresight and ingenuity of the Spanish government’s hotel group, Paradores.

Founded in the early 20th century, the Paradores are a growing network of over 90 unique properties consisting mainly of magnificently restored castles, monasteries, convents, forts, manor houses and palaces.

The word “parador” literally means an “inn” or a “place to stop.” Yet these fine hotels offer the traveler much more than the simple term might imply. This renowned chain of Spanish hotels features, without doubt, some of the most romantic, historical and evocative hotels in the world.

The jewels in the crown
Funded and maintained by the government, Spain’s paradors (paradores in Spanish) are hostelries that showcase a building or setting of important cultural and historic interest. Some are much older and grander than others. Here are the country’s most interesting and unusual.

Parador de Avila was built as an enlargement of a 15th-century palace (Palacio de Piedras Albas, also known as Palacio de Benavides). This parador features gardens that flank the northern fortifications of this well-preserved, 11th-century walled city. While only some of the comfortable, airy guest rooms are in the original palace, it is still the region’s most intriguing hotel. In the parador’s restaurant, try the roast suckling pig, a regional specialty.

The Parador de Cuenca, is one of the newer paradors in Spain. Like the medieval houses for which Cuenca is famous, the balconies here jut over rocky cliffs, overlooking swift-moving rivers below. The sight of casas colgadas, or “suspended houses,” is unforgettable. An adjoining restaurant specializes in seasonal wild game.

Although a relatively modern building, the Parador de Toledo subtly evokes a distant age. Views from the windows boast faraway glimpses of the city’s historic core and evoke the scenes El Greco painted in his View of Toledo. A swimming pool offers a welcome relief in blistering Toledo. Regional dishes, such as stewed partridge, are featured in the hotel restaurant.

The Parador de San Marcos was originally home to the Order of Santiago, a group of knights charged with protecting journeying pilgrims. The building was expanded and converted into a monastery some 400 years later. These days, set beside the Bernesga river and with a lavishly decorated church on the grounds, it is one of Spain’s most deluxe paradors. The public areas are pure medieval grandeur: a dramatic lobby, a huge cast-iron chandelier, and stone staircases.

Saving the best for last is Hostal de Los Reyes Católicos, one of the most spectacular hotels in Europe. Originally a hospice for wayfaring pilgrims, it boasts a lavish 16th-century facade, four open-air courtyards, and a bedchamber once occupied by Franco. Today, the hotel is a virtual museum with gothic, renaissance, and baroque architectural elements. It boasts four beautiful cloisters, elegant public areas, and spectacular guest rooms.