Spectacular Paradors of Spain

There was no traffic on the road ahead of us. In the far distance, beyond the rolling hills covered with olive groves, vineyards, and brilliant yellow mustard fields were the snow-covered mountains of the Pyrenees. We stopped on the side of the road to totally embrace the sheer magnificence of the panoramic scene surrounding us. The side of the road was bordered by colorful almond trees just coming into bloom. Such scenery unmarred by traffic was surreal.

This is northern Spain at its best. The landscape is punctuated by castles, most of the secondary roads are in good condition, although our Audi’s GPS voice with a lovely Australian accent did convince us to follow her, foolishly, on a dirt road. Entrances to small towns and villages encourage wanderers to visit their sights. Signs with information and directions to their own unique castle further enhance the welcome.

In countries like Italy and France, most of the cities and many small towns have driving restrictions that force visitors to leave their cars in huge parking lots outside town. Amazingly, most of the hilly towns in northern Spain have limited or no driving restrictions, and it seems that if you have the courage to drive through incredibly steep, narrow streets, you can do so. And if your car cannot navigate through a narrow corner, locals just smile

and nod as they try to assist in getting out of a tight spot. Obviously, that is from my personal experience, as I always enjoy the challenge of the most daunting roads.

Our destination for the day was a totally renovated five-star monastery, the Hotel and Spa “Monasterio del Carmen” just off the main street of the town of Boltaña. The massive 17th-century building, situated on the banks of the Ara River, near the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park located in the province of Aragon, is part of the Pyrenees mountains. The welcoming exterior view of this property is even more impressive when entirely lit up in the evening. The décor of the interior corridors is designed to realistically reflect the time period of the original building. The two floors of walkways with vaulted ceilings look out on the covered inner courtyard constructed using the monastic architecture of its time. Since we did not want to wait for the restaurant to open at nine o’clock in the evening, we ended up in town at a lively pizzeria where every table was occupied by locals watching a soccer game on the multiple TV’s creating a cacophony of jovial cheering.

From here we continued westward following parts of the famous “St. James Way,” or the “Camino de Santiago,” a pilgrimage walking and cycling route of five hundred miles beginning in France, winding through the Pyrenees mountains on what once were ancient Roman roads. Since the Middle Ages, this has been a pilgrimage route. “The Way” ends at the impressive Cathedral in the ancient city of Santiago de Compostela, located in the Spanish province of Galicia. It is said that the relics of Saint James the Apostle, second of the twelve apostles to die, were buried here in the ninth century.

On our way, we visited numerous castles so prevalent all over Spain. Many have been converted into hotels by the Spanish government. In 1911, under direction of King Alfonso XIII, a Tourism Commission was created to investigate the possibility of building more hotels in Spain to increase tourism outside the big cities. At the time, there were extremely limited overnight choices in this vast country outside the main cities. The commission looked at the feasibility of new construction but eventually chose the novel approach of renovating long-abandoned castles, monasteries, and convents dotted around the countryside. They were often located at the most significant viewpoints in small villages and towns. Some of these buildings date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, and some even further back to the year 711 when the Moors invaded Spain. These occupational military forces were eventually ousted during the “Reconquista” and the fall of Granada in 1492. After such long occupation, it is only logical that the remnants of the stunning Arabian influence in architecture and art are still prevalent in much of the country.

It took until 1928 for the first “parador” to open. The name was derived from “para,” meaning “stop” and “dormir,” “to sleep.” The “Parador de Gredos” was originally a hunting lodge situated at almost 5,000 feet elevation in the mountains of Navarredonda de Gredos. Years ago, we stayed here when the road was still covered in snow in late spring. It offered comfortable, yet quite basic three-star accommodation, and the rustic restaurant maintained the atmosphere of the original hunting lodge.

Today, the government-run group of hotels, “Paradors de Turismo,” consists of 97 properties and one in Portugal, which mostly are four-star luxury, a few three-star, and eight five-star hotels. The involvement of the government guarantees that most properties are maintained in excellent condition and well-staffed. But probably because of government job protection, staff are not always well versed in the aspect of service one would expect from such fabulous hotels. However, the accommodation offered at practically every parador will certainly make up for lack of service in a few of the properties. Originally, the organization required its properties to always keep some rooms available for walk-in clients on the day of arrival. But due to the popularity of the paradors, that practice was abandoned and it is advisable to book as far in advance as possible. We prebooked at the Parador de Hondarribia. The castle of Charles V was built at the highest point in town back in the 10th century to defend the port where the Bidasoa River flows into the Atlantic.

Future kings Philip IV and V did reside here as well, and today the ancient thick-walled building is not only a four-star hotel, but also a remarkable museum. Treasures displayed in numerous public rooms include massive tapestries, including a design by Rubens depicting the story of Achilles.

Hondarribia is a lively fishing town with a medieval history on the Bay of Biscayne that is part of the Atlantic Ocean. The well-maintained city walls and old town are part of the autonomous Spanish Basque Country, with part of it overflowing into France. The Basque people have their own language, “Euskara.” It is a language that is still proudly used by locals and displayed together with Spanish on most signage and roads. It is a completely different language and has no relation to Spanish, French, or any other European language, and its origin is unknown. Over a period of 60 years the area has experienced attempts to separate from Spain, which resulted in conflicts of terrorist attacks and bombings. But since 2011 the political unrest has virtually disappeared due to lack of further support for violence, and in 2018, the terrorist organization of ETA relinquished all weapons and dismantled the organization.

The old town's main entry is the Santa María gate and has a strong Gothic and Renaissance influence throughout. It became quite an adventure to reach our castle hotel at the highest point by car. The massive oak front door of the hotel opens to a square and cobblestone street where three elderly locals were sitting on a bench watching the comings and goings. We had not intended to travel so far west, but we were well rewarded as Hondarribia turned out to be one of the highlights. Not only for our castle and colossal cathedral next door, but for the very colorful fishing village below, all tiny homes painted in bright colors and hung with drying fishing nets.

We made our way back into the countryside via the old town of Sos Del Rey Católico. Originally called only “Sos,” the title of “Rey Catolico” was added in 1452 when King Ferdinand of Aragon II was born here. The narrow cobblestone streets and old-stone houses, surrounded by walls, seven gates, and a castle, are a reminder of the tumultuous history between the kingdoms of Navarra and Aragon. The parador here is an old manor house decorated with displays of ancient artifacts. From our room we enjoyed a spectacular view of the castle.

Our drive through northern Spain concluded with an overnight at the parador in the city of Lleida on our way back to Barcelona airport. The hotel is a 17th-century convent in the historic center of the city.

Its most impressive feature, which punctuated the perfect ending to our Spanish adventure, was the three-story central cloister now converted into the parador’s main restaurant, offering a magical dining experience.