Get ready to experience a whole new Spain. The Parador chain of hotels is a government-run group, built for the most part in converted castles, monasteries, and other ancient structures. The first thing that struck us was the sheer value offered. Accommodation is charged on a per-room basis, and the five-night card (which you can order through the Internet site and pay for when you book in on the first night)brings you rooms at around £45 per night (that’s per room, not per person!).
The accommodations are sumptuous. The castle at Siguenza (not this trip) and the converted monastery at Grenada are beyond your dreams. The website is simply outstanding. All the Paradors are shown in their full glory, links to the nearest Paradors enable you to plan a driving tour at home before you get booking, and the on-line reservation system worked very well. For those who are really Internet adventurers, there are webcams, too (though I find watching the sun go down on a sunny Spanish vista when you are sitting in soggy Suffolk faintly disheartening).
When you arrive at the hotels, you are struck by the egalitarianism of the chain. Being a business traveller used to haggling for the best room and service, I felt relaxed at reception, safe in the knowledge I would be getting the best room available on the basis of the time of day I checked in. So a good tip would be to check into the hotel during early afternoon and see some sites as the sun goes down.
Mrs O was taken by the restaurants. The menus reflected the local traditional dishes strongly and you could wander through all the local fungi, bull''s tails, and goat stews you want (and we did). Quite a number of coach parties of Wrinklies stop over, so the restaurant is best avoided when it opens (we enjoyed comparing British and German senior citizens), as they scrum down and put the staff through ritualistic hell. Wines were well chosen and good value.
TRAVEL TIP: We chose a different Parador for each night of the stay; this ended up being a bit of a rush. Next time, we will divide the five nights into two, two, and one. You do need the time to see all the local sights in a country that is full of historic sites and natural beauty.
For this trip we stayed at Ronda, Arcos de la Frontera, Grenada, and Antequera.