What is a parador and how does one use them?
Aug 28th, 2001, 05:15 AM
#1
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What is a parador and how does one use them?
I understand what they are but is the idea of staying in these locations to stay for one nite and then move on to the next? If you were planning a 2 week trip to Spain, is it advisable to stay in them the whole time? Would you spend more than one nite? For instance if you were staying a week in Barcelona area, would it be a good idea to stay in the same parador for the whole week? I'd love to hear about this method of travelling in Spain.
Aug 28th, 2001, 07:03 AM
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Hi Spanish lady! <BR>I was in Andalucia this June and had the delight of visiting several paradors. YES, they are a wonderful way of seeing Spain. They are done up to 4-5 star luxury - the ones I visited (ie restaurants and bars -- didn't stay overnight) were all luxurious, with swimming pools, and were old palaces or town halls converted with style and all mod cons -- guaranteed to meet the demands of hot and tired tourists! I think if you are over 55 you get a 30% discount too. <BR>So, yes, I would say they are a lovely way to see Spain, and I would book your trip around them. <BR>When in Seville, I met a couple who had travelled from Madrid to Seville stopping off at paradors en route. They raved about it so much that I intend to do the same sometime. <BR>Hope this helps!
Aug 28th, 2001, 09:13 AM
#3
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Hi! <BR>A "parador" is a 4-5 star hotel, with the special characteristic of being a historic building or castle. They are usually very nice and full of charm, so I would advise to use them for the lenguh of your stay, if you can. the only drawback is that, sometimes, they are out of the cities, although usually quite close by car. No public transportation available.
Aug 28th, 2001, 10:54 AM
#4
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Paradores were created by the grandfather of King Juan Carlos, as he was travelling through a rural area and had found no nice places to stay at nights, so he thought:'I am going to create great places to stay during my trips'. <BR> <BR>That is the reason why, the bigger cities hasn't 'paradores': In Madrid, Sevilla... and many other main cities there is no parador. <BR> <BR>But all of them are great, wonderfull... <BR>Try, if you can, Granada, Carmona (50 Km from Seville by highway), León, Santiago de Compostela... <BR>The web site is 'www.parador.es' <BR> <BR> <BR>Enjoy the trip <BR>
Aug 28th, 2001, 12:40 PM
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Thanks for the info. Having never been to Spain, I'm trying to get a handle on best way to travel. In Italy and France, we always stayed a week (or two) at one place and took day trips - it was nice to come back to the same place and not move around so much. If we wanted to stay in Barcelona area for a week and another week on Andalucia region, would you recommend renting a villa/apt. in each place for a week or staying in a parador for week? Or maybe two paradors in a week?
Aug 29th, 2001, 07:28 AM
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Hi Spanishlady et al! A couple of years ago we stayed in two Paradores - Trujillo and Jaen. We only stayed for 1 night at each of these properties. They were both lovely, restored old buildings, jaen was once a castle, and trujillo was once a nunnery (although there are some paradores that are in modern buildings, for example, in the Costa del Sol). Paradores often have great restaurants and they offer really wonderful breakfast buffets highlighting the customs of the area. <BR> <BR>I think whether to stay in a Parador depends on whether you have a car rental (essential in getting to most Paradores) and what type of sightseeing you want to do. If you want to do sightseeing in the major cities (MAdrid, Barcelona and Sevilla) it is best to stay in the city center. An exception, of course, is the famous parador in Granada - super expensive and you have to book well in advance. It is located in the Alhambra area and it looked lovely from the outside. Staying at Paradores is best if you want to travel through the countryside and visit smaller towns. We also saw the paradores of Caceres, Arcos de la Frontera and Ubeda (we didn't go in though) and they looked lovely too. <BR> <BR>I also think that they may have a discount card if you are over a certain age (I think 60, but I'm not sure).
Sep 2nd, 2001, 06:35 AM
#13
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Dear Balbir: <BR> <BR>Hmmm, how much do the paradors cost....that's a tricky question, because they vary greatly, and in some cases, there's no basis that I can see for the higher rate, so it's hard to judge. The most popular parador is the one located in Granada, and naturally, you would think this would be the most expensive, and you'd be right...however, the first one we're staying at is right on the Spanish/French border in Honnaribia, and the rate is 38,000P; most of the others are less than this. <BR> <BR>I made my reservation directly with a representative that I'd met at the Spain Trade Show (I'm a travel agent and new Spain Specialist); so, a good travel agent,
or you can visit www.parador.es
or you can visit www.parador.es
Sep 2nd, 2001, 09:54 AM
#14
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We have visited Spain each of the last two years. We have not stayed at any Paradors. However, last year we ate at the restaurant in the one in Toledo (great view of the city). Their website, www.parador.es, is useful for locating them and also finding out the rates. In many cases, special offers exist during selected months of the year (stay x nights, get 1 free). This info is also available on the site. For reservations, best bet I think is to call their Central Res office in Madrid. There is an online res form but that did not generate a response. A passer-by at the Madrid Airport said you should either call or fax. By calling you'll know you've got the booking. <BR> <BR>All of them are government run and all of them are converted historical buildings of some sort; mostly quite handsome. None of them are in any major city center (exception Granada). I would say in most cases you have to have a car to be able to stay in Paradors. <BR> <BR>There is no Parador close enough to Barcelona to consider using it as a base for seeing Barcelona (that would have been nice for the trip we just finished), although there are several locations in more rural sections of Cataluyna and one right on the Costa Brava. For Barcelona you really need to stay in the city. Don't waste valuable holiday time commuting. <BR> <BR>Regarding staying in one place in Andalucia and using it as a base, you should be aware that Andalucia is in reality much larger than it might appear on your map. We prefer to base ourselves in one place as well (less packing and unpacking) and have done so in Andalucia. Before selecting a base location you should have a good idea on what in Andalucia you want to see. Basing yourself in one place means you drive roundtrip to the sights you want to see. For example, from the Costa del Sol (Marbella) area it is 2-3 hours each way to/from Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada, and Jerez. From Sevilla it is only 90 min to Jerez and Cordoba, (opposite directions) but a long haul to Granada. <BR> <BR>This year we stayed in a timeshare in the Costa del Sol and also spent one night in Sevilla, so we could see Sevilla, including a flamenco show that ended at 23:00, and then the horse show in Jerez the next day. No way we could have experienced that without staying in Sevilla, believe me. The year before, we did roundtrips to both Granada and Cordoba from the Costa. <BR> <BR>Finally, you may find it better, when staying a whole week someplace, to have refrig/kitchen available to you. Then you'll want a villa/apt vice a hotel. <BR> <BR>Hopefully this helps.
Sep 2nd, 2001, 12:14 PM
#15
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When we traveled through Spain we stayed at many paradors. We loved all of them. You can pick up a book by Karen Brown titled Spanish Country and Paradors. It is very helpful and you can decide which to stay in. Most have restaurants and wine of that region. Most rooms come with breakfast and dinner. It is worth staying maybe 2 nights in each place. <BR>Good luck
Sep 2nd, 2001, 02:59 PM
#16
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Paradores chain is probably the jewel of tourism in Spain, mainly because they are usually based in beatiful old buildings or exceptional settings. They serve regional and quality food, a bit pricy though and the staff usually great and helpful. I would not stay a week in the same parador, I would try others in the vicinity since almost all are really attractive. For example, in Andalucia, the Paradors in Ronda, Cadiz, Arcos, Granada, Gibralfaro (Malaga), Ubeda, Jaen, Mojacar or Cazorla are extremely nice and you could easily choose some of them and be pleased to make them your base to explore the surroundings. But to visit big cities as Barcelona, Sevilla or Madrid, I would prefer to stay well situated in the city center instead of having to move everyday from a nearby town.
Feb 28th, 2002, 12:08 PM
#19
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Regarding how to use the paradors:<BR><BR>Has anyone taken advantage of the 2-day offer where you get 20% off room and 1/2 board?<BR><BR>If so, can you tell me exactly how the half-board part works? I assume half board means breakfast and lunch or dinner. Do you get a choice of either lunch or dinner or is it mandated? Do you choose from the menu or do you have a few menu of the day selections? Can you dine at any time the restaurant is open or are there set times for someone on this deal?<BR><BR>This sounds like a great deal, but I want to be flexible during my trip also.<BR><BR>Anyone with first hand experience out there?
Feb 28th, 2002, 12:42 PM
#20
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Paradors are state sponsored, a mixture of modern & new, some of their discount schemes used not to be open to local people.<BR>You used to get discounts for staying many nights even if you split them between different paradors - check the website.<BR>They are a generally good deal: if there is one in your locality & you can afford it, use it.I've used the ones in Malaga (Gibralfaro)and in Cadiz.<BR>Portugal has a similar setup except that they are called pousadas, not quite as well run.<BR>
