Parador Santo Estevo Spain

The parador located in the heart of Galicia, is built into a Benedictine monastery whose origins go back to the eighth century. The building is a mix of Baroque and Plateresque architecture, there are three attached chapels, one Romanesque, one Gothic and the third Baroque so that there's something for the devotees of each architectural period. Evidently several of the monastic cells were combined to make up a room, because these are anything but monastically spartan but rather quite large, light and very nicely furnished. What is striking is that while, in the public rooms, the monastic character of the building has been preserved, with simple, clear lines and relatively sparse (although sufficient) furnishings, these are starkly, almost aggressively modernistic. The contrast of the medieval and the post modern is striking. One approaches the parador on a lengthy winding road that follows the valleys of two rivers, the Mino and the Sil. The region, isolated, spectacularly beautiful with any number of vistas of river canyons and distant mountain crests, and mostly depopulated, is known as the Ribeira Sacra for the large number of monastic establishments it contains. The last stretch is down a narrow, winding road to the valley floor and if you happen to encounter a bus on its way up (in Spain buses will attempt almost anything) you had better be prepared to back up to the nearest lay-by. The area is ideal for hiking, excursions on horseback and canoe trips on the river. The latter two can be arranged through the concierge. You are not really near to any significant towns so you'd better make up your mind that you're going to be taking your meals at the parador, but fortunately the cuisine is excellent and the buffet among the best in the chain. You can expect to pay around $130 a night for your room.