This was my first parador. We were driving in the Picos de Europa mountains (there are seven major mountain ranges in Spain and many more minor ones, if mountain driving is not your thing, forget it) looking for a place to stay. We came to Fuente De where the road ends and where the parador is a majestic, you might even say, an overwhelming presence. We'd noticed what looked like a very nice little hotel further down the valley so we went into the parador to see if we could get some information about it. The concierge very graciously offered to call up to see if there were any rooms available, at which point I happened to notice a parador brochure on his desk. Well, this was some twenty years ago, I'd just passed sixty, and it turned out that, in those blessed pre euro days, the senior rate for a room, including the breakfast buffet, was thirty five dollars. So of course we stayed there.
The parador itself is a new build in the typical Spanish mountain hotel style, very long and squat, white stucco with brown timbering. The rooms and bathrooms, while of perfectly adequate size, are nothing special, except that in the front there is an enclosed terrace with a table and two easy chairs from which you have a spectacular, unobstructed view of the valley and the peaks beyond it. At the time the public rooms were crammed full of antiques, including at least half a dozen gorgeous seventeenth century small writing desks. In the course of a recent refurbishing (all paradors undergo this every ten to fifteen years) these have now mostly been replaced by modern reproductions, but the effect remains pretty much the same -- a grandly furnished nobleman's hunting lodge. In the back there sits the sheer cliff that closes off the valley, a truly spectacular sight. On its lower slope, in most seasons of the year, there will be a herd of chamois grazing, if the wind is in your favor and you use elementary stalking techniques you can get quite close to them. On the higher ledges mountain goats can be seen. There is a funicular that goes to the top of the cliff (best avoid this if you're queezy about heights, it's a long way down in mid ride) and if one's up to it one can make the descent on foot, which takes about two hours. Failing that, there are hiking trails through the woods on the lower slope of the mountain. Keep in mind, particularly if you've driven up from the hot and sunny sea coast, that you're now in the high mountains and dress accordingly. The old town of Potes, with its medieval covered arcades and lively cafes is about a twenty minute drive down valley and is a nice excursion point. Just before one gets to Potes coming from the parador there is the monastery of Santo Toribio de Liebana with a good Romanesque church in which a copy of the famous late eleventh century Liebana Scripture is on display. Back at the parador, the buffet, while not quite as lavish as in some of the fancier paradors, is more than adequate and at dinner, a rarity these days, you can get a decent caraffe wine for around eight dollars. The stay, with the buffet included, will cost you roughly a hundred dollars for a night, in my opinion money well spent if you enjoy staying in the mountains but are not any longer into camping out.
The parador itself is a new build in the typical Spanish mountain hotel style, very long and squat, white stucco with brown timbering. The rooms and bathrooms, while of perfectly adequate size, are nothing special, except that in the front there is an enclosed terrace with a table and two easy chairs from which you have a spectacular, unobstructed view of the valley and the peaks beyond it. At the time the public rooms were crammed full of antiques, including at least half a dozen gorgeous seventeenth century small writing desks. In the course of a recent refurbishing (all paradors undergo this every ten to fifteen years) these have now mostly been replaced by modern reproductions, but the effect remains pretty much the same -- a grandly furnished nobleman's hunting lodge. In the back there sits the sheer cliff that closes off the valley, a truly spectacular sight. On its lower slope, in most seasons of the year, there will be a herd of chamois grazing, if the wind is in your favor and you use elementary stalking techniques you can get quite close to them. On the higher ledges mountain goats can be seen. There is a funicular that goes to the top of the cliff (best avoid this if you're queezy about heights, it's a long way down in mid ride) and if one's up to it one can make the descent on foot, which takes about two hours. Failing that, there are hiking trails through the woods on the lower slope of the mountain. Keep in mind, particularly if you've driven up from the hot and sunny sea coast, that you're now in the high mountains and dress accordingly. The old town of Potes, with its medieval covered arcades and lively cafes is about a twenty minute drive down valley and is a nice excursion point. Just before one gets to Potes coming from the parador there is the monastery of Santo Toribio de Liebana with a good Romanesque church in which a copy of the famous late eleventh century Liebana Scripture is on display. Back at the parador, the buffet, while not quite as lavish as in some of the fancier paradors, is more than adequate and at dinner, a rarity these days, you can get a decent caraffe wine for around eight dollars. The stay, with the buffet included, will cost you roughly a hundred dollars for a night, in my opinion money well spent if you enjoy staying in the mountains but are not any longer into camping out.
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