Paradores

Beginning in the 1920s, the Spanish government began buying up historic structures such as military monasteries and palaces and converted them to hotels in order to preserve them and to build up the tourist industry. There are now more than 90 Parador hotels scattered across Spain, offering high quality lodging and cuisine.

I spent one night in the Parador San Marcos in Leon three years ago, to treat myself after 9 days of walking on my first Camino. The only one we came across this year was in Vilalba, so we treated ourselves on Thursday night. While many Paradors include important historic structures, this one had only one medieval tower, with a very nice hotel adjacent. Funny thing was, we saw at least 5 other pilgrims who were staying at the hotel. So much for the suffering of poor pilgrims!Read more