Why you should stay in a Spanish Parador

After all the frustrations and restrictions of the last few years, Spain is finally back on the map for British travellers. So where to go and where to stay? If you just want to drop and flop, a week or two in a resort hotel is fine, I guess. But after we’ve been cooped up in Britain for so long, it seems a shame not to see a bit more of the country – and the best way to do that is by splitting your trip between several of Spain’s splendid paradores.

Spain’s paradores date back to the 1920s, when the government came up with the bright idea of converting redundant historic buildings into high quality hotels. The purpose of the scheme was twofold: to restore the derelict castles, mansions, monasteries and convents that were strewn across the Spanish countryside, and to encourage regional tourism (many of these antique landmarks were in remote parts of the country).