Parador de Guadalupe

Spain – Extremadura – Cáceres – Guadalupe

15th-century hospice

4-star

This lovely Parador was once the Hospice of St John the Baptist, a 15th-century building where pilgrims could stay when visiting the next-door Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, for four centuries Spain’s most important monastery, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The religious significance of Guadalupe had its origins in the late 13th century, when a local shepherd found by the banks of the Guadalupe River a statue of the Virgin Mary thought to have been hidden from the Moorish invaders in 714. It was to Guadalupe that Christopher Columbus made a pilgrimage after his discovery of America in 1492 – after which Our Lady of Guadalupe became highly revered in the New World. With its arches, courtyard, white-washed walls and pantiled roof, the Parador Zurbarán (named after the famous 17th-century painter who decorated the adjacent baroque sacristy) provides an atmosphere of peace and simplicity, and particularly noteworthy are the beautiful garden and a secluded outdoor swimming pool. Succulent local dishes on offer in the restaurant include Ajoblanco (a soup made from garlic, bread and egg), Bacalao Monacal (salt cod cooked with potato and spinach) and Tarta de queso de la Serena (a kind of cheesecake).

There is garage parking at this Parador.