Parador de Gredos is a luxury hotel in Sierra de Gredos mountain range. It’s located near the town of Navarredonda de Gredos. This is the first Parador ever created and opened its doors in 1928. This former hunting lodge and inn established by king Alfonso XIII, is the perfect starting point for hikes and excursions to unique spots such as Puerto del Pico -one of the best preserved Roman roads in Spain-, Laguna Grande de Gredos -a mountain pool- or Cinco Lagunas- a beautiful cirque. It’s also close to historic towns like Arenas de San Pedro.
We chose this Parador to spend the first days of 2019 and today I’m going to tell you all about our trip. Let’s find out what you can do, see and eat in Sierra de Gredos. It surely is one of the best experiences you can have in Spain.
DAY 1
Breakfast in Paradores is by far our favorite compared to any other hotel we’ve ever been to. There’s a wide variety of products and the quality is excellent. Home made cakes baked daily, fresh fruit, a vast array of cheese and cold meat… Plus, they always include a few things that are typical of the area. A copious breakfast is very much needed when you spend a day in the mountains.
Our plan for the day was to visit Arenas de San Pedro. The only way to get there is a winding road so be prepared if you suffer from car sickness. The 39 km will take you 43 minutes but the landscape is totally worth it. We stopped several times to take photos from vantage points. The town of Arenas de San Pedro is known for its cultural and historical heritage, and for Cuevas del Aguila, one of the marvels of El Tietar Valley where you can see stalactites and stalagmites.
The first thing we did was taking a tour of the Medieval Castle. Oddly enough, the castle is in the middle of the town instead of being isolated on top of a mountain. Then, we saw the very well preserved medieval bridge and finally we reached the highest point in town from which you get lovely views of it, Palacio del Infante Don Luis de Borbon. The palace is neglected which made me feel really sad because the building is a lovely neoclassic building which could be beautiful if they took good care of it. At 1pm we started hearing Christmas carols, they are heard all around town for one hour every day. It was a wonderful moment: breath-taking views of the town in front of us, the sun keeping us warm and listening to Christmas songs…
We had lunch at El Marquesito. We had taken a quick look at TripAdvisor and it came up as the #1 restaurant in Arenas de San Pedro. The sign on the door says “cooking with love feeds the soul”, just with that first impression we knew we had chosen wisely. The place is like a life-size doll house with floral wall-papers in pastel colors. The ambiance makes you feel as if you were at your grandma’s house eating a good old home-cooked meal. The staff was kind enough to find us a table even though the restaurant was full and we didn’t have a reservation. The food was good, traditional and tasty. We had the 15€ menu which was well worth the price.
Our next stop was Candeleda. The place is famous for typical houses with wood beams on their facade, similar to Tudor houses. Unfortunately, the town was a disappointment. We could only find one spectacular house. A few years ago we visited La Alberca and Mogarraz in Sierra de Francia which are far more beautiful and have many of those houses.
It’s worth stopping at Rio Pelayos on the (winding) road between Arenas de San Pedro and Candeleda. Picture this: trees covered in moss, a stone bridge, water flowing…, the landscape is stunning.
On our way back we stopped at one of Arenas de San Pedro’s landmarks, Saint Peter’s Sanctuary (Santuario de San Pedro) where they had an exhibition of nativity scenes from all around the world. The exhibition won’t be back till next Christmas but it’s totally worth it. The nativity scenes are influenced by the culture of the country which makes them so special. The ones from South America have bold colors like traditional Andean clothing. Others were made with chestnuts or pine cones. It’s one of the most original things we’ve seen in a while. Just looking at the photos again I’m already feeling nostalgic about the Christmas holidays!
DAY 2
When we got back to the hotel after Day 1, we realized we hadn’t enjoyed all the Parador had to offer so our plan on Day 2 was to do exactly that. After breakfast, the first rays of lights came through the windows, it was freezing outside but it was glorious inside. Because of the cold we were reluctant to take advantage of the sunny terrace, so we got our books and read in one of their beautiful living rooms. One of my favorite things about Paradores are their common areas. The decor is beautiful and you feel at home. While we were reading, we heard a little kid crying and saying he doesn’t want to leave this hotel ever. Who can blame him?
From the Parador garden, you can walk through the spectacular pine wood at Navarredonda de Gredos. Breathing fresh air, hearing the sounds of the forest and seeing beautiful horses, we wonder if living in Madrid is such a great idea… Maybe we should start a new life in the countryside?
It’s 14:30, time to go back to El Parador for lunch. Artisan cheese, patatas revolconas (potatoes with chorizo) and cochinillo (grilled piglet) are the delicacies you must try in this region.
Our evening consisted of taking photos around the hotel and playing board games. A game of Parchisi (I hadn’t played since I was a kid!) feeling cozy by the chimney followed by a chocolate con churros never felt so good.
One of the main attractions of Parador de Gredos is the rooftop terrace from which you can see the stars. In summer, they organize an event where you can see the jewel of the crown, the Milky Way. Too bad it can’t be seen in winter. Even if it was cold, we lay on a sunbed each and gazed at the stars for a while. The perfect final touch to a magnificent stay at Parador de Gredos.
GETTING THERE
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I can't imaging caring for all those potted plants range around that huge building! Wow!I
Thanks for linking up at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2019/01/what-flirt.html
We lived in Europe for six years and I've always regretted not visiting the "Motherland" while we were there. I'm planning to change that next year, though.
…or we could also go here! Haha, so many places we need to discover in our gang! No but seriously, I have a car, let's just plan and go somewhere! Besitos from Linda
Thank you for sharing… it’s a wonderful place.
Looks like a wonderful place for a vacation
Oh, it's a great idea for a trip with the gang! We have to plan something fun 😉
This looks so beautiful. I am so jealous of you. I cannot wait to visit this place some day. 🙂
So beautiful and so much character!
It looks and sounds like such an amazing trip! I love the cultural parts you chose to share because I love hearing about other cultures!
http://www.mylittlenest.org
Fabulous looking hotel and the scenery is amazing! Sounds like a great choice for a destination xx Maria
This looks so beautiful! I would love to stay in this hotel. Gonna save the name for later 🙂
What a charming hotel! I would love to stay here one day.
These pictures are memorizing, Cristina! (Not to mention those yummy food photos!) I always hear Spain is a beautiful place to visit.
~Lor
https://hyggememories.wordpress.com/
This looks like a beautiful place to stay! I've not seen much of Spain, but visiting the mountains is now definitely on the list. The rooms look cozy, but those common spaces are amazing-looking! I love when places make those the highlight because you really get to connect more with your fellow-travelers who are staying there.
This luxury hotel knows how to make their customers didn't want to leave. It's a hotel, but it looks and feels like a home. No wonder the little boy wanted to stay. Too bad you didn't get to see the Milky Way from the rooftop. Kudos to you though for still spending time up there even though it's a bit cold.
Gorgeous photography, I completely agree that some of the best places in a hotel is the common area and I'm glad you got to enjoy your time indoors. Definitely will see if this road trip is possible in my next trip to Madrid.
We are heading to Spain in the spring and this looks like it could be a cool option for a few days. Thanks for the detailed itinerary!
Any hotel that has actual keys over swipe cards has my heart! This looks like a lovely place to stay!
Oh wow! That looks like such an amazing place to stay! I would like to take my family there.
This trip looks absolutely amazing! 🙂 I'm in AWE of the food! Holy smokes!
This looks like such a relaxing weekend trip! It's too bad that Candeleda was disappointing to you for finding the houses with wood beams but the one that you did find is gorgeous.
Sorry to disturb you, that was me crying about not wanting to leave haha. Seriously though I wouldn't either, the architecture is so idyllic and THAT FOOD!
Wow! What a cute little getaway. I would go there for the food alone! Such a cozy town.
How gorgeous!!! I love the attention to detail with those sweet key rings. And the town looks so pretty.
This town looks so cute! I'd love to stay somewhere cozy like that.
What a beautiful place! We have nowhere like it in Australia! I really like your fun scarf too! 🙂
Hope that your week is going well! I've posted a new outfit linkup on my blog if you want to check it out 🙂
Away From The Blue Blog
Beautiful! I'm not sure how I feel about the roads, but I can take medicine if I get to enjoy all that beauty.
This place is super charming and rustic, love it, so inviting.
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Oh my goodness! This looks like the coziest hotel set in such a beautiful place. Saving this for if we ever make it to Spain!!
What a beautiful area to visit! We loved Spain and would love to go back and visit this area!
What a charming village and hotel! Haven't yet made it to Spain but will pin this post for when I do!
Sounds like a wonderful trip and a beautiful getaway. The views I bet on the drive there was stunning and how amazing will that be to see the Milky Way? I always love your food photos. They look so delicious and I can't wait to try it all out for myself.
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
You have some beautiful photos from your time here- it seems like you filled your time with some awesome things. Even though missing the Milky Way and not seeing many houses with wooden beams was a disappointment, it still looks like a beautiful trip!
Beautiful town!
Thanks for taking part in the Travel Tuesday meme.
So glad you liked it!
"So inviting" that's the perfect way to describe it 🙂
Thanks so much, Maureen! I'm glad to hear that you like the post 🙂
I hope you get to come soon!
So glad you like it! It's a wonderful place to visit
Thank you for the linkup!
Thanks! We love Paradores because of that, they make us feel like home.
That's a great point actually! It's a great way to meet people who like the same things as you do
It really was, Samantha. Thanks for stopping by!
Glad you like it, Gena 🙂
It's absolutely amazing!
Thanks, Erica
It really is, thanks for stopping by, Carol!
Thank you for the link up!
I hope you can visit Spain soon!
I know right? The key thing is so special
So glad this was useful, Stephanie! If you have any questions or need recommendations let me know
Thanks so much, Izzy!