Parador Alarcon
This authentic 8th Century fortress is situated on a promontory above the meandering river Jucar, on the Manchego-Levantinas border.
The Parador of Alarcon occupies the medieval castle of the Marqueses de Villena, which is over 13 centuries old. It was founded by the Muslims in the 8th Century and then taken over by King Alfonso VIII in the 12th Century. 
It was the home of distinguished writer, Don Juan Manuel and has experienced many sieges and revolts. The grandeur of the Parador can be witnessed in the Torre del Homenaje (Tower of Homage) both in its battlements and interior.
Magnificent oak and a mixture of modern and classical styles have transformed this Parador into a new building. The fabrics used within bring out its medieval character; the reds and oranges contrast with the austerity of the space and serve as a backdrop for its genuine art collection.
I enjoyed reading all the comments and am glad others had a good experience. Maybe we had a “guest cheif” when we visited. Our son is a chef and owns a very successful SF Bay Area gourmet food distribution company - he creates and distributes organic raw foods, so I am very familiar with excellence and very well traveledas well. Something must have gone very wrong in the kitchen the evening we visited. Unfortunately, we have had so many European gourmet food experiences with which to compare - we must have been really spoiled somewhere along the line. We did ask for chef assistance - but to no avail. Just a bad night at the Alarcon. I’m sure the good evenings others have had were rewarding. Glad to hear it!
The approach to the Parador is magical it takes your breath away. Our room was beautiful with superb views from the windows . We dined in the parador in the evening and the food was excellent and the waiters extremely attentive.We requested the key to the ramparts in the morning and got some fantastic photographs. On the whole we had a lovely time and we are left with wonderful memories.
This was our 3rd stay at a Parador,the approach was unbelievable with the Castle being the first you see, located on the highest part of Alarcon village.We thought the conversion has been carried out very tastefully..Upon arrival our room was not quite ready so we had a drink in the courtyard, the receptionist a very pleasant lady showed us to our room and provided us with various local information of the area, our room was excellant with great views down to the valley, both the damped river & old stone bridge ( room 114 ) The standard of food was good, but we did feel the bar prices rather over the top, during our stay e did not expeience any problems with noise.
Places to visit, we took a trip to the town of Belmonte the castle is under renovation but is one of the best presserved in Spain, along with the local windmills. thoughly enjoyable stay. thank you.
Four of us, my son, his wife along with my husband and myself stayed one night at Alarcon. It was the first of three. The others being Cuenca and Siguenza. We had never stayed in a Parador hotel before and contrary to Marcie plummer’s experience we thought Alarcon had the best Chef. My husband is an excellent cook and we can be a little critical. Obviously something went wrong on Marcie’s night but I think it would have been constructive to have discussed the complaint with the chef.
Both our rooms were superb with reasonable window size. I have no doubt there are rooms with restricted views but not ours.
All three Paradors were great each one had something different and in the future we intend to opt for weekend breaks and stay longer in each. If i have one slight criticism its the menu’s, they are all too similar.
I’ve stayed at many Paradors over the years. The Alarcon was not up to the standard of most of the others I’ve stayed. The food was awful - over cooked. We left it because we couldn’t swallow it. Our room was tiny without a window you could see out - it was high up near the ceiling. We traveled quite a way out of our way to get there. It was a Parador I wouldn’t recommend.
As we approached the Parador we were thrilled to see it high upon the hill ahead - it’s a stunning location. As you drive up through the town of VERY small winding streets you feel like you’ve stepped in to another time. Fantastic! This was our first experience with a Parador and it was a great one at that. Check in was easy, the room was very elegant and quite romantic. The attention to detail was impeccable!
Wonderful building, tastefully converted to provide high quality accommodation but retaining historical feel of old Spain. It was our first trip to the area and the whole setting of Alarcon and its Parador is almost magical. The Parador receptionists were very helpful, showing us personally to our room. Information provided on local walks and trips from the Parador was excellent and proved very useful.
The standard of the food provided (2 dinners and breakfasts) was very good although we would have preferred a buffet breakfast rather than being served (but that is just a personal preference and not a crticism).