Parador Alcaniz
Built on the la Cumbre Cerro Pui Pinos hill top, the 12th-13th Century castle-convent was converted to the seat of the Order of Calatrava in 1179. The Parador in Alcaniz, which dominates the Maestrazgo landscape, has preserved the Tower of Homage, the belfry-sacristy, and the section converted into an Aragonese Palace in the 18th Century.
The interior features gothic murals, a Plateresque sepulchre and baroque facade decorated with red, ochre and green shades as well as oak beams. There is also a peaceful garden area. The hotel also provides a large number of excursions and adventure sports activities.
The comforting Aragonese cuisine offers ‘huevos a la alcanizana’ (alcaniz–style egg dish), ternasco asado (roast young lamb) as well as the local desserts: tortas de Alma y Almendrados (almond tart).
Information and reservations at Parador of Alcaniz
On a recent short driving holiday in Spain we stayed at Parador Alcaniz and some others. Our room was clean and comfortable with lovely views across the autumn countryside. The staff were helpful and friendly and the food was fine. For those not accustomed to Spanish dining hours it was a bit disconcerting to have to ask for the restaurant to be opened at 8.30 in the evening, but then I guess thats all part of the holiday experience!! I/we would definitely recommend the Parador experience and want to return as soon as we can
Stunning location, well signposted.
Reception, service and (enormous) room great. Very quiet.
Food good and reasonably priced dinner (good, as hard to find places to eat elsewhere in town) .
If you like walking, ask at the tourist info for a map of the 20 signed walks in the Maestrazgo hills (about an hour’s drive south). We did two stunning walks (17 & part of 20) of about 6-8km each in late October. Saw lots of birds and some other wildlife but not a single human (walker of farmer) on each! The drives there and back were quiet and stunning too.
The parador is awesome and the dining room is like dining like royalty. We had veal which was good although we like it less rare, sea bass which was excellent, a sampler which was great fun. The only dish we did not care for was the cod as it was very rubbery, and not like the cod we get back home in Florida. The staff here were first rate and very friendly.
Staff at the desk was excellent and when we found we were by the lift and maid’s closet, they graciously changed us. We forgot to ask for a quiet room. Looking forward to breakfast and a tour of the rest of the parador. This is one of the nicest Paradores we have been in this trip.
As usual the parador was delightful and we found the menu excellent for us (1 strict vegetarian). The room and the breakfast were wonderful and the staff friendly. However we will not return as we like to try different paradors each year and the town only had a small area we thought of as interesting. One night is enough and then move on to the next parador.
A memorable stay. The bedroom was beautifully laid out and very roomy. The food was fresh and tasty and the views from the Parador at all angles were breathtaking. I would definitely recommend a stay.
On our trip from Barcelona to Nerja in may 2011 we stayed at the Parador of Alcañiz. The receptionist was extremely friendly, showing us around the place and telling us about it in Spanish and in English. The Parador is very beautiful, on the outside as well as on the inside. The room was very nice, clean, with good beds and a beautiful view from the tiny balcony. The restaurant was impressive and warm and the food was excellent. There was enough choice for the Parador menu and local dishes and the presentation of the dishes is worth taking a picture. Breakfast was a warm and cold buffet, with a wide choice of cheese, meats, eggs, bread and pastry and fruit.
The town can be visited by foot, which takes a few minutes (down that is).
We enjoyed our stay very much and we can certainly recommend this Parador.
Parador Alcaniz.
Is an fantastic hotel. Clean and a more than perfect service.
The food and breakfast is perfect.
We enoy our stay.
Hope we can come again.
Wonderful hotel and extremely friendly and helpful staff. Restaurant was very good and breakfast was well stocked with good options and good service. Rooms are extremely comfortable and the atmostphere is very authentic.
We had a wonderful stay at the Parador in Alcaniz. Our room was lovely and looked out over the Cathedral and countryside. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and then were lucky enough to see one of the Semana Santa parades which lasted well into the night.
The tour of the Parador was very interesting although we couldn’t quite understand why they only allowed visitors in on the hour. There were so few of us visiting.
Everything was lovely and confirmed that we will seek out the Paradors in the future.
Oct 15 2010
We have just returned to Australia after nearly one month in Spain.
With my wife and two daughters we stayed at Alcaniz for one night and were delighted by the lovely parador, excellent rooms, restaurant and the views. Subsequently on the same visit we stayed at ten other paradores, and the whole family were very impressed by the friendly staff, the excellent meals, and the general competent organisation we experienced throughout the entire holiday.
We will certainly be back in Spain next year to try the paradores in the northern provinces.
Thank you to all the staff for their attention and service.
This is an excellent hotel in a stunning location. Plenty to see and do; the restaurant is superb and do not forget to go into the bar – well worth a visit and very reasonable prices. Very pleasant staff throughout and its a pity we only had one night to stay here. The town of Alcaniz is worth a visit if only to have an afternoon tapas as the rest of the community sleeps.
A bit tricky to find as you enter Alcaniz, a few signs but still took us a while to find the steep road up – careful its two way traffic!!!!
Dont miss this one – one of the best hotels I ahve stayed in in Spain. An easy 9 out of 10.
The Paradore at Alcaniz was an exceptional place to stay and we were sorry we were there for only one night. The staff could not have been more helpful to us. My elderly mother uses a small wheelchair and they organised her transportation to the breakfast room in the service lift with no problem as the stairs were not practical. The architecture of the building is amazing and its conversion into a Parador has been very sympathetically achieved. The regional cuisine was very interesting and of a high standard.
Alcaniz is another Paradore we hope to revisit agan.
We have stayed in a Castle in Scotland used by Mary Queen of Scots – and now one used by Spanish royalty.
The Staff on reception were most welcoming and friendly, and the whole atmosphere of the Castle helped us to relax after quite a long day’s driving. When we return to Spain, we hope to be able to return to Alcaniz and its Parador.
This Parador is brilliant, with good local food and great hospitality
The Parador was lovely, in a wondeful setting with great views. The directions into the hotel could be more helpful, but the room was comfortable and clean as we expect from the Parador. The service was exemplary, and we were made welcome. I do not know if it was a bad night in the kitchen, but the lamb that we ordered as a main course was not up to the usual standard, it was tough, greasy and accompanied by a greasy sauce. In fact when we arrived at our destination next day i had lost a tooth filling, resulting in a 150 euro bill. Unfortunately the evening meal spoilt the visit.
We were happy with the experience of staying at this and two other paradors.
Well satisfied with the service at Alcaniz. The location is tremendous and it was easy to find. We would certainly use this Parador again if in the area.
We stayed at Paradores in Segovia, Cordoba, Mojacar and Alcaniz all of
which were excellent. I particularly
enjoyed the local menus which were good value.
Please keep me advised of any offers or news regarding Paradores as we
would like to visit Spain again next year.
Booked 2 double rooms at the Alcaniz Parador for 1 night, 24/7/09, direct via the Parador Website from the UK; no problems at all.
A truly stunning location which is well signposted on the roads into Alcaniz. We didn’t find much to see or do in Alcaniz but we very much enjoyed the scenic drive from Tarragona and to beautiful Morella afterwards.
The check-in was very smooth and all the staff throughout the stay were very attentive and obliging.
The bedroom was spotless, comfortable, quiet and well appointed with a lovely view over the surrounding countryside.
Dinner in the Restaurant can only described as truly scrumptious. 2 of us had the Regional set meal at 35 Euros each and the other 2 had the Anniversary set meal at about 19 Euros ( all inclusive ). Everyone was totally satisfied. I found the wines to be reasonably priced for the setting and standard of Restaurant, not to mention extremely drinkable.
Breakfast was a well stocked hot and cold buffet and had something I have never seen before : i.e. wines freely available. Alas, I was driving.
All round, well worth the drive from the coast for a bit of self indulgence.