Comments Parador Cardona
Parador of Cardona is located on a headland in a 9th century fortified enclosure, alongside the 2nd century Minyona tower and an 11th century church with characteristic features from the surrounding Catalan Romanesque. 
Its location provides exceptional panoramic views over the city and the fertile lands bathed by the River Cardoner.
Some of the hotel rooms have charming canopy beds. Pits, towers, walls and gothic features come together with a predominantly comfortable decor and Catalan-inspired mediaeval furnishings.
Catalan cuisine is served in the dining room including aubergine terrine with pig’s trotters, selections of sausages and especially barbecue dishes with the braised lamb shoulder a highlight.
Below are some comments of guests who recently stayed in Parador Cardona.
Information and reservations at Parador of Cardona
The building is astonishing! Rooms are nice and spatiose. The staff was not very kind to us – we had to leave at 7.45 in the morning and they refused to serve us any food before 8.00, though breakfast was included in our rate.
We spent 3 nights at the Cardona Parador in January 2012. It was very empty because it was winter. We found the building and surrounds superb, the staff helpful and the food great.
The view from some parts of the parador is beautiful, but from others is quite built up with some areas under construction.
We were given information about the salt mines but unfortunately not told that they were closed for two days. They were worth the wait. We did a few of the scenic drives from Solsona (the parador gave us the brochure) and saw a prehistoric dolmen, medieval villages, old churches, and a graveyard inspired by Gaudi – all in pleasant rural surroundings.
The set menu unfortunately excluded quite a few of the regional dishes. I would have rathered had less courses and more choice.
But these are minor gripes. We were very happy with our choice and would stay there again. Congratulations to Spain for making it possible for people like us to stay in a 14th century castle!
We had a very enjoyable stay last October and look forward to returning next May.
Stayed at the Paradore with friends for the wifes 40th birthday suprise Oct 25th 2012.
food exellent, views superb, accomodation was clean and comfortable, hospitality was exceptional.
I would recomend this to anyone.
If visiting here try the Paradore at Vic, another one I would recommend.
It was a unique place to stay and for that it will be memorable. Besides that, I would not recommend it. We loved the town and found the people in town much friendlier and nicer. The people at the parador were less than friendly of helpful. Upon arrival we had the only nice person our whole stay helping us. We were put in a horrible room at roof level that had the bed down a spiral stair case and small sitting area above. When asked about changing the room she very nicely moved us to a beautiful room in the corner that made all the difference. I never saw her the rest of our trip and wish I had because everyone else including the restaurant staff were quite unfriendly and not very willing to help. I would recommend this parador only for the experience of location and being an old castle but will tell everyone to lower expectations when it comes to food quality and personnel.
The parador is okay: the location, reception, food, room etc.
One serious remark: in the room we smelled what the kitchen was preparing, both in the evening (Fish) and in the morning (eggs). And that spoiled a lot of the pleasure.
Our stay in Cardona was a pleasure. The staff was very helpful, and the facilities are unique. The room was clean and nice, the view excellent. We had stayed here about 20 years ago and this visit was a great as our first. We did the tour of the salt mine and that was a great addition to our stay. We highly recommend this hotel .
Magnificent old castle. Website directions were most confusing and out of date. Some roads had changed and led us in the wrong direction.
Good room, but not as elegant as some other Paradores.
Otherwise spectacular site and building. Good restaurant.
Helpful staff.
Your reception on arrival – very pleasant and speedy
The bedroom – best we have stayed in
The view from your room – great view of tower and surround
The public rooms – good
The restaurant – great food eat until we burst
Any noise – all quiet
The location of the hotel spectacular
Proximity to a town – close
The Parador Cardona was an exceptional destination and hotel. Visiting the neighbouring Salt Mine was exciting for the entire family. I also want to add that we had forgotten an Electronic Reader in our room, the hotel staff found it after we left and had it couriered to our home in Canada. I highly recommend this Parador for anyone visiting Catalona.
Staying at the Parador hotel in Cardona was a truly delightful experience.
Susanne Mogensen
Magnificent place. Must see once in a lifetime.
We enjoyed our stay: the service was great, dinner was excellent -with nice options for the kids-. Breakfast was ok, but service could be improved.
The castle is beautiful, the view unique. We also enjoyed the visit of the small village of Cardona.
Our first impression of the castle was the drive up through Spain’s gorgeous countryside. What a sight! We stayed just one night before our Barcelona tour/cruise, but it was beautiful and magical. We loved walking the town of Cardona, the people are so friendly and forgiving of our minimal Spanish. Hiking the paths and walkways around the castle itself was a treat, especially at night when dimly lit and you could easily imagine yourself there a thousand years before. We took two rooms, one for our children, and they were spacious, comfortable, gorgeous views, and the bathrooms were HUGE! With the known history of the castle, we were hoping for a bit of paranormal activity, but all was calm. The restaurant at the castle should not be missed! The next day, we walked the high neighborhood hills of Cardona, and would you believe a store-keeper called out and recognized us from the day before? Lovely people!!
We had a two night stop over in your place. Very pleasant reception, Beuatifull place and an excellent service. Rooms at least the suite we had, was very spacious and beautifull.
Only one minus point was the dinner. Food was not what we expected form the spanish kitchen. But for the rest I can really recommend this place to everyone and do not forget to visit the saltmines.
We stayed here on the first night on a short tour of other Paradores – and we found it a magical place and imagined we could ‘feel’ its life as a real working castle. The staff were friendly and helpful. We loved our room and the spectacular view. We loved the medieval dining room – and we particularly enjoyed the enormous gins served in the bar…
Everything about our trip Easter weekend was excellent. We gasped when we drove up the steep hill to get to the castle. We again gasped when we entered our room, which was roomy, beautifully decorated, and had a king-sized canopy bed in the center. We enjoyed an excellent dinner in Cardona and enjoyed our nighttime walk back up the steep stairs, lit by dozens of lights, back up to the parador. The breakfast was one of the best I’ve ever had, served in an unusual room with vaulted ceilings. There was an abundance of choice – from kiwi, strawberry, and mixed citrus juices to sausage-based and ratatoille tapas to lovely cheeses to fluffy desserts. I can’t say enough about this parador and recommend it with 100% satisfaction.
Unfotunately, we could not provide any positive comments for the following reasons:
reception on arrival – very bad. nobody offered to park our car or to help with Luggage
The bedroom – was horrible” small, practically no windows, smelly and no pillows, that we had to request. Also, bad sheets did not look clean and fresh at all. It felt like cheep motel.
The view from your room – no windows, no view.
One more comment. We had to leave early next day, and nobody offered us any breakfast, even that we paid for it (incldued in the room charge).
I stayed with my wife and 2 friends at the Parador Cardona in late April 2011. It was one of the highlights of our European tour. We drove by hire car from Barcelona airport and enjoyed the comfortable 2-hour drive especially passing by Montserrat. Driving seemed the easiest option for getting there from Barcelona. The setting at the parador is spectacular and the experience of being immersed in lost times is very special. We enjoyed the food in the restaurant in the evening and especially at breakfast. Breakfast provided an impressive and very delicious gourmet choice. The rooms were nicely appointed and well serviced. I would highly recommend Parador Cardona for a relaxing and refreshing stay if anyone is travelling in the district.
Ce n’était qu’une étape dans notre voyage aves des amis et nous avons donc passé la soirée et couché le 13 Avril 2011. Le site, la restaurations des batiments, l’histoire, tout nous a enchanté……et l’accueil délicieux, un service parfait avec beaucoup d’amabilité; félicitations à tous.
Un petit reproche, il en faut bien un : pas de cartes postales avant 10 heures à l’ouverture du magasin….Nous aurions pu commencer notre publicité sur le champ; nous la faisons oralement maintenant !
Bravo et merci !
Ce n’était qu’une étape dans notre voyage avec nos amis; nous avons donc passé la soirée et la nuit du 13 Avril 2011. C’est celle dont nous conserverons le meilleur souvenir, le site, la restauration des batiments, l’histoire , tout nous a émerveillé….et l’acceuil, parfait !
Sa
Stayed at this parador with another couple in April 2011 while driving between Barcelona and France. Excellent location for stopover. Truly magnificent castle. Everything about our stay was excellent—setting and view, reception, food (especially the breakfast), ambiance, comfort of room (although we had some difficult with the steep and winding stairs in our two floor duplex). But the highlight was sitting on the ramparts under big umbrellas enjoying sangria and cheese and a cool afternoon breeze on a hot afternoon. We have stayed in many paradors and have never had a bad experience. Cardona is highly recommended.
We visited Cardona from 23rd to 27th December 2010, for a Christmas break.
From the first impression of the friendly and efficient reception to the smiling Javier in the Bar, everyone was really helpful, we really enjoyed our stay.
The whole experience lived up to our expectations. The walks around the Castle and down into the town were very interesting. the people in Cardona were also very friendly!
The views to the north, east and south were spectacular and although the salt mines (which we were well aware of prior to our visit) interrupted another spectacular view towards Montserrat, you soon got used to them and were of interest?
The restaurant was very good and we tried the local Christmas Lunch which we found different to our “Turkey” but never the less we really enjoyed it.
The only down side was the soundproofing between 202 and the adjoining suite. We would have expected very little noise to penetrate an adjoining wall in this standard of hotel!! Noise did penetrate this adjoining wall!!!
We would definitely return for another visit!! The most impressive building we have ever stayed in.
Just wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed our brief stay @ your facility. It was all we expected and much much more! Your service was excellent and in spite of your most remote location…all luxuries were available. We will highly recommend you to all our friends traveling abroad. Thank You
My comment is very easy.
ABSOLUTLY STUNNING.
Impressive by its location. Suites were stunning, although the bathrooms are a little bit tired.
The reception was friendly and professionel.
The service in the bar and at dinner was very friendly.
Dinner was not according to our expectations, but maybe we made a bad choice. (The Local Menu? Think twice…)
The Breakfast was of great quality and choice, but more coffee seemed to be a problem.
Strangely, the service at breakfast was quite unfriendly and uninspired.
Nevertheless – This Paradores should be visited at least once in a lifetime. I hope, I may at least dubble this experience
The Hotel is impressive by its location, purched at the top of the mountain and the room was great, clean and very confortable. The service at the restaurant was very tasty and atractively served. The view was available but the salt mines although interesting does not make for a memorable view. Going to town was easy and the people at Cardona were very nice and keen on giving interesting bets of history. All in all was a great stay
All the paradores we stayed at were beyond our expections . We are
hoping to go back to Bilbao next year. Perhaps the wifi systems could be
upgraded. Thanks again for the service you provided…. RDS