Parador Cuenca
Parador Cuenca is in the former San Pablo convent which sits in a privileged location on the Hoz del Huecar gorge, comprising steep walls and luxuriant vegetation outside Cuenca, facing the hanging houses. 
The glazed cloister and old chapel – today a cosy cafe – are the perfect complement to the interior combining traditional features with more contemporary touches such as wicker, leather and upholstery.
The cosy, comfortable hotel rooms – some with splendid views of the hanging houses – are a highlight as are the conference rooms, the bar and marvellous dining room decorated with exquisite taste.
Well-spiced seasonal fare makes up the base of traditional Cuenca cuisine.
This was our first stay at a Parador and we really enjoyed it. The location of the hotel is stunning as it is up a narrow (ish) road overlooking the gorge and the old city. It is really lovely. It is not the easiest place to find as the signposts are not clear in the town and when we got to the access road the entry part was closed. The reception staff were friendly and helpful. We had booked a superior room and a standard room at young persons rate for our daughters. However the receptionist gave the keys out incorrectly and we ended up with the standard room. The superior room was a little bigger, with a door between the toilet and the bathroom and a view of the gorge. However everythng else was the same. The air conditioning didn’t work well and our daughters were kept awake by a noisy wedding party as they had to keep the window open. Our standard room was comfortable and quiet and overlooked an smll courtyard. However the furniture was a little tired for the quality of hotel.
However the public rooms were very atmospheric. There is a lovely courtyard with a fountain where you can have a drink. The bar area is very colourful with large religious paintings over the ceiling. The resturant was excellent – there was a good 4 course menu featuring local dishes at a reasonable price. THe wine list was good and service was very good. The breakfast buffet was included in our room rate and had everything you would want.
The pool area is very nice – there are sunbeds, shades and pool towels available. It is a very relaxing spot.
It’s a great location for exploring the old town as you just have to walk across the foot bridge.
Since we had a big group, we decided to try 2 standard rooms and 2 superior rooms (with view). In the booking for us, the superior rooms were twice the price of the standard rooms. While the view from the superior room was pleasant, it was not spectacular. You can get better views from the bridge. The size of both types of rooms were the same (surprise!), the difference being the standard room looked into the courtyard which was actually very pleasant as well.
We were quite happy with the rooms and the parking except that my room had a power trip in the late evening. When I called, the reception requested me to call back in 20min as “he was alone and could not leave the frontdesk”. I spent 10 minutes fretting in the darkening room before I called again aqnd finally get the expected service. It took 2 trips to fix the problem and the parador refused to provide a candle or torchlight. Unlike another hotel which provided me scented candles while the power problem was being resolved.
While the wait service at the restaurant was very professional, the quality of food was not up to expectations. In fact, it was the worst meal for our entire 13 days trip. In addition, food was extremely salty even after we requested for less salt. Diners may want to consider requesting for NO salt. Or make a trip across the bridge for a meal in the famous Meson.
Because we booked 2 standard and 2 superior rooms, we decided to pay in 2 checkout bills instead of 1. The staff at the checkout was obviously ill equpped to handle such variations and not only were they confused, they were extremely rude. Yelling at our friends that they had not paid when the bill had already been settled by another party.
This is my 5th visit to a parador (the previous 4 in 2005). And it is sad to see the level of service deteriorate so much. If the paradors do not improve their service and keep up with the times, we would be unlikely to consider them for our future trips.
This Paradore is a beautiful building in a wonderful location but finding it can be problematic as the signs in the town are infrequent and not particularly well-positioned, however the SatNav in the hire-car had no difficulty taking us right to the door. There is a garage for cars but it isn’t very large and I suspect that in the summer it would soon be full.
Check-in was quick and efficient and we were given a room at the front of the hotel; we had a great view but the road outside was surprisingly noisy (they began to empty the rubbish bins about 4.00am!) I think a room at the back would have been a better option (as with all Paradores, if you are a ‘non-smoking’ you will need to book a NS room well in advance, Spain is one of the few countries where smoking still seems to be the norm).
We had dinner in the hotel and I regret to say it was of a very poor quality. We stayed in 5 Paradores on our trip and the standard of food in the restaurants ranged from poor to average; do all the chefs go elsewhere in the winter? Sadly there was no evidence of the ‘high quality food’ that other guests have commented on. I ordered the ‘tuna with ginger and anchovy’… the over-done tuna arrived without either.
That said the room was very comfortable, the staff charming and the breakfast excellent – I would certainly stay at this Paradore again but I’d wait until the summer before I return.
The hotel was beautifully situated and decorated. Furnishings in the room were great – very comfortable and cozy in the cool weather. Service was excellent. I would definitely go back!
Good hotel on a perfect location in a beautiful, authentic building. We had a comfortable room overlooking the courtyard and terrace. Cuenca was very lively during the San Mateo festivities. Dinner and breakfast were good and the dining room in what looks like a former chapel is very special. Reservation, checkin and checkout were efficient and gave no surprises and the service was friendly. This parador was one of the six around Madrid that we visited this year. It is absolutely worth its 4 stars.
My wife and I travelled up to Cuenca from our apartment in the Jalon Valley, Costa Blanca. We stayed one night in the Parador and we were delighted with the building and Cuenca itself. Our room was large with a view out over the Iron bridge, towards the town and the hanging houses. We did not dine in the hotel but in a small place in the main square in Cuenca. The breakfast was very good with a wide range of choices. I enjoyed the Museum of Abstract art which is in the hanging houses, well worth the visit if you are into modern or absract art. As a photographer I am always looking for a visual treat and the town has many small and narrow streets which can be quite photogenic. One place to visit outside the town is the Ciudad Encantada, this is an area of rock formation made by an ancient river millions of years ago, well worth the round trip drive and a nice walk. Lastly, we found both the staff we met in the reception or in the rest of the hotel to be very friendly. Enjoy.
The most beautiful of the four Paradores we stayed in so far.
Great building, superb location (thanks to the former convent), large and beautiful galleries-claustro, patio and room. A smell of classe and style in a magnificient construction of the XVI th century.
We enjoyed the rich breakfast and the lovely dinner we had in the beautiful dining room, we just found the music was a bit too loud.
We would have appreciated too a more friendly personel. Except the people at the reception, they were just doing the minimum, and the problem was not because of the language, I’am, for my part, quite fluent in spanish.
To be honest, I must say we found the same “burocratic” attitude in the other Paradores and not all the hosts are very welcoming either.
We hope we can come back.
We really enjoyed our stay in the Parador at Cuenca. The city is spectacular and the hotel is in prime position. We had a wonderful dinner and excellent local red wine recommended by the sommelier. We will visit again.
Ah this one is stunning. Its location, the actual building and the proximity to a fabulous old town can’t be beaten. The view from the bridge crossing the gorge to access the town is something to behold.
Reception was very helpful. The area immediately off reception feels so grand with all the string instruments on display. Lovely room with comfortable beds.
only wish we had booked for more than one night.
Good room and facilities. Service excellent. Only criticism is that the evening meal did not warrant the high price.
Excellent service and a beautiful room. Loved the breakfast. We felt we were being treated royally!
We stayed as Golden Days guests, and were delighted to find that we had a lovely room, with a view of the gorge – no small, dark viewless room for conessions! – that helped to make our overnight stop in Cuenca so good. Breakfast was the usual Parador feast and all staff that we encountered were charming and hospitable.
Beautiful location. Comfortable hotel. Good service but muzak a little too loud in the dining room. Still, plainsong with the excellent breakfast is an amusing idea. Very convenient for the old town for those with a good head for heights.
Two excellent art galleries.
Raff – a restaurant in the lower town gave us a stunning meal.
We took a sunrise hike on the trail behind the property and it was incredibly beautiful. Nobody told us there was a hiking trail past the convent so it was a wonderful surprise to find such a gem of a hike so close by.
Location,service,accomodation and catering were first class.