Parador Santo Estevo
This Benedictine monastery in the middle of the Ribeira Sacra, an area of outstanding natural beauty where the rivers Mino and Sil meet, is one of Galicia’s monastic centres and now a holiday highlight. 
The existence of the Monastery has been proven in the 10th century, although its origins appear to be in the 6th and 7th centuries. The monastery styles range from Romanesque to Baroque, with three remarkable cloisters (Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance). The building was declared a Historic and Artistic Monument in 1923.
The Parador of Santo Estevo has a total of 77 rooms distributed around three cloisters of different styles and periods. The rooms are particularly interesting as they are all different, some with impressive views over the landscape and the valleys of the river Sil. The Hotel has a restaurant with terrace by the chestnut forest, a cafe with terrace in the entrance cloister, lounges and beautiful gardens.
We spent a day and one night at Santo Estevo and were nothing short of blown away. The accomodations were first class. The room was ample and well decorated; more importantly, the bed was very comfortable. The buildings are awe inspiring (I could picture the moks walking around centuries ago). The breakfast buffet was fresh and offered a good selection.
If you don’t upgrade your room, don’t spend a lot of time looking out the window . . . walk outside! It is beautiful.
The Parador of Santo Estevo is in a beautiful setting, and the buildings are lovely. It is very tranquil and restful. I would say, however, that we were quite disappointed with our room, which was very small and had no view at all – it looked out onto a gravel path. I understand that the rooms with views are the upgraded and more expensive ones, but I don’t feel this was clear from the literature. I would not have wanted to stay more than one night there. Also the spa service looked very nice but was very expensive, so that we didn’t feel able to use it.
We stayed just one night here en route from Baiona to Leon and wished we had planned for longer. The monastery buildings are beautiful and it is fascinating to see how the architect has incorporated modern facilities and air conditioned spaces without losing the beauty and style of the cloisters and courtyards. Our room was comfortable and the bathroom luxurious, but it still looked in keeping with clever use of wood, glass and concealed lighting. and was very peaceful. The surrounding woods ask to be explored. We ate supper in the restaurant and the service was excellent, the food alright.