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Parador Cardona

Hotel Duques de Cardona

Spain - Catalonia - Parador de Cardona - one of the Spanish Paradors Paradores

Spain - Barcelona - Cardona

Four star luxury hotel in a ninth century castle with the tower dating from the second century

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It is an impressive ninth century fortress which dominates the valley of the river Cardoner.

The Parador of Cardona sits on top of a hill. In 986 A.D. it was decreed that the local population could have salt every Thursday in return for one days work a week maintaining the fortifications.
Restaurant of Cardona Parador

Within the castle is the church of San Vicente which was built in 981 and enlarged 40 years later.

The 2nd century Minyona tower is reputedly have been the prison of Adeles, the daughter of the Duke of Cardona, who was held by her brothers after falling in love with a leader of the Moors and had converted to his religion, She was only incarcerated for a year before she died.

Incorporated within the Parador is a gothic cloister, the Duke's patio and an ancient cistern for the storage of water. Everywhere there are moats, towers and walls to defend the castle.

There are numerous decorations in keeping with the surroundings. The furniture is of medieval designs but with modern comfort being important in the design.. Walls are decorated with tapestries and wrought iron torch holders.

The Cardona Parador has forty two twin bedded rooms, five double, two single bedrooms, three suites and two duplex. All bedrooms have private bathroom, telephone, satellite television, safe and mini-bar.
Parador Cardona - terrace

Many of the rooms have old four poster beds and splendid views.

The facilities include a bar, air conditioning, central heating, currency exchange, lift, satellite TV, a gift shop, gymnasium and sauna.

The Parador has conference facilities.

The Parador Cardona has a medieval restaurant which brings images of the ducal feasts held within the castle. The chef specialises in Catalan cooking and some of his specialties are: "Butifarra con mongetes" is local Catalan sausage with beans;
"Lomo de cerdo ahumada con ensalada", smoked pork served with a salad;
"Espinacas a la Catalan" being a spinach dish with raisons;

During the season, delicious dishes made with wild mushrooms are available. The meal can be finished with a selection of cheeses from the impressive cheese and sausage board.
bedroom at Parador de Cardona
The castle has seen many battles in the past and is reputedly to have been attacked by Charlemagne, William the Hairy and Almursur the Moor.

It was extensively damaged during the Spanish Civil war of 1936-39 but was restored and opened as a Parador in 1976.

From the Parador, the Roman Bridge crossing the river can be seen. In former towns it was a road much used by the early Christian pilgrims.

Cardona Annual Festival takes place in the second Saturday in September.

On a clear day it is possible to see fifty kilometres to the strange serrated hills on which the Monserrat monastery stands. If visiting, enquire of the times that the "Escolania" is singing. This is one of Europe's most famous boy's choirs.

Also worth visiting is the Salt Mountain and Cultural Park, inside the old Nieves mine near the Parador, which gives visitors the opportunity to see a truly unique place in the world. Salt mining was the source of the wealth of the Dukes of Cardona.

Distance from the nearest airport is approximately 100 kms, train station is 32 kms away and the nearest port is 100 kms away.

Animals are not allowed.

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No prepayment - No booking fees - Cancellations up to 48 hours prior to arrival without penalty
 
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RACK RATES
2013
Rates in Euros
Basic room Standard Suite Duplex
Jan and Feb
Nov and Dec
148164246246
March to October160177266266
Breakfast included in room rate                 Lunch or Dinner 34 per person per day

PROMOTIONS IN STANDARD ROOMS * (Subject to availability)
2013 Rates in EurosGolden DaysYoung Persons5 Night Card2 Night Special
Jan and Feb
Nov and Dec
140.00140.00108.00203.20 per night
March to October 149.10 149.10 108.00 212.30 per night

Rates are per day for 2 persons sharing a double room and include general taxes**
**Catalonia Region imposes an extra tax of 1 Euro pppn, upto a maximum of 7 nights, for those over 16 years
*Supplement and restrictions may apply - General terms and conditions

PROMOTIONOVERVIEW (For more detailed information use the links below)
Golden Days 30% discount for guests 55 years or over in a standard room with breakfast
Young Persons Discounted rates for guests from 18 to 35 years old in a standard room with breakfast
5 Night Card Discounted rates for 5 nights in a standard room exc. breakfast
2 Night Special 20% discount for 2 consecutive nights or more with half board

 

Directions
Parador Cardona
Castell de Cardona, s/n
08261 Cardona, Barcelona
Latitude: 41° 54' 51.5448" N (41.914441504522166)
Longitude: 1° 41' 8.34" E (1.6856718063354492)
Parador de Cardona - one of the Spanish Paradors Paradores Parador de Cardona - one of the Spanish Paradors Paradores

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Nearest Paradores
Parador
Distance in Kilometres
Direction
Vic-Sau 96 East
La Seu d'Urgell 100 North
Arties 205 North-west
Vielha 212 North-west
Tortosa 231 South
Aiguablava 233 East

Information on Cardona

 

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Guests' Comments
Comment posted by Charles PAUL
2013-01-22 00:00:35
Nous sommes allés passer une nuit à Cardona du 30 au 31 décembre 2012. Nous avions passé quelques jours sur la Costa Brava et désirions un peu plus d'authenticité...Cardona était le bon choix.(Passer devant Montserrat est magnifique) Nous avons été bluffés par les lieux...Ce château est grandiose dans un site magnifique. Nous avons effectué une plongée dans l'histoire médiévale. La chambre était vaste...avec un lit king size impeccable et notre fenêtre était une énorme meurtrière avec vue sur les carrières ! Une très grande salle de bains avec une baignoire balnéo...(seul regret:pas de peignoir). Nous avons diné dans une vaste salle voutée chargée d'histoire, un menu régional assez simple (à notre goût moins sophistiqué que ce qui était présenté sur le site)avec un vin rouge conseillé excellent. Le petit déjeuner était copieux, varié et de qualité. Nous avons fait des petits achats de souvenirs vendus à la réception. Nous avons pu utiliser la wifi sans problème. C'est donc une destination à conseiller...cela nous a donné envie de visiter le sud de l' Espagne à travers tous ses paradors.
Comment posted by Krieg
2012-12-12 16:24:59
At arrival beautiful place but the room was in duplex and not very fine and with many insects inside . The restaurant and the food were excellent
Comment posted by Dieter Beer
2012-10-30 17:51:47
Hello, I read about Parador de Cardona before my departure to Spain, and selected it for the first night in Spain, arriving late from Barcelona. I stayed at the castle overnight and enjoyed the surroundings the next day. It was a unique experience. From the very kind and helpful reception to the excellent, comfortable and typical bedroom, as well as the view from the room, everything was matching a 5 star hotel, but with the special flair of the impressive, well restored old castle. Its location in Cardona is ideal and one can easily spend more than a day in this interesting old town. The Parador also provided a little booklet giving the history and details of the castle. There is nothing to criticize about service or meals, since everything was excellent and I can only recommend visitors coming to this northern part of Spain, to plan an overnight at the 1000 year old Cardona Castle. I will return with more time than I had on the first visit. Regards, Dieter Beer
Comment posted by Mary Ann and Harold Simpson
2012-10-28 19:36:39
Our friends and both of us thoroughly enjoyed our brief one-night stay at the Paradore at Cardona. It was truly magical to stay in a 9th centure castle and ponder what went on there over the centuries. Breakfast offered many choices and was quite good. Our appetizers at dinner were very generous and delicious. One of our party did not received her main course due to a comunication problem between the waitress and the kitchen staff but there was ample food for the rest of us to share with her and no one left hungry. Our meals were very good and we enjoyed the medieval charm of the dinning room. Our rooms were spacious, clean, comfortable and well supplied. Would gladly come again and spend some time exploring the signts in the area.
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Parador of Cardona, a hotel in a ninth century castle in Catalonia, Spain.



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