The Paradores
(Rhonda, Arcos, Carmona and Avila)

For the last two weeks of our trip, we toured Andalucía in our rented Mercedes.
We crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains four times, each time a spectacle.

We had reserved five Paradores before we left (we cancelled Carceres), so I’m combining them all,
with the various sights we saw while traveling

A Parador is a government run hotel, built in an old castle, monastery, or fort.

They are generally 4**** hotels and in beautiful places.

The first was Rhonda, set on the edge of a huge canyon.

Arcos de la Frontera was also located on a precipice, but in the middle of the old town and very hard to find.

We drove around these treacherous, tiny streets for a long time trying to find it.

When we did, we weren’t particularly fond of the hotel, rather seedy actually.

This is the size of the streets around the hotel. And they are for automobiles!

For that arch we had to pull in both our side mirrors to get through;
had they been out, both would have been shattered.

Carmona was our next Parador, and we really loved it – our favorite.

This was the entrance. It was in the middle of tiny streets, but easier to find.

But the hotel was really elegant and beautiful.

Avila was our last Parador, it was high up in the mountains and cold.

A nice hotel, though.

While we were in Arcos, we were so irritated with the town and hotel,
that we ventured down the mountain again (hoping we could find the hotel when we returned)
to visit a coastal town, Cadiz. It was a delightful day trip.