One of the nicest places I stayed in for 2019 was the Parador de Cuenca in the province of Castilla La Mancha. It’s not a luxurious hotel in the typical sense. However the hotel is furnished in very good taste. It has the kind of atmosphere you will never forget.

THE LOCATION OF THE PARADOR DE CUENCA

One of the best things about the Parador de Cuenca is its location. It’s slightly away from the city of Cuenca, but it’s across an old river bed from the old town. Opposite the parador are the famous hanging houses of Cuenca, which are probably the top attraction of the city.

I was breathless with wonder when I got out of the car and saw the view of the old town of Cuenca from the hotel driveway for the first time. I arrived just as the sun was setting, and the sun cast a golden sheen on the town.

A ROOM WITH A VIEW IN SPAIN

Luck was with me that day. I got a room with this exact same view, and I never got tired of gazing out. In fact, my room had a ledge and I often sat on this ledge reading a book or writing in my diary while looking at the view.

In the morning, I loved opening the heavy wooden windows and seeing the old town of Cuenca in all its morning glory.

ABOUT THE CONVENT OF SAN PABLO

The Parador de Cuenca is a hotel created from the Convent of San Pablo, one of the most famous monuments in the city. It’s situated on a ridge overlooking the River Huecar, and it is connected to the old town via a footbridge. This current footbridge was built in 1903 to replace an old stone bridge that had been connecting the convent to the old town until it fell down in 1895.

The Convent of San Pablo itself was built in 1523 on top of a small ancient monastery. The two most important architects in Cuenca created a convent and church in the Gothic style.

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THE INTERIORS OF THE PARADOR

Much of the ancient church still remains. However the interiors have been upgraded to suit a luxury hotel in Spain. I love the way the ancient stonework and black-and-white tiles are combined with contemporary furniture and modern art.

The widow of a famous local artist, Julian Casado, donated some of his most important works to the Parador de Cuenca. Today guests can admire his works all around the courtyard lobby of the parador.

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BREAKFAST IN A CONVENT

I also like the breakfast room here. I’m guessing it was once the refectory as it has high vaulted ceilings, impressive frescoes and elaborate stonework on the sides. It’s a beautiful room to start the day in, especially as the Parador de Cuenca makes excellent churros con chocolate.

Read more about the beautiful hotels in Spain in Travelife Magazine.

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We were walking around a tiny hamlet of Mora de Rubielos in the interior of beautiful Spain one late afternoon last month. This is supposed to be one of the prettiest little towns in the country, or what the Spaniards describe as “los bonitos pueblos del interior de España,” so I was eager to see the town squares and the buildings.

It really is a lovely little town few foreigners have heard of. It’s also the epicentre for the truffle industry of Spain, which experts say is the biggest in the world. Just after we’d passed the church square, my companion said on the spur of the moment: “Let’s climb to the top of that mountain for an amazing view. It’ll be fun.”

ARAGON: THE REAL SPAIN

There is a mountain right next to the town and locals climb this for exercise. The 14 Stations of the Cross are also installed along the ridge, so many people from around the region come here during Holy Week to complete their prayers.

The view from the top, where there is an ancient look-out tower, is supposed to be breathtaking. There are few foreign tourists in the regions of Castilla-La Mancha and Aragon, by the way. Most travelers bypass these places to head to the major cities outside Madrid like Barcelona, Seville or Toledo.

This is probably why Castilla-La Mancha and Aragon are often referred to by locals as the “real Spain.” They are way off the grid in every sense, so the town are all about real life. Tourists are few and far between. 

I stayed in a lovely suite in the best hotel in Mora de Rubielos, for instance, with an impressive spa and a great truffle restaurant; and the receptionist said to me: “I think we had an Asian tourist once, a few years ago.”

THE MOUNTAINS OF SPAIN. AND OF LIFE.

Anyhow, back to the mountain next to Mora de Rubielos. This mountain was quite symbolic, as all of that day I was thinking of metaphorical mountains to climb in my life.

Then, so very suddenly, I was ending the day with a real mammoth of a mountain in front of me. There truly are no accidents in life. This was certainly the push I needed to tackle this mountain, along with the symbolic mountains of my life.

It was just at that border between autumn and winter when I visited, and that particular day brought freezing temperatures but clear skies. And just as my companion proposed a climb, we were quickly heading into night and the strong winds easily brought everything down by five degrees or more in three seconds flat.

If you’ve already been to the major cities of Spain, perhaps it’s time to explore “los bonitos pueblos del interior de España.” And to climb that mountain in your life.

CARPE DIEM IN MORA DE RUBIELOS

But my companion was insistent. She said: “We must do it. When else will you have the chance? Carpe Diem.”

So we climbed the mountain in freezing winter weather. It was tough but obviously not impossible. Some of the locals were climbing this same mountain every day, in fact.

So we hiked up slowly, pausing to take photos every so often. And at the top, we were rewarded with views of this extraordinary hamlet, with its charming streets, exquisite original wooden architecture, and this massive medieval castle. And, of course, it’s famous truffles industry.

RELATED CONTENT: Hunting truffles with the King of Truffles in Spain

If you’ve already been to the major cities of Spain, perhaps it’s time to explore “los bonitos pueblos del interior de España.” And to climb that mountain in your life.

Read more about traveling in Spain in Travelife Magazine.

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It was a great start to a visit to the less trodden region of Aragon in Spain. I’d landed at Barajas Airport in Madrid at 1030 AM on the Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul, and by 2 PM I was having lunch at the Finca La Estacada. This winery in the region of La Mancha has a stylish restaurant on the premises. Having had four inflight meals in 18 hours on the flight from Asia, I was not exactly hungry. But when I saw the menu, I knew I simply had to eat.

JAMON BELLOTA AND MANCHEGO CHEESE

So I began my first proper meal in Spain in the manner of every self-respecting Spaniard. We ordered a platter of Jamon Bellota, which is considered the best ham in Spain. We also asked for a platter of assorted Manchego cheese and a bottle of delicious local wine.

“We are in La Mancha,” said Jorge, my guide for La Mancha and the lovely city of Cuenca, where I was billeted for three nights at the Parador de Cuenca. “La Mancha is famous for Manchego cheese, so we must have it.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF CHEESE

Soon, the waitress brought a pretty platter of Manchego cheese in a variety of flavours and sources. There was cheese from cow and sheep, but also cheese flavoured with black garlic. Apparently, black garlic is a local specialty of the region of Aragon. Everything was wonderful, especially with the pan con tomate that is served automatically at many good restaurants.

IBERICO PORK AND DRY AGED STEAKS

For the main courses, we decided to order everything that looked good and then just share. So I chose the Iberico pork which I consider the tastiest pork in the world.

I also ordered a dry aged steak since Spaniards are quite proud of their beef, and the waitress showed us some hefty cuts of beef that I could not say no to. This was very good, especially with the nice bottle of full-bodied red that we ordered from the winery adjacent to the restaurant.

A SPANISH RICE DISH

Finally, to end the meal, I chose a rice dish with langoustines because once I’d had an amazing version in a tiny restaurant in Madrid, and I’d been wanting to eat this again ever since.

No, this rice dish isn’t a paella. In fact, in this part of Spain, I noticed that typical Spanish dishes known worldwide such as paella and callos don’t appear on the menus. Instead there are dishes like rice with langoustine and heavy stews of meat, potatoes and beans.

The rice dish was simply amazing. It arrived in a large cauldron, full of soup, with bits of rice and entire langoustine bobbing up and down. We each had a bowl from the cauldron. The rice was perfectly cooked so it was neither soft nor hard, and the soup stock seeped into the rice so nicely that every spoon was a mouthful of goodness.

“We order the rice last because otherwise we’d be full from the beginning of the meal,” Jorge explained. “And this rice is really excellent.”

SWEET WINE TO END LUNCH AT FINCA LA ESTACADA WINERY IN LA MANCHA

With all the food we’d ordered, you’d think dessert would be the last thing on my mind. But I can never resist desserts in good restaurants. And here, there was an amazing cheesecake made from a special cheese. It wasn’t sweet at all but it was firm and flavourful. And it went perfectly well with the glasses of sweet wine that the waitress brought us to accompany the meal.

“How was lunch?” Jorge asked, as we left the warmth of the restaurant and headed back into the winter cold to drive to Cuenca. “The Finca La Estacada is really one of the best restaurants in this area.”

“It was amazing,” I answered. “What a start to my trip around Aragon.” Then I added: “Although if I keep eating this way for the next few days, I’m probably going to bring home ten additional kilos.” And I didn’t mean the luggage.

Read more stories about traveling around Aragon in Spain in Travelife Magazine.

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