Parador

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with the paladares, home restaurants in cuba.

The "Aigua Blava" Parador overlooking Aigua Blava Bay in the Costa Brava

Paradores de Turismo de España are a chain of Spanish luxury hotels. They were founded by Alfonso XIII of Spain as a means to promote tourism in Spain, with the first opening in Gredos, Ávila in 1928.

A profitable state-run enterprise, the hotels are often in castles, palaces, fortresses, convents, monasteries and other historic buildings. They stretch from Galicia in the North West through Catalonia to Andalusia in the south of Spain, the Canary Islands and to the Spanish cities in North Africa.

Prices usually vary according to room, region, and season.

The Portuguese equivalent, the Pousadas de Portugal, were founded in 1942, after the Spanish model.

Parador is also the name of the country on the movie Moon Over Parador.