The first stopover on our Summer 2023 roadtrip from southern Spain driving north was in the Parador of Lorca. We first stopped in this Parador in 2012, and this was our 8th visit. The last time we visited this Parador was in January 2019.
What is a Parador?
Paradores, is a Spanish state-owned chain of luxury hotels that are usually located in historic buildings or in nature areas with a special appeal.
The very first parador was inaugurated in 1928, and as of 2022, it operates 97 paradores in Spain and one in Portugal.
Where is Lorca?
Lorca is a municipality and city in the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia in south-eastern Spain, 58 kilometres southwest of the city of Murcia. It’s also about 200 kilometres from Granada and 160 km from Almería.
Today its economy is still largely based on agriculture and stock breeding (pigs and brown cows), although its service industries make it the commercial capital of the surrounding area. The economy of the town is thus dependent largely on export of pork products and textiles. The population was around 60,000 through the 1970s and 1980s, but since 2000 the population has grown to more than 90,000 because of peasant immigration, mostly from Ecuador and Morocco.
The city was seriously damaged by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake on 11 May 2011. Due to a shallow hypocenter, the earthquake was much more destructive than usual for earthquakes with a similar magnitude.
The Parador of Lorca
Lorca Castle, a fortress of medieval origin constructed between the 9th and 15th centuries also suffered serious damages to its walls and the Espolón Tower during this earthquake. My understanding is that a Parador was under construction within the walls of the castle, and after the earthquake the work was accelerated, and the hotel was opened in 2012.
Despite the fact that the castle is visible from everywhere in the region, it’s actually quite difficult to find the route to the top. You need to find the road RM-701 and take Calle Pilones then Calle Zonas Verdes. There is a barrier at the entry to the hotel, and you have to announce yourself to the reception. Then it’s through a tunnel to the hotel entrance. There is a secure parking behind the hotel.
The reception
Above we can see the main entrance to the hotel, and today on the right there are two charging points for electric cars.
Below we can see the reception area. I’ve always thought that the the hotel is simply too big and always feels ’empty’. Walking around the public rooms, corridors, and conference area, etc., it all feels over dimensioned. In additional the colour combinations, etc. are overly dull, which adds to the sense of emptiness.
Our room
For an overnight stay we took a simple room, just specifying a walk-in shower. I’ve always thought that the dull colour combinations do a disservice to the quality of the room. There was plenty of cupboard space, with a good sized wall safe. And I was impressed with the fact that set above the wall safe inside the cupboard were two electric sockets.
There was a desk with a seat, a smallish TV, and a minibar. And above we can see the sitting area. The bed was big and very comfortable.
The bathroom was excellent, with double hand basins, walk-in shower, and a separate WC and bidet. The shower had a massage option, and there were the usual soap and shampoo options on the shower wall.
The Paradores have taken on board the need for environmental sustainability, which must have its limits with such a large luxury hotel set in what is an arid region with a constant problem of water shortage. As an example, the shower ‘gorro‘ (shower cap) was made of plant starch, and packaged in a small 100% recycled paper box. Even the printing on the box was with soy ink, with no varnish.
Below we have the view from our bedroom. We can see the ruins of the original fortress, the covered parking area on the right, and in the distance the ever present plastic tunnel greenhouses.
Room Service
In the past I always found it ‘challenging’ to have to wait until 20:30 for the restaurant to open (including a room service offering). We would often take a tea and cake in the bar on the entrance floor (the 4th floor), then visit the pool on the lowest floor, before (finally) getting something to eat in the restaurant on the 3rd floor.
Now, there is an all-day full room service offering, associated with either a winter or summer bar. In May the summer bar was open in the main restaurant area, and with access to a large terrace (unfortunately it was raining during our visit).
The bar menu was quite extensive and very reasonably priced. It started with aperitifs (‘aperitivos‘) from a Tinto de Verano €3.50 to a Bloody Mary €7.40. A glass of wine or beer was €4, freshly pressed orange juice was €4.50, etc.
Then there was an extensive food list, from a sugar cake €2.5, yogurt €5, through to Iberian acorn ham €26, salad €13, croquettes €13 and club sandwich €10.
We picked a tomato-tuna salad with toast, and a half-plate of Iberian ham and a half-plate of local cheeses, and some croquettes. Accompanied by an ice cold beer and a really good glass of a local red wine, all for less than €60.
After this complete and very tasty spread, we didn’t bother with dinner at 20:30.
But I noticed that the evening menu had been renovates as well, with Bacalao (Cod) and Lubina (Sea Bass) at €22 or Paletilla de Cordero (Lamb Shoulder) at €30, Chuleta de Chato (Pork Chop) at €23, Pluma Ibèrica (pork loin) at €24, and Solomillo de ternera (beef tenderloin) at €25.
Breakfast
Breakfast in a Parador has always been complete and well furnished. There was also a hot menu with churros, fried and scrambled eggs, and ham omelette.
COVID has had it permanent impact on the Parador breakfast. Everyone was given one-use bamboo pincers to pick up food, and things like milk, yogurt, fruit were all in one-service sized pots and jars, etc.
The pool
On our last visit we did not have time to use the pool and spa facilities, but the above photo shows that it a very comfortable option.
