The main part of this post describes our first stopover on our Summer 2023 roadtrip from southern Spain driving north.
We first stopped in the Parador of Lorca in 2012, and this was our 8th visit. Previously we had visited this Parador was in January 2019.
But at the end of this posting I have added a short review of my latest visit (the 9th) on the 15th January 2025.
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 (2023)
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 (2023)
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 (2023/2025)
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 this visit we did not have time to use the pool and spa facilities, but the above photo shows that it a very comfortable option.
Visit on the 15th January 2025
My wife Monique, the light of my life, pasted away on the 23rd December 2023 at 17:00. Starting in spring 2024 I drove alone down to the south of Spain, and in the summer I drove back north alone. Always and forever-more alone, I again drove south to Spain in January 2025, but this time also stopping in a couple of Paradores we had visited in the past, namely Aiguablava (see report) and Lorca.
There were a number of points worth noting during this visit.
Above the Google Map shows that the route up to the castle (the location of the Parador), is not that simple. We can also see that the motorway actually goes under the old castle.
Firstly, a couple of days before my visit, I received an email from the Parador indicating how best to leave the motorway, and navigate through the city in order to find the entry point to the road leading up to the Parador. It would appear that some GPS systems are not suggesting the best route. Now the suggestion was to take exit 633, and use the RM711 to the city. In the Plaza de la Estrella, turn right and cross the river by the Puente Alberca. The plaza and the puente are in the top right-hand corner of the map. Immediately turning right after the bridge, the Parador is signposted.
My TomTom actually suggested this option, and also suggested a short-cut, to bypass the city and bridge. But, this option may not always be practicable.
Secondly, the route to the Parador consists of two parts, a one-way route up the mountain, and then a road leading to the castle (the Parador is in the castle). Now the one-way route has been reversed. Google Maps has the right route, but my Tomtom was still suggesting the old one-way route.
Thirdly, there was some work on going on the castle wall, and on (I think) the drains in the Parador. I was quite surprised to see a lot of cars, because this time of year is usually very quiet.
Finally it was important not to follow the Tomtom guide down from the castle, but to follow the road signs.
My room (2025)
The rooms, and the decor, are more or less the same, however, this time I did not have a walking-shower, but a shower in the bath.
This is an important point. In the past for my wife I would always ask for a walk-in shower. This time I had not made this request. I didn’t even know that some of the rooms did not have walk-in showers!
The Spa
The restaurant (2025)
I had booked demi-pension, so my stay included a 3-course evening meal, as well as breakfast.
The evening meal in the Parador Aiguablava opened at 20:00, but here it opened at 20:30. I had eaten in the restaurant in the past, and it was a bit hit-and-miss. And given that the food in Aiguablava had not impressed, I expected the worse.
Starters included different options of local sausages, cheeses, ham croquettes, duck foie gras, fresh pasta, vegetable stew, salads, etc.
But I was attracted to:-
- Ravioli crujiente de chato murciano (Crispy Murcian flatbread ravioli)
- Burekas de pollo, berenjena y tahina (Cocina Sefardi) (Chicken, eggplant and tahini burekas)
- Revuelto de zarangollo, bacalao y tostas de ajo negro (Scrambled eggs with zarangollo, cod and black garlic toast).
Ravioli crujiente de chato murciano is a typical dish from the region of Murcia, that features chato murciano, a heritage breed of pig known for its tender and flavourful meat. The pork is usually minced or slow-cooked. The concept of a crispy ravioli is a modern interpretation. Instead of traditional soft pasta, the ravioli wrapper is made with a thin dough that’s fried to achieve a crispy texture.
I’m guessing that Burekas de pollo, berenjena y tahina is a savory dish inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine, featuring a filling of chicken, eggplant, and tahini (a sesame paste) wrapped in a flaky pastry. It’s a variation of traditional burekas, which are filled pastries popular in Turkey and Israel. The reference to Cocina Sefardí refers to the traditional foods and culinary practices of the Sephardic Jews, whose roots trace back to Spain and Portugal before their expulsion in 1492.
Revuelto de zarangollo, bacalao y tostas de ajo negro is a combination of several rich flavours and textures. A revuelto is a type of Spanish scrambled eggs, and is usually creamy and slightly runny. Zarangollo is a traditional dish from the Murcia region and typically consists of sautéed zucchini, onions, and sometimes potatoes, cooked until soft and sweet. Bacalao is salted cod, a staple in Spanish and Portuguese cuisines. Tostas de ajo negro is crispy toast topped with ajo negro (black garlic). Black garlic is made by fermenting regular garlic, which gives it a sweet, tangy, and umami-rich flavour with a soft texture.
I took the Ravioli crujiente de chato murciano (Crispy Murcian flatbread ravioli) which was excellent.
The main courses were rice with fish, grilled prawns, cod au gratin with almond ali-oli, grilled Sea Bass, lamb shank, turbot, roasted salmon, beef tenderloin, or “rabo de toro confitado“.
I went for the Pluma Ibérica a baja temperatura marinada y patatas asadas (Iberian pluma marinated at low temperature, with roasted potatoes). It was delicious.
The pluma cut is a prized, tender, and flavourful piece of meat from the Iberian pig (a breed known for its rich, marbled meat). It’s taken from the front part of the loin, and is usually triangular-shaped and extremely lean and tender.
For dessert I decided on the “Lorca milefuille, caramelised custard and coffee ice cream”.
It was a mistake. It looked a bit imposing, and unfortunately it had been kept in a cold room somewhere, and the milefuille had lost is “puff“. Shame!
Conclusion
This Parador is a decent example, and for my roadtrips it’s in a very convenient location. In addition the food has improved significantly.
