Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain

Staying at Hacienda Zorita is like having your own country estate. The hotel grounds extend from river to field to a complex of buildings that was once a convent.

Main building at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

Main building at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

There are several different types of rooms, including suites and villas that give you even more privacy. I stayed in a standard room, which you see next:

Standard room at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

Standard room at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

A spacious bathroom made this room even more comfortable.

Bathroom in standard room at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

Bathroom in standard room at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

There was also a terrace where you could relax in the sun or the shade, depending upon the time of day.

Terrace of standard room Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

Terrace of standard room Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

Also in the main building, you’ll find several comfortable lounges such as this one:

Lounge in main building at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

Lounge in main building at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

And a small bar for a glass of sherry or other beverage of your choice:

Bar in main building at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

Bar in main building at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

Back outside, you’ll find two swimming pools like this one:

Swimming pool at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

Swimming pool at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

And finally, there is a wonderful restaurant on site where we enjoyed a delicious chef’s menu.

Restaurant at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

Restaurant at Hacienda Zorita, Valverdón, Spain.

Hacienda Zorita is located about 20 minutes driving from Salamanca, yet it feels like you are a world away. For business or pleasure, you’ll be away from it all here while still being close to enough to what you want.

Published in: on July 17, 2014 at 10:04 am  Leave a Comment  
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Parador at Puebla de Sanabria, Spain

Spain has a wonderful system of “Paradors,” that is hotels in every corner of the country. For some strange reason, I never stayed in one until this trip when I stopped in the town of Puebla de Sanabria, mentioned in the previous post. Many paradors are remodeled historic buildings. This one, however, is a modern facility.

Parador at Puebla de Sanabria, Spain.

Parador at Puebla de Sanabria, Spain.

Whether on holiday or a business meeting, you’ll find this place can accommodate you and/or your group.

Lounge at Parador in Puebla de Sanabria, Spain.

Lounge at Parador in Puebla de Sanabria, Spain.

I stayed in a standard room, which was comfortable and had a view of the old part of town.

Standard room at Parador Puebla de Sanabria, Spain.

Standard room at Parador Puebla de Sanabria, Spain.

The bathroom was just as accommodating:

Bathroom of standard room at Parador Puebla de Sanabria, Spain.

Bathroom of standard room at Parador Puebla de Sanabria, Spain.

And there is a closet to hang up your things if you’re staying a while:

Closet in standard room at Parador Puebla de Sanabria, Spain.

Closet in standard room at Parador Puebla de Sanabria, Spain.

The price was a great value to stay here as it included a lavish breakfast buffet and parking, some of which was under cover. Staff are friendly and helpful. I’d be happy to try more of the paradors in the future.

Published in: on July 15, 2014 at 10:36 am  Leave a Comment  
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Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain

In the village of Meaño, near Spain’s Atlantic coast, you’ll find a great little hotel called Quinta de San Amaro. This is the kind of place to get away from it all. Here’s a look at the swimming pool and main building:

Swimming pool and main building at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

Swimming pool and main building at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

Although in the countryside, Quinta de San Amaro is only a short drive to Santiago de Compostela and many of the interesting towns along the Atlantic Coast. I stayed in a standard room that you see next:

Standard room at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

Standard room at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

The bathroom was also spacious and comfortable:

Bathroom in standard room at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

Bathroom in standard room at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

You’ll also find a good restaurant here with seating inside as well as outside that you see in the next photo:

Outdoor seating at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

Outdoor seating at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

And take a look at this unique “solar sauna” as I call it:

"Solar sauna" at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

“Solar sauna” at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

Inside it was warm and refreshing, a comfortable place to relax, read a book, or meditate:

Inside the "solar sauna" at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

Inside the “solar sauna” at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

Of course then you’ll want to take another dip in the swimming pool, so here’s another view of that looking out to the vineyards:

View of the swimming pool and vineyards beyond at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

View of the swimming pool and vineyards beyond at Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño, Spain.

You’ll have no trouble sleeping here. It was perfectly quiet, the way you’ll want it after a day of sightseeing or sampling the many delicious wines of the region.

Published in: on July 13, 2014 at 12:56 pm  Leave a Comment  
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San Francisco Hotel Monumento, Santiago, Spain

Located approximately three blocks from the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, San Francisco Monumento is a great base to explore the town and all it has to offer. I spent three nights here, in a room on the top floor that looked like this:

Room on the top floor at San Francisco Hotel Monumento, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Room on the top floor at San Francisco Hotel Monumento, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

There’s wasn’t much of view because the windows were actually more like skylights. But no worries because I spend very little time in the room, which was comfortable in every other way. The bathroom was spacious:

Bathroom at San Francisco Hotel Monumento, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Bathroom at San Francisco Hotel Monumento, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

In fact I had to take a second photo in order to show the entire bathroom:

Bathroom at San Francisco Hotel Monumento, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Bathroom at San Francisco Hotel Monumento, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

There’s plenty of room there to spread out and keep your things organized while you’re getting ready for a day or night out on the town. The hotel also has ample parking, a great breakfast buffet, and cheerful staff that will do whatever they can to make your stay a pleasant one. Don’t forget the swimming pool:

Swimming pool at at San Francisco Hotel Monumento, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Swimming pool at at San Francisco Hotel Monumento, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

There’s also a hot tub just out of the frame in the photo above. That was a blessing after all day walking the streets of Santiago. I can recommend this hotel as a great base of operations. While we were there, we also noticed a number of business functions and weddings happening, so it may be that you need place for either of those purposes. Enjoy.

Published in: on July 9, 2014 at 4:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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