I don’t usually start reviews with a photo, and I am not sure that this does the view any justice, but I don’t think I have ever been as relaxed as I was at the Parador Costa da Morte on the far northwestern coast of Spain. Just looking at it takes me (very briefly), back to my happy place…

Paradores are a uniquely Spanish concept, a hotel chain owned by the government, generally established in places that no-one wants to go, to make people go there. And very often in beautiful, historic structures like the Ducal Palace in Leon, or the Ducal Palace in Lerma (Spain had a lot of Dukes back in the day). Imagine if the National Trust provided high-quality, reasonable cost accommodation in some of their most spectacular locations, rather than outsourcing it to overpriced (if lovely) third parties (Yes, you, Cliveden), or sticking you in the servants’ cottage.

They are also uniquely frustrating for a hotel chain, in that they don’t seem to be run by anyone with significant experience in hotel management. Don’t get me wrong, we stayed in 6 over 2 weeks, and loved them all in different ways, but each had quirks which made you wonder if anyone on the management had ever stayed in a hotel. In Lerma, they were just rude and the food was poor. But elsewhere, we encountered problems like no coffee machine in the room (almost all Paradores have coffee machines, but apparently the Cambados management apparently don’t believe in them), or an inability to provide a double bed (usually a ten minute job for housekeeping and a thick topper, but not in Corias, but yes in Fuente De). And everywhere, ridiculous understaffing, which often meant a frustrating wait while pummeling the Parardores-patented wifi call bell. Frustrating also for the staff, who were often covering 2 or 3 jobs in the hotel at the same time (they are summoned by a watch that seems more like one of those electric dog collars you use to stop pooches wandering off. I stopped with the pummeling after I saw that)

But it works. We spent 2 weeks traveling from Parador to Parador, visiting places we would never otherwise have seen, which proves the concept right. And mainly they were full, even in May, which is very much out of season. Another frustration for the swimmers in the party is that the Parador pools don’t generally open until June, even though we had a lot of sun and up to 24-25 degrees on a number of days. They have a lot of British guests and we (well, some of us) will swim in anything.

Anyhow, back to this particular hotel. The Costa da Morte itself is the far most western point in Europe, named not because of the treacherous seas (of which more in a minute), but because it was believed to be where the sun went to die. Finisterre is on this coast (much beloved by listeners of the Shipping Forecast), which comes from the Latin “Finis Terrae” or “End of the World”.

And that is what it feels like: You really feel like you are on the very edge of civilisation, with the world very much left behind. And the view doesn’t hurt…

So, I may have accidentally given the impression that Paradores are located in historic works of art. That is true for many, but a number have been purpose built, and this is one of the most recent. And a lot of effort has gone into trying to hide it in the landscape, with a fair degree of success. This, sadly, has led to a few compromises, the biggest being that the restaurant has no view, and feels a bit like a cheap wedding venue. Weirdly the breakfast room (there was a lot of this in the Paradores, using two rooms for essentially the same function when one would have done) has an amazing view and outside seating, and would have been an superb place to have an evening meal.

The rooms were stunning. We had booked a Junior Suite, which was basically two rooms with an opening knocked through, but even the standard rooms were a good size, and amazing value. If you stayed 2 nights or more, the Half Board was pretty much free. The pictures above are of the first room we were offered – Note the twin beds. Luckily they had another room which was a double, albeit without the useful second toilet. Parador booking top tip: Make a specific request on the booking for a double bed, but ask in Spanish, una cama doble. Why? Well our attempt to warn one of the hotels about our preference was misunderstood. “Double Bed? Ah, Two beds”. Seriously.

Another Parador top tip. Get breakfast in the room. One of the most frustrating effects of COVID is the insistence that you book a slot for breakfast. This is widespread, but the Paradores take it to a whole new level. In some, the slots are staggered at 45 minute intervals, and most fill up fast. And I’m on holiday! I don’t know when I want to get up. But for only 5 euros extra each, they will bring the most spectacular spread.

And there is enough left over to make a sandwich to eat on your way to your next Parador.

Food in general is a very important part of the experience, and reviews across different Paradores seem to be quite mixed. On the whole, in places where there is local competition, reviews are poor, whereas in more isolated places, they are good. That is probably the right way round!

We ate once in the hotel for lunch, and three times in the restaurant.

The salads you can see are from our lunch. Both excellent and very fresh. The tuna is “ventresca“, which means belly, which is apparently a highly prized part of the tuna (What do I know? It took me years to realise Tuna wasn’t a small, extremely circular fish). It is delicious, and quite a different, meaty part of the fish. And the standout dish? The scallops. These are a Parador favourite, but vary greatly in quality in different places. The lesson? Only have them when you are by the sea (and never, never in the mountains. It’s hard to catch good ones up there, it seems).

One thing I would say. Do not have the aubergine! That rather sad looking animal is actually a peeled and possibly boiled aubergine. So many other things they could have done.

Also, they have a fabulous cheese board, but it’s advertised as a starter! I managed to wangle it as a pudding, but at significant personal cost…. You can see by the state of some of it that it is not that popular.

Honestly, all outstanding, and far, far too much food. But, as mentioned above, a completely soulless evening dining experience in ambiance terms.

After dinner, there is a great bar area, overlooking the only outdoor Parador pool open before June anywhere in the country, which is ironic given its Atlantic positioning.

I have definitely posted too many pictures with clouds in. The weather was a little variable, but in the afternoons, very much sitting out in the sun weather.

The hotel occupies an interesting position. We went there because of the remote location, and because it looked like an good place to do some local walks. It is actually on the so-called “Lighthouse Walk” (Camino dos Faros) which runs down the coast (taking in a lot of lighthouses), but perhaps more interestingly, is also the start (or end) of one of the Caminos de Santiago. We hadn’t realised until this trip that the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is actually made up of many different routes, and that to have completed the pilgrimage you need (only!) walk 100km, which is conveniently the distance from the Parador (well, nearby Muxia) to Santiago, so if you are looking for the luxury Pilgrim experience, it is the place to stay. We saw luggage being picked up to move on to other hotels, so it shows that you can be a good Pilgrim and eat and sleep well. We did walk part of the way, and I found myself belting out Bunyan at high volume, potentially attracting the wrath of an angry God, but it seems even we CoE heretics are welcome.

One point to note on that, though. There are two Camino Ingles, which are the traditional Pilgrim routes from the UK to Santiago. One is over 100km on Spanish soil (from Ferrol), but the other is closer to 75km, which post-Reformation meant you couldn’t use it to count towards your 100km “badge” unless you went to Ireland first, and did some Camino over there, as pilgrimages were outlawed by Henry VIII and so any pilgrimming in the UK didn’t count. Contrary to some reports (possibly propagated by Turasóireacht Éireann), that is (in part) old news, so if you want to start your Camino in the UK, there are now some authorised routes, some of which can be found here.

And as a final PS: If you are walking from Muxia towards FInesterre, there is what amounts to a small mountain near the beginning of the route (near the hotel). Bring sturdy boots, sturdier poles and a bit of Kendall Mint Cake for luck.

The area also lives up to its Costa da Morte reputation in other ways. It is a rugged piece of coast, and there is a string of lighthouses there for a reason. But it is also the scene of one of the worst maritime disasters in Spanish history (from an ecological point of view). In 2002, it was the site of the Prestige oil spill (more here), which wrecked 1500 miles of coastline. More oil was spilled than the more (in)famous Exxon Valdez disaster. There is a monument A Ferida (The Wound), overlooking the sea.

This is a beautiful, rugged, peaceful part of the world, with an amazing hotel to match. It is not expensive, and is readily accessible by plane from the UK to A Coruña or Santiago, if you don’t fancy 2 days on the ferry and 2 days in the car to get there.

But at the end of the day, the best thing is the lift. It is described as a “funicular” lift, and it is the perfect example of how the hotel was designed to blend into the mountain. But mainly it is just fun to ride it up and down the inside of the hotel!

The video really doesn’t do it justice…

Conclusion

Overall Rating: 5/5

• Accommodation: 5/5
• Food 4.5/5
• Wine: 4/5
• Location: 5/5
• Service:4/5
• Ambiance: 5/5
• Would we go back: 5/5

Parador Costa da Morte: https://paradores.es/en/parador-costa-da-morte