I was just in Andalusia area from Dec 28th thru Jan 4th, where I stayed at 3 paradors. All were great but I put them in the order I liked them.

1) Parador Gibralfaro in Malaga. Awesome parador though a bit pricey at about 120 Euros per night. Right beside the Gibralfaro castle and on the hill which is one of the highest point in Malaga and all rooms have a great view of the Malaga beaches, the lighthouse, the bull ring, etc. The rooms were very well appointed and the "sala de comedor" also had a fantastic view. This is one parador I would definitely want to visit again. Definitely one of the best hotels I have stayed in, period.

2) Parador Castillo Santa Catalina in Jaen. This is actually a castle on a hill and had a tremendous view of the surrounding area. The room actually had stone block walls. Though not much in Jaen except for this castle and the cathedral. This is "olive country" and as you drive on the carreteria you will see miles and miles of olive trees. They say they produce more olives and olive oil than any other area in the world. I just spent 1 night in this parador and it was more than enough.

3) Parador Muralla in Ceuta. Ceuta is actually a Spanish city in Northern Africa adjacent to Morocco. This parador was nothing special as it just seemed to be a regular hotel that the government took over. I probably would have stayed at the Melia hotel in Ceuta if I had to do it over again. Anyway, it was a great base for a day trip to Tangiers and Tetouan in Morocco. Ceuta is just a 40-min ferry ride from Algeciras, Spain.

[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: MadridMan ]