Parador De Antequera

Accomodation was first class, the majority of the reception sataf were helpful and friendly aswere the bar staff, however, tried to book evening meal in restaurant and it was fully booked on both nights, despite nobody turning up on one night for the first hour it was open. Also breakfast staff were surly and unhelpful.

This was a trial run of staying away from home since my husband needed to transport breathing equipment and a mobility scooter so I approached it with some trepidation. This Parador was a revelation. Staff were super helpful and friendly; the building was carefully designed to be super accessible without detracting from the design and our accessible bedroom felt no different from a normal well-appointed Parador bedroom. We would previously have chosen a more traditional Parador but felt this would be more likely to meet our needs now. Having previously been unimpressed by a couple of ‘modern’ Paradors this was a well-designed joy with excellent facilities, great food and pleasant poolside terrace bar with stunning views. To be balanced I better note a couple of things: my husband would have liked a more cosy bar area ( a personal quirk) and while the town centre is an easy walk away, users of mobility aids should be aware that not all pavements which start with a ramp end with a ramp! A huge shout out and thank you to the staff who were outstanding.

We have hotels like this in UK with names like Premier Inn or Travelodge where our expectations are relatively low before we go through the door but here in Antequerra the comparable level of service comes as quite a disappointment. The restaurant food and service is fine, even surprisingly good for a paradore, but the rest of it is pretty dire. Lovely summer evening when we arrived but the garden bar remained firmly closed and alternatively drinks were offered occasionally by a largely invisible barman who managed to serve us in a sort of open sided windowless lounge reminiscent of our local doctor’s waiting room. Paradore in name certainly but that’s as far as it goes.