The Shining? Yes. I am quite serious. The drive to the remote location through treacherous mountain roads is much like the movie. The hotel's existence as the only civilization for miles is also similar to Stephen King's fictional Overlook Hotel. The date of the Parador building is 1965 which post-dates the Timberline Lodge (actual 1937 building shown in movie). Of course the Parador is cortijo style while Timberline is Cascadian/shingle style and of a different locale and aesthetic. But the remote mountain hunting lodge feel is the driving force in the eeriness, and I sure felt it at this Parador. The hallways were a bit scary too! Most other Paradors in the collection are considered heritage" sites, like ancient castles or monasteries. Parador de Cazorla was made to be a Parador hotel. It has 34 guest rooms built in 1965 to offer lodging for visitors to the (then new) Sierra de Cazorla hunting reserve. I have consummate experience with 4-star hotels in the US and Caribbean. In Europe I've always found little difference between a well-chosen 2-star and a 4-star. The hype about Spain's Paradors esteemed them and touted them as exceptional. Our Parador experience was not exceptional. Our triple room at $250+taxes/fees was far from their lowest rates of $59/night. For this, we got a very basic, simple room on the ground floor with a view of a a pine tree growing 5' away, with brush and hillside right nearby (not a far-off hillside, a hill running up the side of the building we were in). Furnishings were basic, '60s version of "hunting lodge" and our 3 family beds were shoved along one wall such that we each had to crawl in from the foot of each bed to access them. It was warm temperatures out but more chilly high on the mountain, so when the thermostat decided to quit in the middle of the night it didn't have a dramatic effect but was unpleasantly felt just the same. The bathroom was decent with good water pressure and plenty of hot water. For those concerned about altitude effects: I was pretty affected by the 1400 meters altitude an hour or so after arrival, which is weird because a few days later we went to 2300 meters on Sierra Nevada and I didn't notice anything. But I was feeling really fatigued, a little dizzy, dehydrated and had a faint headache. After attempting to take a hike, I had to go rest. After an hour's rest (drinking a lot of water) I felt mostly fine except for lingering nausea. Understand that you will be forced to dine at the hotel for dinner because you do not want to attempt the mountain roads in the dark. There were few guardrails, no lights, no reflectors, and tons of steep switchbacks that are difficult enough in broad daylight. The restaurant was poor in our experience. There is an outdoor pool for use when hot enough, a sauna, a small playground, a lawn (they may offer croquet/etc in the summer), and the nearby hiking. Unless I were visiting with a group like a family reunion or some kind of retreat, I would get restless and bored here. We were relieved to have only booked one night. The novelty was interesting but the experience of the beds, the food, and the thermostat were neither comfortable nor fair for the inflated price we paid. No other similarities to The Shining happened past the initial impression (thank goodness), but man, it sure feels freaky coming and going from such a remote place. The helicopter pad was no doubt required for any emergency medical issue, and that too was unnerving. This was accurately a 2.5 star experience, but I'll round up for the novelty. The novelty was the positive, and that was our takeaway. read more

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