Madrid

Parador de Alcalá de Alcalá de Henares: what it is like, prices, photos

Cloister of the old convent, now Parador de Alcalá de Henares in Madrid
Cloister of the old convent, now Parador de Alcalá de Henares in Madrid

If you want to know what is the latest exponent in the design of About Us |, you have the possibility to check it personally if you travel to Madrid.

En Alcalá de Henares, In the surroundings of Madrid, 20 kilometers from the Barajas airport, you have a national parador built in a building of an old convent, but which incorporates the avant-garde design and the most advanced comfort and technological equipment.

Although we have the traditional image of a national inn associated with a historic building with period decoration and furniture, the Parador Nacional of Alcalá de Henares, inaugurated almost two years ago, marks a new trend in the design of these hotel establishments.

We can also see this trend in other hotel chains, such as, for example, NH with its Hotel Palacio de Ferrera in Avilés, which also combines cutting-edge design in a historic building.

El Alcalá de Herares Parador occupies the building former convent school of the Dominicans of Santo Tomás, from the 17th century, created at the time of the development of Alcalá as a university city, in the time of Cisneros.

Garden of the Parador de Alcalá de Henares in Madrid
Garden of the Parador de Alcalá de Henares in Madrid

Located right in front of the Student Hostel, a traditional restaurant establishment also part of the National Paradores network, this building housed the Alcalá de Henares Prison, until it was closed for the construction of the Alcalá Meco penitentiary establishment.

The building was completely abandoned until an urban reorganization plan for El Alcalá was undertaken, which involved the construction of this now four star hotel.

If you have the opportunity to stay at the Parador of Alcalá de Henares, or at least visit its facilities, you will discover this conjunction of avant-garde design and the architecture of an old convent.

Restaurant at the Parador de Alcalá de Henares in Madrid
Restaurant at the Parador de Alcalá de Henares in Madrid

El old cloister, where you can enjoy the now terrace, is one of the exponents of this conjunction. But, without a doubt, the most surprising corner of the Parador of Alcalá de Henares It is the space occupied by the old convent garden.

A large part of its 128 rooms are distributed in so-called carved garden, architectural design solution that maintains a garden area of ​​9.000 square meters at ground floor level.

But the room buildings have been built on two floors downwards, also opening up landscaped spaces in the shape of a swastika to allow the entry of natural light.

the innovative architectural design of the Parador de Alcalá de Henares led to the project being presented on behalf of Spain at the architecture exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in New York.

Walking through the interior of the parador, you can see numerous leisure and meeting rooms, with two business centers, a state-of-the-art spa and a swimming pool. It also has numerous environmental solutions that promote energy savings and make it a sustainable building.

The rooms have a very modern design and offer high comfort and technology equipment.

Corridor of the old cloister in the Parador de Alcalá de Henares in Madrid
Corridor of the old cloister in the Parador de Alcalá de Henares in Madrid

The room prices at the Parador de Alcalá de Henares They start at their best rate from 100-130 euros for accommodation only, with a wide variety of prices depending on rates and types of rooms.

At least, the parador is a highly recommended visit when you go to Alcalá de Henares.

About the Author

José Luis Sarralde

Journalist and traveler throughout his life, José Luis Sarralde is the founder of Guías Viajar, where since 2008 he has been capturing his travel experiences around the world, specializing in cultural and scenic destinations in Spain and Europe.

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