Parador de Tortosa
by
Terry Sullivan
Summary: Along the Ebro River sits the historic town of Tortosa. High above the town overlooking the river is the Suda Castle, now the Parador de Tortosa hotel.
History
The strategic town of Tortosa saw its share of invasions and ruling by different forces through the ages. From Romans to Moors and many others, the governments of the town have changed many times over the decades and centuries. The Parador Tortosa hotel, in the Suda Castle is full of history. The Romans built the first structure and the Arabs gave it style. At one time the castle was home of the Knights Templar and even served as a royal palace. The castle stands guard over the town and the Ebro River. Now a hotel, guests can enjoy this historical place in a serene setting.
Our Room
We had a room on the second floor. Two twin beds were put together to form a larger bed. On a small table between two chairs there was a bottle of water in an ice bucket. Three muffins and some peanuts, raisins and walnuts were on trays. The setting was welcoming. Behind the seating area, curtains covered an outdoor balcony that we discovered the following morning.
Two wooden chairs and a table were on the balcony. This is a perfect spot to enjoy a bottle of wine. The balcony overlooked a courtyard with climbing roses of green leaves and red flowers providing contrast to the earth tones of the castle walls. You can see an expanse of the castle's walls from our balcony and the town of Tortosa below. We wish we had more time to spend at the hotel and take advantage of the setting and peacefulness.
Our room also had a television and Internet connectivity. I found the Internet to be slow to medium in speed of loading pages and sending emails.
The spacious bathroom had more amenities than most hotels. In addition to the standard shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion, there were toothbrushes and toothpaste, a comb, a hair brush, razor and shaving cream, a small box of tissues, shower cap, shoe shine brush, vanity kit and bath sponge. The bathroom was so well equipped that you do not need to open a suitcase and search for these items.
Breakfast
The breakfast was on the second floor just a few meters from our room. The dining area was spacious with many tables next to the windows. You need to walk around the food items and take inventory of what you want to have. On the Sunday morning of our stay, one section had an assortment of cheeses, meats and crushed tomatoes. Another section had four bowls of different fruit. Breads, rolls and pastries were in another area. While another section had plates of bacon, sausage and two different quiches. For drinks, there was coffee, tea and freshly squeezed orange juice. The breakfast was certainly filling and prepared us for a day of winery visits.
When staying at the Parador de Tortosa, take time to amble through the grounds. This is an historical and peaceful venue where you can rest and relax.
Parador de Tortosa at the Castillo de la Zuda, s/n
43500 Tortosa Tarragona
+34 977444450
+34 977444458
tortosa@parador.es
GPS: Latitude 40.815.370 Longitude 0.523150
Article written October 2014
