Swimming pools, beaches, unspoilt nature, fine dining, and destinations brimming with things to do. If that’s what you’re looking for this summer, these Paradores have plenty to offer.

After all, summer is about lingering over a hearty breakfast, taking a refreshing dip after a day of exploring, discovering stunning landscapes just a few miles away, or sitting down to sample the region’s most authentic cuisine.

At Paradores, we believe that certain destinations possess an innate power to move us. We also know that extraordinary artists can transform an ordinary evening into an unforgettable memory. When the two come together, something truly magical is born. This is the very essence of Caprichos Musicales, an initiative that reimagines some of our network's most remarkable venues as intimate settings where music, gastronomy, heritage, and hospitality seamlessly intertwine.

The Nature Trails Network spans over 11,000 kilometres across the country, winding through canyons carved out by great rivers, olive groves, ancient forests, sweeping agricultural plains, volcanic peaks, and timeless villages where life still follows the rhythm of the seasons. Crucially, many of these routes pass right by some of Spain’s most iconic Paradores.

You don’t need to travel halfway around the world to welcome summer in true paradise. From historic cities and hidden monasteries to endless forests and waterside landscapes, these five corners of Spain prove that incredible destinations lie much closer than we imagine.

 

The coolest summer paradise

 

It is often said that Santillana del Mar is the town of the three lies, as it is neither holy (santa), nor flat (llana), nor does it have a sea (mar). Yet, one needs only pause for a moment to realise that this old cliché overlooks certain nuances. The town’s history is inextricably linked to Saint Juliana; the terrain, though rolling, features only gentle slopes; and the municipality does indeed reach the Cantabrian Sea via Ubiarco and Santa Justa beach.

It seems that, at last, the good weather is here to stay, and with it comes that inevitable craving for a dip in the pool. A swim after a morning of sightseeing, a leisurely afternoon by the water, children jumping in again and again as the evenings grow longer, or simply that feeling that summer is drawing ever closer. Because some seasons officially begin on the calendar, whilst others start the moment we reach for our sunglasses and begin looking for a sun lounger.

Parador de Olite-Erriberri reopens its doors after months of closure, reaffirming what has always made it a unique destination: the sensation of sleeping within an authentic medieval palace. But this time, there is something different. The reopening does not seek to recreate a picture-postcard vision of the past, but rather to reinterpret it through a contemporary, artistic and far more sensory approach.

Paradores occupy some of the country’s most privileged locations. Castles that have watched over the horizon for centuries, convents transformed into tranquil retreats, Renaissance palaces, seaside fortresses or contemporary buildings set amidst breathtaking landscapes. We often think of them in terms of their history, architecture, culinary heritage or the remarkable natural and monumental settings that surround them. And yet, there is an essential part of the experience that often remains quietly in the background: the rooms.

For the little ones, it’s pure adventure; for adults, an unexpected break to really take in what usually goes unnoticed.

In a country like Spain, where the landscape changes every few kilometres, these aerial journeys become mini-experiences that blend excitement, a gentle sense of vertigo and surprise. Mountains unfolding beneath your feet, towns gradually shrinking in the distance, the sea peeking over the horizon…