A 40-minute drive from Madrid, in one of the most beautiful squares in Spain, lies a hotel steeped in history. The Parador de Chinchón occupies the former monastery of Nuestra Señora del Paraíso, founded in the 15th century by the first lords of the town, Andrés de Cabrera and Beatriz de Bobadilla, who were very close to the Catholic Monarchs. After centuries of turbulent history, during which it was abandoned, used as a humanist training center, and even as a courthouse and prison after the confiscation of 1842, the Augustinian convent was reborn in 1982 as a hotel, but retaining its monastic soul: Castilian brick walls with Mudejar touches, old cells transformed into rooms, and a Baroque cloister that is now completely glazed.
The building also retains the original staircase, the old church, converted into a suite, and the cloister, now enclosed by glass windows that allow guests to enjoy an exclusive collection of 18th-century religious art sheltered from the cold or heat. Among its most notable guests was Archduke Charles of Austria, pretender to the Spanish throne and future emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, who stayed here during the War of Succession. Today, those same spaces once trodden by nobles, friars, and kings are silent corridors, reading rooms, and vaulted chambers that offer a very special blend of quiet luxury and historical authenticity.
The glass-roofed cloister, the jewel of the parador
The heart of the parador is its glass-enclosed cloister, which forms a perfect square of brick and wood arcades surrounding an interior courtyard. It has been enclosed with glass so that it can be used all year round without losing the feeling of being outdoors.
Under this filtered light, pieces of sacred art, carvings, and canvases are displayed, recalling the building’s conventual past , while tables, armchairs, and reading corners turn it into a kind of monumental lounge where you can have a coffee, breakfast, or simply sit and do nothing.
Gardens, vegetable garden, and swimming pool in the old stables
Beyond the interior, the former monastery maintains a convent garden that is now a huge garden full of medlar trees, fruit trees, and shade, ideal for walking barefoot on the grass or reading during siesta time. At one end, there is an outdoor swimming pool installed where the convent stables used to be, surrounded by lawns and ancient walls, which in summer becomes one of the great attractions of the parador: a swim with views of bell towers, rooftops, and the clear skies of southern Madrid.
The rooms, many of which are the result of the conversion of the old cells, combine high ceilings, earthen floors, and classic furniture with all modern comforts, while the gastronomic offerings feature traditional Madrid and Castilian cuisine: lamb, suckling pig, soups, roasts, and, of course, products from the Chinchón valley and its famous anise liqueur.