Hospederia Convento de la Parra, Extremadura, Spain

Hidden in the back-streets of the town of La Parra, itself buried among the biscuit-coloured hills of southern Extremadura is a pair of large double oak doors. Once the entrance to a convent, the doors now open onto a warren of white-washed courtyards, brick-floored cloisters and cool, understated rooms - the Hospedaria Convento de la Parra. I stumbled on it after an ill-judged August day of bicycling around the neighbouring villages. The hotel's swimming-pool, with its turquoise waters and its surrounding white-washed walls made up for it. The hotel is privately owned. It has successfully kept the wonderful contemplative quiet of the convent, the plain floors, plain walls of the rooms, candles around the bath - but added good food and a degree of comfort that the nuns could only have dreamed about. There's not a whole lot to see around La Parra - but there are treasures and the region remains pleasingly unspoilt - provincial Spain is never dull. Many visitors come here via Portugal - Lisbon is closer than Madrid.