Hotels in Cazorla National Park

Last weekend we did an away night. I´d spent ages trawling through my notes, lists of hotels and hotel sites. I wanted to go somewhere for my Only Spain Boutique Hotel portfolio and as it was just a one night escape, not more two hours away, preferably less. It wasn´t easy. I spent most of Friday evening on the search then decided and booked Saturday morning and off we set to get there by lunchtime.

Now, I know if you´re in the UK a two hour drive could very turn into three, I remember it well sitting on the M5 waiting for the traffic to move. Here, in Andalucia, the roads are in good condition , pretty empty and always great views.

Halfway to our destination Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park, Spain´s largest protected area, my phone went mad. Beeping SMS messages, emails and WhatsApps, It was our hotel. I called them back, they had overbooked. Sorry. We had been booked into another hotel further into the Park, they would sort the bill (which was higher) and pay for our breakfast too. I was not amused. But we were on our way so....

Mirador Puerta de las Palomas, Cazorla

Having stopped for lunch in La Iruela a real choccy box town with precariously placed castle, we then passed our original hotel - Calerilla, it looked just as charming as I´d imagined - we drove on passed. More than two hours from home now.

Hotel Calerilla

Our ´new´ hotel had a steep drive, on which we saw deer when returning in the evening, and our ´suite´, we´d been upgraded too, right at the far end, which was nice and quiet but a bit of a walk, especially going uphill, in the heat. The balcony had a view of the lake with mountain backdrop - it was adequate but not the plan.

After the other half´s obligatory siesta we took to the road again, a long twisty, turny ribbon down to the Reservoir Tranco. As expected the level was sadly low. The landing jetty for the solar boat, I went on several years ago, was well above the water level.

Dam Wall, Tranco Reservoir, Cazorla

A bar by a stream caught our attention for dinner, we parked and there, behind a fence, was a young wild boar eating bread the restaurant had thrown out. We´d tried to find the bar we went to years ago where lots of boar came down at dusk to be fed but it appeared to have shut down, I was happy to see just the one.

Baby Wild Boar, Cazorla

Back at Hotel Noguera de Sierpe we had a nightcap, trying to decide between the air con lounge and the warm terrace, a look into the lounge wasn´t somewhere I really wanted to be .....both walls were lined with animal trophies, impala, bison, all types of deer. Quite weird, this is hunting country and local wildlife are commonly seen but big game from outside Spain, odd. The warm terrace it was.

The following day another end of June hot one, we took a tourist train in the Parque Cinegetico Collado, a reserve for animals in semi-freedom where deer, mouflon, ibex and mountain goats were fed near the train. There´s also a bird of prey section that involved walking back to the centre - it was far too hot at midday for that.

Train in Parque Cinegetico Collado

Deer in Parque Cinegetico Collado, Cazorla

Deer and Train in Parque Cinegetico Collado, Cazorla

Time to head home, determined to visit Hotel Calerilla we went there for lunch. It was, just as hoped, lovely. The restaurant with its massive windows of yet more gorgeous views was very good, next time we´ll be staying there - I hope.