The Hotel Palacio de Arenales, once the summer palace of a local noble family, is the first and only five-star establishment in the city of Cáceres, catalogued as World Heritage. Amid the olive fields of an estate just three kilometres from the old town, this hotel complex is a veritable haven of elegance and exclusiveness.

The Hotel Palacio de Arenales is also known as the Casa de las Cigüeñas (“Stork House”) due to the many storks that nest in the area. Located in a pure, natural green environment commanding the most delightful views, the hotel’s full range of facilities includes a Spa with relaxation room and outdoor swimming pool enabling guests to really pamper themselves during their stay here. Another feature that differentiates this five-star establishment are the works by well-known artists that are distributed all over the hotel, encouraging guests to relax in the contemplation of aesthetic beauty. Besides a restaurant and a cafeteria, the Palacio de Arenales also has several function rooms that are ideal for staging events of all kinds.

CLUB GOURMAND

Restaurant services at the Hotel Palacio de Arenales are run by Javier de Sancho, who combines high cuisine and modern methods with traditional local dishes and traditions.

CLUB WELLNESS

At the heart of the value added to be found at this exclusive establishment is the magnificent Spa centre, more than 500 square metres with facilities including large outdoor swimming pool, teak sundeck, hydrotherapy circuit, baths with water at different temperatures, sauna, Turkish bath and treatment booths. Beauty treatment and stimulating massages are just some of the services that will ensure our guests enjoy moments of true wellbeing and comfort. The teak sundeck, an attraction for guests staying at the hotel throughout most of the year.

CLUB BUSINESS

The Hotel Palacio de Arenales contains a large area dedicated to organising company events and celebrations of all kinds, with capacity for up to 400 people.

By road: From Madrid, take the Autovía N-V dual carriageway to Trujillo, turning off onto the N-521. From Salamanca (and Seville in the south), take the N-630 national road. From Lisbon, a similar distance from Cáceres as Madrid, take the N-523 to Badajoz, then the Autovía N-V dual carriageway. Travellers from Portugal can also take the N-521 road, passing through Valencia de Alcántara.

By air: Flights to and from the Autonomous Community of Extremadura use the airport at Talavera la Real, just a few kilometres from Badajoz. There are weekly flights from this modern airport to Madrid and Barcelona, and to other Spanish cities at different times of the year.

Visitors to Cáceres, considered to be one of the top three monumental sites in Europe, and declared World Heritage by UNESCO, will find an enormous wealth of historic and cultural heritage here. The city’s walled enclosure still conserves several medieval defences, including the Yedra, Bujaco and Horno towers, built in the 12th century.

Palaces and noble houses are found all over the medieval old town, whilst Plaza de Santa María is surrounded by such buildings as the Carvajal Palace, a hundred-year-old fig tree standing in its picturesque Renaissance courtyard. The square also houses the Basilica of Santa María, Gothic in style, with a nave and two aisles. Inside is a magnificent altarpiece.

Not far from the church is the Plaza de San Pablo, where we find the Torre de las Cigueñas, or Stork Tower. Another outstanding attraction in the city, highly representative of the local architecture, is the Palacio de los Golfines de Abajo, where the Catholic Monarchs resided on their visits to Cáceres. This palace, which combines Gothic and Mudéjar elements, features a splendid, early-16th-century Plateresque façade.

Outside the walls now, steps lead up to the Plaza Mayor, a charming square housing the city’s main administrative buildings. Nearby is the Renaissance-style Palacio de Godoy.

Leaving the city, we can visit the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Montaña, which houses an interesting baroque altarpiece.

Visitors can also take some of the varied and interesting routes in Cáceres province, such as the famous Route along the Vía de la Plata, the Roman road that once joined Seville and Astorga and which was later used by pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

Another outstanding attractive of Cáceres is its delicious cuisine, featuring such typical regional dishes as caldereta de cordero/cabrito (lamb or kid stew), migas (made with chorizo sausage, pork and bread), sopas canas (soup made from milk, bread, oil, paprika and garlic) and “ropavieja” (meat in a sauce with egg and tomato). Trout from the River Jerte are also rightly famed.

A variety of craft products are made and sold in different places all over Cáceres province. These include: copper and brass from Guadalupe, pipes made from heathwood or volcanic stone from Gasco and embroidery and wood carvings from Sierra de Gata.