A half hour drive takes us through the orange groves for which this area is famous and eventually through the town of Palma del Rio to the Monasterio de San Francisco at the edge of the village.  Checking in with the adorably sweet desk attendant (they had to find her – the only one who speaks English!), we gain access to the parking area, grab our bag and wander through the amazing monastery turned hotel up to our equally amazing room! One of the Monk’s quarters, now a cozy hotel room with lovely furnishings, a massive bathroom and the most amazing Lion Faucet bathtub! I hardly ever take baths, but you can bet I’ll be jumping under those Lion spigots later this afternoon!

The Monasterio itself is over 500 years old, home to many monks, and a resting place for the monks who journeyed to the “new” Americas that had (at the time) just been discovered (and a source of many of the names now found in the U.S., i.e., San Francisco – for the monks – and Los Angeles – for the region around Hornachuelos which is known as the province of Los Angeles). The family that owns the Monasterio/hotel has made every effort to preserve the history – which is so evident in all the furnishings.

After wandering all through the Monastery, we arrive in the lobby, intending just to head out and wander through the town. We had wanted to tour the Palacio Portocarrero, one of the original buildings here, but couldn’t figure out a way to book anything on the website or contact them. We found a brochure in the lobby though, where we asked our sweet desk clerk if she knew whether they had any tours today. She jumped into action, calling the Palacio, speaking to whomever was over there in rapid fire Spanish, and arranging for a private tour for us at 4:00. So wonderful! We couldn’t be more happy.

So, with an hour to kill, we head out into the streets and wander through Palma del Rio – a gorgeous traditional old Andalusian city.

Arriving at the old walls of the city, we pass the main town church and enter into the Alcazaba, a huge walled square with orange trees and historical artifacts from the the 1300s (when it was built) through to the restoration that now protects all historical monuments in Palma del Rio.

Arriving at the Alcázar Palacio Portocarrero, we wait outside the locked gate until we are greeted by a lovely man who opens up and ushers us into the courtyard, then into the little gift shop to pay for our tour. Apparently, we are it – they opened specially for us (no doubt at the insistence of our helpful hotel lady!). What a great surprise – and what turns into a fabulous tour.

All checked in and paid, we head over to the Palacio entrance when another 3 folks show up. Ok, makes us feel better, we aren’t the only ones here. But no, these visitors are here to walk through a wedding and reception celebration they have booked – the wedding couple and obviously the planner. And our guy – who speaks English – has to go work with them. He hands us off to a delightful older lady who speaks very little English but knows how to use the phone translator app like a champ – and off we go for what is one of the most fun and best experiences ever! Seriously – we had a blast.

So first, the history (which we gleaned from our translations and filled in from research after the tour): The Paclacio Portocarrero was built almost 1000 years ago in the year 105. The original inhabitant built the palace and rebuilt the city, naming it Palma del Río. In the 11th Century, the Arabs ruled, and the Palace was expanded as the ruling Sultan built his alcazar adding walls, defensive towers, and Islamic-inspired gardens with irrigation channels and fountains which today are incorporated into the citrus orchard. During the 14th Century, the Bocanegra Family reclaimed the property during the reconquest of Spain from the Muslims, and finally from the 15th to the 19th Centuries, the Portocarrero family (Lords of Palma) took over the Palace, finishing it in 1505.  The Palace stayed in the family for over 300 years, transferring to the Moreno de la Cova Family (the same family that owns the Monasterio de San Francisco, btw!) in 1868 at a public auction. They maintained it as a residence until the Spanish Civil War left the Palace, and area in shambles. 

Enter famous Spanish artist Cristina Ybarra and her husband Enrique Moreno de la Cova (Yep, you now know that name!) who after decades of abandonment and ruin began restoration of the Palace in 1989.  Their goal:  to return the Alcázar to its former splendor while respecting all its historical architecture. And boy, have they accomplished that. You can see it in every detail:

The Palm Trees courtyard, from the 16th century, and the Passage and Garden of the Towers, with the marble inscription about the great victory at the battle of La Rochelle.

The Citrus Garden full of different and interesting varieties – where we get to pick a couple of different little oranges and a lemon/lime/green thing – then past old architecture in the side entrance to the garden with Roman pavement stones and topiary flower beds – where we have a little refreshment of orange juice and sesame cookies.

Then inside to the huge dining room – set up to show the bride and groom maybe? or always this way? – where our sweet guide takes pictures of us in the mirror to get the whole view of the room and the Renaissance Courtyard with the great archways, marble slabs and some of Cristina Ybarra’s art.

Finishing in the upstairs sleeping quarters – for whom, we can’t remember, servants, maybe? but we are sure that our guide-lady told us, because remember, she is chattering away at us the entire time, giving us the tour in Spanish – on our translation apps! – and then into Cristina Ybarra’s working artist and showroom (in between we also got a look at her costumes and clothing all set up on mannequins in one of the rooms, but no photos were allowed).

So much fun – truly, and experience. Also included was a very nice audio-visual presentation on the Palacio and the renovations, a room full of original old posters and tons of information about the Kingdom of Heaven movie Ridley Scott filmed here (we have tried and tried to find somewhere to watch it, but have been foiled at every step).

And with that, our tour is concluded. We thank our guides effusively – really such a nice gesture to do this for us – especially as we are leaving and they are locking up everything right behind us! Think we just lucked out with the touring wedding couple and they decided to be nice and tour us around too. Spanish hospitality!

Gate securely locked on our way out, we meander through the gorgeous streets of Palma del Rio …

to hang out at the hotel until our 8pm dinner reservation. But first, we find the Honor Bar downstairs in the courtyard. Oh, yes please! How fun is that?

Then it is up to the room to relax (and yes, I DID take a Lion Spigot bath – could not resist that experience!) until arriving at the restaurant at the appointed hour….to find it all but empty! We know the Spaniards eat late, but honestly.

The place did fill up – with a huge tour group of young maybe college age kids with one seemingly older (yet very hip and handsy) chaperone – and another table or two as we ponder what to order on the handwritten menu our waiter handed us as we sat down. We finally just ended up getting one of each dish to share. OMG! Everything was so good. We had a Russian salad as a shared amuse bouche sort of thing. Next was the best onion soup!  With puff pastry on top, onion and ham strips in the soup. So good. We haven’t a clue what the name of the other app was – they tried to tell us and explain it – but it was green beans with some amazing sauce and fried eggs on top.

The main was fish with a wonderful sauce and white asparagus (our favorite!), and what we think was veal medallions served with this excellent sauce over rice with Cornichons. Amazing. Dessert was a coffee creme with meringue on the top and bottom and a huge fruit plate. Sincerely, the best meal we’ve had so far! 

Fabulous meal complete, we wander back to the room for the night – examining our weird fruit (nope, not going to eat it, we still have 10 days left on this trip!) and hanging out in 15th Century splendor for the evening.