It’s hard to imagine a hotel with a more dramatic location than the Parador de Cuenca. It sits on a high rocky outcrop sandwiched between the deep gorge of the Huécar River and sheer, rocky cliffs. Yet this lodging in a 14th-century convent has an air of permanence and is the best choice in town for quiet luxury. You can even get a sense of monastic life in the church and cloister, and relax in the cafe in a former chapel. The mid-size rooms feature traditional dark wood furniture and some have views of the casas colgadas, right across the gorge in Cuenca’s old town. The parador and the old town are connected by a pedestrian bridge over the gorge, making the parador convenient for sightseeing, despite its remove from town. If you are bothered by open heights, this might not be the best lodging choice.