Las Fuentes del Marqués hostel in Caravaca set for major renovation this summer
The upgrades are aimed at attracting more visitors to the Caravaca de la Cruz natural beauty spot
The Las Fuentes del Marqués hostel in Caravaca de la Cruz is set to undergo a complete makeover this summer, aimed at making the facility more accessible and increasing its accommodation capacity.
Backed by nearly €55,000 in funding from the Region of Murcia government and the Caravaca Town Council, the work is scheduled to take place during the off-season to keep disruption to a minimum.
Originally built in the 1990s within a restored 19th-century rural building, the hostel is set to receive significant updates to meet modern standards while preserving its unique character. The renovation will eliminate architectural barriers, improve energy efficiency and update both group and individual rooms to create a more comfortable, contemporary space.
As a result, the number of beds will increase from 48 to 66.
According to Caravaca’s Councillor for Tourism, José Santiago Villa, these improvements will allow the facility to be officially classified as a one-star youth and tourist hostel, a status that will broaden its appeal to both young travellers and tourists.
The Council is also preparing to put out a call for the comprehensive management of the hostel, including the adjacent Nature Interpretation Centre located in the Torreón de los Templarios.
The renovation will address both the interior and exterior of the building. Plans include a new accessible entrance, adapted restrooms for people with reduced mobility and the creation of a new common room with a bathroom.
In addition, the hostel will benefit from updated plumbing, sanitation systems, electrical installations and the replacement of windows and doors. Structural changes will also be made to separate the hostel from the restaurant located within the same complex.
Meanwhile, the Nature Classroom, which currently hosts workshops and educational activities, will be moved to a new space with direct access, and the area it now occupies will become the new hostel reception.
For more local information, including the Holy Jubilee Year as well as local news and what’s on, go to the home page of Caravaca Today
Image: Albergue Region de Murcia
Address
Calle De Las Monjas, 19, 30400 CARAVACA DE LA CRUZTel: 968 702424 / 968 701003
Oficina de Turismo de Caravaca de la Cruz
More information about the places of interest which can be visited in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, along with what's on and local news can be found in the Caravaca Today.
Caravaca de la Cruz, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, is one of only 5 Holy Cities in the Roman Catholic world, a centre of pilgrimage, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liebana, and is home to the Cross of Caravaca, the Vera Cruz.
The status of Holy City was bestowed by Pope John Paul II in 1998, granting the City a Permanent Jubilee year every 7 years for perpetuity, the first one held in 2003 and the next in 2024.
The strategic and natural advantages of Caravaca de la Cruz have attracted the attention of settlers for more than 800,000 years, the Cueva Negra yielding remains of Homo Heidelbergensis, forbears of the Neanderthals and the municipality also houses important archaeological remains from the Argaric, Iberian and Roman cultures. many of these can be seen in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
As a border town caught between the Catholic forces of Castille and the last remaining Moorish stronghold in Spain, Granada, Caravaca had a turbulent medieval history, but it was during this period that the legend of the Cross of Caravaca was born, bringing the religious orders which shaped the structure of Caravaca today, with its impressive hilltop castle and eclectic collection of churches and monasteries, religious tourism today being a backbone of the town´s economy.
Caravaca de la Cruz is a municipality with important natural resources, including extensive forests, part of which have protected status due to their wealth of flora and fauna, and due to the abundant water supplies is also a major area for canned fruit production, apricots in particular being an important crop.
Caravaca is renown for its important May Fiestas, held in honour of the Vera Cruz, which also incorporate the Moors and Christians celebrations and the Running of the Wine Horses.
Caravaca de la Cruz is also the home of Europe´s largest collection of ethnic instruments at Barranda, the Museo de Música Étnica Barranda and is the location of the Barranda festival de Cuadrillas, which celebrates the Region's ethnic music traditions.
The municipality is home to around 26,000 inhabitants and shares boundaries with Moratalla, Cehegín, Lorca, Puebla de Don Fadrique in the province of Granada and Vélez-Blanco in the province of Almería.
Opening times:
Weekdays: 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Saturdays: 10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Sundays and public holidays: 10.30 to 14.00
Click for map, Caravaca de la Cruz Tourist Office
