Review: Monastery of Les Avellanes - Living with the monks
I fell in love with the Monastery of Les Avellanes from the moment I entered through the large stone entrance. The fact that I was walking right through these gates into history which is still alive here was a phenomenal feeling in itself.
When I walked out again I finally saw how stunning the place actually was. Founded in the year 1166, the monastery has been a center of influence in the region since then. It was also a strong center of power during the medieval ages. The monastic order founded lived on for 650 years and from 1910 onward the Marist brothers have been continuing this tradition. Read more: Monastery of Les Avellanes.
It was still late afternoon and not completely dark so I took my tripod, walked across the road into the open fields and took some shots. Even though my balls froze in the cold, my fingers somehow managed to click the shutter! In an hour it was pitch dark and too cold to stay out, and I walked baby into my room.
All the rooms at the monastery hotel are actually rooms which were originally used by the monks. And that's the reason why they are so simple and basic. I loved this part and felt connected to history. My room belonged to a monk as well, but sadly I forgot to capture the details about him there.
The only thing which disappointed me was the lack of good wifi in the rooms. Every time I wanted connection, I had to walk to the reception (thankfully close to my room) and get online. But on second thoughts maybe it was better that way, it certainly made me spend more time being offline :)
The oldest part of the monastery is the Romanesque cloister and it's quite a beautiful place. It's calm and serene and with a small park in the center, it's a perfect place to look for inspirations.
As a traveler you can also take guided tours of the property. The tour consists of a walk through history from the monastery buildings, sculptures and other details in the environment of the monastery. The duration of the visit is one hour. The duration of the visit is one hour and the language is Catalan, however, do check with the reception if they can do one for you in English (we had our tour in English). Timings: 5pm (Saturdays) and 11.30pm (Sundays).
It wasn't high tourist season and there were very people around at the property and I could just walk around aimlessly, click and sit around till it was time for dinner. We ate at 'The Cloister', a lovely dining place at the heart of the monastery. Happily for me the vegetarian selection was good and the wine even better. Over multiple glasses of wine we all interacted even more freely and the evening became even more fun.
Monastery of Avellanes
Ctra. C-12 Kms. 181
25612th of Balaguer (La Noguera, Lleida)
If you come from the C-12 (from Lleida) to reach Balaguer, always follow the directions towards Ager (C-12). Coming from the C-12 (from Barcelona, exit A-2) Balaguer enter the first exit, then Roundabout Road of Andorra (C-13) straight on (2nd exit) following Balaguer. Tavesseu straight Balaguer (provided by C / Urgell). Once you reach the river pass through the bridge (Old Bridge), then continue to the right (you'll see signs Ager C-12).
Note: The C-12 towards the monastery, once you reach the diversion of Os de Balaguer, do not leave the C-12 and continue straight. After a few kilometers you will see the Monastery of hazelnuts.
Check more updated rates here.
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Disclaimer: I was in Spain on invitation of the Catalan Tourism Board. All views expressed above are unbiased and based on personal experiences.
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| Monastery of Les Avellanes |
It was still late afternoon and not completely dark so I took my tripod, walked across the road into the open fields and took some shots. Even though my balls froze in the cold, my fingers somehow managed to click the shutter! In an hour it was pitch dark and too cold to stay out, and I walked baby into my room.
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| The stunning monastery from outside |
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| I stood here and took pics, and froze as well :) |
All the rooms at the monastery hotel are actually rooms which were originally used by the monks. And that's the reason why they are so simple and basic. I loved this part and felt connected to history. My room belonged to a monk as well, but sadly I forgot to capture the details about him there.
The only thing which disappointed me was the lack of good wifi in the rooms. Every time I wanted connection, I had to walk to the reception (thankfully close to my room) and get online. But on second thoughts maybe it was better that way, it certainly made me spend more time being offline :)
Guided tour of Monastery of Les Avellanes
Later we were given a short guided tour of the place, and that's when the entire history of the place came right in front of my eyes. The monastery also has an old chapel and we also saw some monks praying in a room on the upper floor. This was really interesting because the abbey wasn't just a relic from the past converted into a hotel, but a real functioning monastery which was still inhabited by the monks and was a center of learning for them. It was really sad that I didn't get a chance to interact with them.The oldest part of the monastery is the Romanesque cloister and it's quite a beautiful place. It's calm and serene and with a small park in the center, it's a perfect place to look for inspirations.
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| The central garden... |
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| Watch tower of the monastery |
As a traveler you can also take guided tours of the property. The tour consists of a walk through history from the monastery buildings, sculptures and other details in the environment of the monastery. The duration of the visit is one hour. The duration of the visit is one hour and the language is Catalan, however, do check with the reception if they can do one for you in English (we had our tour in English). Timings: 5pm (Saturdays) and 11.30pm (Sundays).
It wasn't high tourist season and there were very people around at the property and I could just walk around aimlessly, click and sit around till it was time for dinner. We ate at 'The Cloister', a lovely dining place at the heart of the monastery. Happily for me the vegetarian selection was good and the wine even better. Over multiple glasses of wine we all interacted even more freely and the evening became even more fun.
Getting to the Monastery of Avellanes:
AddressMonastery of Avellanes
Ctra. C-12 Kms. 181
25612th of Balaguer (La Noguera, Lleida)
If you come from the C-12 (from Lleida) to reach Balaguer, always follow the directions towards Ager (C-12). Coming from the C-12 (from Barcelona, exit A-2) Balaguer enter the first exit, then Roundabout Road of Andorra (C-13) straight on (2nd exit) following Balaguer. Tavesseu straight Balaguer (provided by C / Urgell). Once you reach the river pass through the bridge (Old Bridge), then continue to the right (you'll see signs Ager C-12).
Note: The C-12 towards the monastery, once you reach the diversion of Os de Balaguer, do not leave the C-12 and continue straight. After a few kilometers you will see the Monastery of hazelnuts.
Room rates of Monastery of Avellanes:
The rooms cost anywhere between euro 59 to 79 for a night for single occupancy. Of course, these rates are current ones and change with season as well.Check more updated rates here.
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Disclaimer: I was in Spain on invitation of the Catalan Tourism Board. All views expressed above are unbiased and based on personal experiences.
Sounds lovely! Its interesting to stay in places like this!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I love living in such places :)
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