# A weekend in the Rioja Alavesa, 45 minutes from Vitoria

One night inside the walls of Laguardia to go down into its wine cellars, taste at Marqués de Riscal and walk among vineyards, lagoons and dolmens. 45 minutes from Vitoria and 20 from Logroño.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/laguardia-and-rioja-alavesa/itineraries/rioja-alavesa-wine-weekend-laguardia · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa

From Vitoria, Laguardia is three quarters of an hour away: you cross the Sierra de Cantabria by the Herrera pass and, on the way down, the whole Rioja Alavesa lies in front of you, vines all the way to the Ebro. It can be seen on a Sunday, but with a night inside the walls the town changes: in the evening it empties of day trippers and the streets are left to those who sleep there. This plan splits the weekend between the cellars under the old town, two tastings, a chef's lunch and a walk through the vineyard and the dolmens. From Bilbao it is an hour and twenty; from Logroño, twenty minutes.

## When to go?

The grape harvest, from mid-September to October, is the moment: the vineyard turns yellow and red and the wineries are at full tilt. In May the countryside is green and temperatures mild. In summer, do the walks early. In winter the town is quiet and the wineries stay open by booking, but some restaurants cut their days: confirm them.

Winery or visitWherePriceWhen

Municipal cellarLaguardia€3Sunday at 13:00

Bodega El FabulistaLaguardiaFrom €14Every day

Mayor de MigueloaLaguardiaFrom €25One day's notice

Marqués de RiscalElciego, 7 km awayFrom €30Every day, 10:00 to 19:00

## Where to sleep?

Inside the wall, the Posada Mayor de Migueloa is a medieval palace with stone-and-beam rooms, a grill restaurant and its own cellar; Casa Rural Erletxe, on Rúa Mayor in Peralta, is the quiet and economical option, with a garden and breakfasts. At the foot of the old town, the four-star Hotel Silken Villa de Laguardia has 84 rooms, a 1,000 m² spa and an outdoor pool, with the bus stop next door. For a special night, the Hotel Marqués de Riscal, in Frank O. Gehry's titanium building in Elciego, with a wine-therapy spa: if you sleep there, the winery visit is booked with the hotel.

## If you want more wine or more village

Half an hour along the Sonsierra road, Haro has the Barrio de la Estación, with Muga and La Rioja Alta. West of Laguardia, Samaniego and Labastida are stone villages at the foot of the sierra, for a mid-morning by car. In Laguardia itself, Bodega El Fabulista shows its cellars seven metres below the Samaniego palace, from €14, with tours every day.

## Without a car

Álava Bus line 9 links Vitoria, Laguardia and Logroño with about ten departures a day, at weekends too, around an hour from Vitoria. Laguardia, its cellars and the lagoons are done on foot; Páganos is two kilometres away. For Elciego and Marqués de Riscal, a taxi.

## El plan

### Saturday · 10:30 · Arrival and a walk round the old town
From Vitoria to Laguardia in 45 minutes via the Herrera pass. Park outside the wall, drop your luggage and walk the three streets of the old town, the gates and the Paseo del Collado, with views of the lagoon and the vineyard.

### Saturday · 12:30 · Tasting under a palace at Mayor de Migueloa
Its cellar is under a medieval palace on Calle Mayor. The simplest tasting, with five wines and a snack of local cheese, costs €25; there are versions with Idiazabal or Iberian ham, and others that end with a Rioja menu in its restaurant. Book a day ahead.

### Saturday · 14:00 · Lunch at Héctor Oribe, in Páganos
Five minutes from the old town, chef's cooking with traditional roots and two tasting menus. Open Wednesday to Sunday at midday only: book.

### Saturday · 17:30 · Laguardia lagoons
At the foot of the town, four lagoons with a path along the shore at Prao de la Paúl and birds, more from September to March. An hour or an hour and a half, before dinner in the town.

### Sunday · 11:45 · Torre Abacial and the municipal cellar
The tourist office takes you up the tower of the old fortress on a Sunday tour at 11:45, for €3, and at 13:00 goes down to a cellar dug beneath the streets, also for €3. Book both.

### Sunday · 13:45 · Lunch and Marqués de Riscal
Eat at Amelibia, beside the wall, on Sunday from 13:00 to 15:30. Then to Elciego: the basic Marqués de Riscal visit tours the winery and vineyard and ends with three wines, in 90 minutes and for €30. On the way, stop at the dolmen of the Chabola de la Hechicera, among the vines. Back to Vitoria at the end of the afternoon.

## Un consejo más

Sleep inside the wall. At dusk the old town empties and that is when it is best to stroll.

## Cuándo no ir

Midday in July and August for the walks through the vineyard: there is no shade.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Vitoria?
About 45 minutes via the Herrera pass. From Bilbao, an hour and twenty on the AP-68; from Logroño, twenty minutes.

### Do I need to book the wineries?
Yes. The tourist office tours have 40 places, Mayor de Migueloa asks for a day's notice and Marqués de Riscal sells its visits on its website.

### Can it be done by bus?
Yes, with Álava Bus line 9 from Vitoria or Logroño. For Elciego you will need a taxi.

### Where to park in Laguardia?
Outside the wall: there is no traffic inside. The tourist office shows the car parks around the old town.

### Is it a plan for children?
With children the walk along the wall, the Torre Abacial and the lagoons work. Marqués de Riscal has a reduced rate for them.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Silken Villa de Laguardia**: The Silken Villa de Laguardia is the town's big hotel: four stars and 84 rooms on Paseo de San Raimundo, at the foot of the walled old town and surrounded by vineyards, 15 km from Logroño. It has what the houses in the old town cannot offer: its own parking, an outdoor pool and a 1,000 m² spa.
On Paseo de San Raimundo, beneath the wall
The hotel is in the lower part of the town, outside the wall. That means two things: you drive right up to the door and leave the car in its car park or garage, and to enter the old town you walk a few minutes uphill. For anyone travelling with suitcases, with children or with a car loaded with wine, it is more convenient than accommodation inside the pedestrianised town.
Around you have what can be done without climbing: the Villa-Lucía wine museum, on the Logroño road, and the path to the Laguardia lagoons, which leaves along that same road among vines.
Wine Oil Spa
The spa covers about 1,000 m² and bases its treatments on wine and olive oil: massages, facials, circuits, baths and wraps. We have not been able to confirm prices, circuit hours or minimum age: ask when you book.
Rooms for families and groups
The 84 rooms are spacious and the hotel presents them as designed for families and groups too. There is a restaurant and café, with a breakfast buffet, a terrace, a gym and laundry. It is a smoke-free hotel in all its areas. Among the Laguardia accommodation in this guide, it is the one with a pool.
A bus at the door
Without a car, the bus stops in front: Alavabus line 9, between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Logroño, has the "Laguardia (Hotel)" stop on Paseo de San Raimundo. From Vitoria it takes about an hour; check the season's timetable on the Alavabus website before setting out.
Check-in, dogs and garage, to be confirmed
We have not been able to confirm on its website the check-in and check-out times, whether dogs are allowed, or the prices of the car park and garage. Ask on 945 600 560 or at reservas.laguardia@hoteles-silken.com.
- **Posada Mayor de Migueloa**: Mayor de Migueloa is a medieval palace at number 20 Calle Mayor in Laguardia, right in the walled old town. It is a hotel, restaurant and winery at once: you sleep above the calado where its wine is aged and you have lunch or dinner in its restaurant without going out into the street.
Walls, beams and palace floors
The rooms keep the stone, the wooden beams and the old floors of the house. All are for two people and with one bathroom, but none is the same. There are three kinds:

Standard: a double bed or two singles, with views of the street or an inner courtyard. Each differs in style, size and decor.
Superior: the largest and the one that keeps the most of the palace, with two double beds or one extra-large and a small sitting room.
Junior: bright, with a 1.35 m bed, views over the town, a small sitting room and a bath.

They have heating, air conditioning, television, hairdryer, bed linen and towels, internet, and are non-smoking. The website does not publish the number of rooms or the prices, which are shown on the booking engine.
Chuletones by breed and a tasting beneath the house
The restaurant specialises in grilled meat and fish, with seasonal vegetables and Riojan dishes such as the menestra or the stuffed chard stalk. Its chuletón menu goes by breed: Galician ox, Tudanca ox, Galician blond, black Angus, Simmental, Minhota, Highland, Hereford, Friesian and Swami. Desserts are home-made: chocolate sponge, torrija and cheesecake. The website does not publish prices.
In November and December it opens Monday to Sunday from 13:00 to 21:00, with continuous service, and rests on Thursdays. From April to October it opened every day at the same hours; for the rest of winter, confirm.
Beneath the palace is the house's winery. The Mayor de Migueloa tasting starts at €25 with five wines and cheese, and is booked a day in advance.
Conditions worth reading beforehand
The room is available from 14:00 and is vacated before 12:00; if you will arrive after 18:00, let them know. The full cost of the stay is paid when you book, and special offers and rates are not cancellable or refundable: choose your rate carefully. The tourist tax is paid at the hotel. Under-18s need written authorisation from their parents or guardians. Pets are not allowed.
The car, outside the wall
The old town is pedestrianised: leave the car in the public car parks outside the wall and walk in. The hotel's conditions mention parking as an extra that is booked and charged separately; ask when you book what they offer. Without a car, the bus from Vitoria and Logroño stops a few minutes away.
Bikes for the lagoons
They hire out mountain bikes at €15 an hour, with a minimum of two hours. With them, the Laguardia lagoons are a flat ride among vines. On foot, from the door, you have Santa María de los Reyes at the northern end of the old town.
- **Casa Rural Erletxe**: Erletxe, "house of bees" in Basque, is a country guesthouse inside Laguardia's walled old town, on Rúa Mayor de Peralta, one of the old town's streets. It is a small house whose owner lives in the same building, and it suits anyone who wants to sleep inside the wall and do everything on foot.
Two floors for guests and a double upstairs
Guests occupy the ground floor and the first floor. On the second lives the owner, and there is also an independent double room there that looks onto the open patio and the valley, to the south. The website does not publish how many rooms there are in total, nor their sizes or prices: they are shown when you book through its direct booking link or by asking.
A library lounge, a garden and a lift for two
What the house does detail is its services: breakfasts, daily cleaning, its own garden, free wifi and a small lift, for two people, that saves the stairs with suitcases. The lounge has a large bookshelf and armchairs for reading for a while after coming back from the wineries. There is free space to store motorbikes and bicycles, and they will tell you about bike hire in the town. The website does not make clear whether breakfast is included in the price.
No car at the door
The old town is pedestrianised, so the car stays in the car parks outside the wall or on Avenida de la Diputación, with the public lift that goes up to the old town. Take from the car whatever you will need. If you arrive without a car, the Alavabus bus from Vitoria-Gasteiz or Logroño stops at the foot of the town, a few minutes' walk away.
On foot from Rúa Mayor de Peralta
From the door you have the whole old town at hand: the El Fabulista winery, in Plaza de San Juan; the tourist office on Calle Mayor 52, with the visits to Santa María de los Reyes and the Torre Abacial; and for eating, Amelibia, next to one of the gates of the wall. Sleeping inside lets you taste in the afternoon and walk back.
Times, dogs and cancellation, by phone
The website does not publish check-in and check-out times, whether dogs are allowed, whether there are beds for children or the cancellation conditions. Ask before booking on 945 621 015, on 657 799 311 or at erletxe@gmail.com.
- **Hotel Marqués de Riscal**: The Marqués de Riscal hotel occupies the titanium building that Frank O. Gehry built over the Elciego winery, founded in 1858, about 7 km from Laguardia. It is Rioja Alavesa's luxury stay: a night inside the building that can be seen from all over the region, with the winery beneath and the vineyards all around.
Titanium over a winery from 1858
The hotel opened on 10 October 2006 in Marqués de Riscal's City of Wine. Gehry, the architect of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, designed the building, with sheets of coloured titanium and steel, and also the interior decor. It belongs to Marriott's The Luxury Collection and has the Green Key environmental certification.
Sixty-one rooms and a walkway
There are 61 rooms, ten of them suites, spread across two buildings joined by a cantilevered walkway. At the top, a lounge for guests serves as a viewpoint: on one side, La Rioja; on the other, the Basque Country. The winery's website does not publish sizes, types or prices: they are shown when you book on the hotel's page at Marriott.
Francis Paniego's table and the Caudalie spa
There is no need to leave to eat. There are three places: the gastronomic restaurant, with Francis Paniego as culinary adviser; 1860 Tradición; and the Vinoteca & Bistró. The Caudalie Vinothérapie spa works with grape extracts, brown sugar, honey and essential oils, in massages and treatments. The hotel also has a 100-seat auditorium and ten event spaces.
Visiting the winery as a guest
The winery visit is the same one any visitor takes, with a three-wine tasting from €30, but guests do not buy it on the website: it is requested from the reservations department, on 945 180 888 or at reservations.marquesderiscal@marriott.com. The €45 and €60 ones are only for over-18s. The winery opens every day from 10:00 to 19:00.
How it fits into the trip
Elciego is about ten minutes by car from Laguardia; the Alavabus bus does not go there, so you need a car or taxi. The plan Sunday in Laguardia leaves the winery for the afternoon, after the old town. If you prefer a smaller hotel among the wineries, the Hotel Viura, in Villabuena de Álava, is about 6 km away.
Breakfast, parking and children, not published
The winery's website does not publish check-in and check-out times, breakfast, parking or conditions for children. On animals, the winery says they are not allowed on its premises except guide dogs; confirm with the hotel if you are travelling with a dog. Hotel telephone: 945 606 000.
- **Hotel Viura**: A hotel among wineries
Villabuena de Álava is a small village in the Rioja Alavesa with a figure that explains it: the Hotel Viura counts 43 wineries around it. The hotel is a pile of coloured cubes fitted into the hillside, beside the church, and can be seen from afar among the stone houses. It has four stars and only 35 rooms, larger than usual; some with a terrace and views of the village or the Sierra de Cantabria.
Wine, bistro and rooftop
Beneath the hotel, former escape tunnels have been turned into its wine cellar, and the wine list is long. You eat in the bistro, reached down a staircase, with informal cooking of local, seasonal produce; the bar serves pintxos and the terrace and the rooftop are for an aperitif, with the bell tower beside you. The hotel organises wine tourism and gastronomy experiences and proposes routes through the wineries and villages of the region.
Why sleep here
Because it solves the problem of every winery route: getting back. From Villabuena, Bodegas Baigorri, in Samaniego, is about 4 km away, Laguardia about 12 and Elciego, with Marqués de Riscal, about 6. You do the tastings, dine in the bistro and do not touch the car until the next day. Booking on their website they offer a best-price guarantee, late check-out and a welcome drink.
What the website does not say
It does not publish check-in and check-out times, whether animals are allowed, or the parking: ask when you book.
- **Hotel Eguren Ugarte, in the winery at Páganos**: A hotel inside the winery
Eguren Ugarte is on the A-124 road, in the area of Páganos, on the outskirts of Laguardia, with the Sierra de Cantabria behind and the vineyards of the Rioja Alavesa in front. The hotel is part of the winery: 21 rooms, fifteen comfort, four deluxe and two premium, with views of the vines. All bookings include breakfast, buffet and à la carte, with the day's pastries.
Why it is a wine hotel
Because the visit starts beneath your feet. The winery has 2,000 metres of excavated galleries, and its guided tour walks through them, shows the winemaking and ends with three wines and an aperitif, for €22. With a traditional lunch with wine pairing, €55; the children's menu, €20. There is also a tasting in stages of four premium wines in four different corners with four pintxos (€50), an introductory tasting course with five wines (€45), a horse-drawn cart ride through the vineyards with lunch in the vineyard (€90, minimum four) and, at harvest time, a family grape harvest on Sundays in late September and early October (€40 adults, €25 children). The house's two restaurants are the traditional Martín Cendoya and the gastronomic Victorino Eguren.
What the website doesn't say
It does not publish the category, prices, check-in and check-out times or whether animals are allowed: everything is checked when booking, on 945 600 766 or on the form on its website.
How it fits
From here, Laguardia is a few kilometres away, with its underground cellars, and Héctor Oribe is in Páganos itself. Sleeping at the winery, the visit with lunch is done without going back to the car.

## Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hotel Silken Villa de Laguardia**: The Silken Villa de Laguardia is the town's big hotel: four stars and 84 rooms on Paseo de San Raimundo, at the foot of the walled old town and surrounded by vineyards, 15 km from Logroño. It has what the houses in the old town cannot offer: its own parking, an outdoor pool and a 1,000 m² spa.
On Paseo de San Raimundo, beneath the wall
The hotel is in the lower part of the town, outside the wall. That means two things: you drive right up to the door and leave the car in its car park or garage, and to enter the old town you walk a few minutes uphill. For anyone travelling with suitcases, with children or with a car loaded with wine, it is more convenient than accommodation inside the pedestrianised town.
Around you have what can be done without climbing: the Villa-Lucía wine museum, on the Logroño road, and the path to the Laguardia lagoons, which leaves along that same road among vines.
Wine Oil Spa
The spa covers about 1,000 m² and bases its treatments on wine and olive oil: massages, facials, circuits, baths and wraps. We have not been able to confirm prices, circuit hours or minimum age: ask when you book.
Rooms for families and groups
The 84 rooms are spacious and the hotel presents them as designed for families and groups too. There is a restaurant and café, with a breakfast buffet, a terrace, a gym and laundry. It is a smoke-free hotel in all its areas. Among the Laguardia accommodation in this guide, it is the one with a pool.
A bus at the door
Without a car, the bus stops in front: Alavabus line 9, between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Logroño, has the "Laguardia (Hotel)" stop on Paseo de San Raimundo. From Vitoria it takes about an hour; check the season's timetable on the Alavabus website before setting out.
Check-in, dogs and garage, to be confirmed
We have not been able to confirm on its website the check-in and check-out times, whether dogs are allowed, or the prices of the car park and garage. Ask on 945 600 560 or at reservas.laguardia@hoteles-silken.com.
- **Posada Mayor de Migueloa**: Mayor de Migueloa is a medieval palace at number 20 Calle Mayor in Laguardia, right in the walled old town. It is a hotel, restaurant and winery at once: you sleep above the calado where its wine is aged and you have lunch or dinner in its restaurant without going out into the street.
Walls, beams and palace floors
The rooms keep the stone, the wooden beams and the old floors of the house. All are for two people and with one bathroom, but none is the same. There are three kinds:

Standard: a double bed or two singles, with views of the street or an inner courtyard. Each differs in style, size and decor.
Superior: the largest and the one that keeps the most of the palace, with two double beds or one extra-large and a small sitting room.
Junior: bright, with a 1.35 m bed, views over the town, a small sitting room and a bath.

They have heating, air conditioning, television, hairdryer, bed linen and towels, internet, and are non-smoking. The website does not publish the number of rooms or the prices, which are shown on the booking engine.
Chuletones by breed and a tasting beneath the house
The restaurant specialises in grilled meat and fish, with seasonal vegetables and Riojan dishes such as the menestra or the stuffed chard stalk. Its chuletón menu goes by breed: Galician ox, Tudanca ox, Galician blond, black Angus, Simmental, Minhota, Highland, Hereford, Friesian and Swami. Desserts are home-made: chocolate sponge, torrija and cheesecake. The website does not publish prices.
In November and December it opens Monday to Sunday from 13:00 to 21:00, with continuous service, and rests on Thursdays. From April to October it opened every day at the same hours; for the rest of winter, confirm.
Beneath the palace is the house's winery. The Mayor de Migueloa tasting starts at €25 with five wines and cheese, and is booked a day in advance.
Conditions worth reading beforehand
The room is available from 14:00 and is vacated before 12:00; if you will arrive after 18:00, let them know. The full cost of the stay is paid when you book, and special offers and rates are not cancellable or refundable: choose your rate carefully. The tourist tax is paid at the hotel. Under-18s need written authorisation from their parents or guardians. Pets are not allowed.
The car, outside the wall
The old town is pedestrianised: leave the car in the public car parks outside the wall and walk in. The hotel's conditions mention parking as an extra that is booked and charged separately; ask when you book what they offer. Without a car, the bus from Vitoria and Logroño stops a few minutes away.
Bikes for the lagoons
They hire out mountain bikes at €15 an hour, with a minimum of two hours. With them, the Laguardia lagoons are a flat ride among vines. On foot, from the door, you have Santa María de los Reyes at the northern end of the old town.
- **Casa Rural Erletxe**: Erletxe, "house of bees" in Basque, is a country guesthouse inside Laguardia's walled old town, on Rúa Mayor de Peralta, one of the old town's streets. It is a small house whose owner lives in the same building, and it suits anyone who wants to sleep inside the wall and do everything on foot.
Two floors for guests and a double upstairs
Guests occupy the ground floor and the first floor. On the second lives the owner, and there is also an independent double room there that looks onto the open patio and the valley, to the south. The website does not publish how many rooms there are in total, nor their sizes or prices: they are shown when you book through its direct booking link or by asking.
A library lounge, a garden and a lift for two
What the house does detail is its services: breakfasts, daily cleaning, its own garden, free wifi and a small lift, for two people, that saves the stairs with suitcases. The lounge has a large bookshelf and armchairs for reading for a while after coming back from the wineries. There is free space to store motorbikes and bicycles, and they will tell you about bike hire in the town. The website does not make clear whether breakfast is included in the price.
No car at the door
The old town is pedestrianised, so the car stays in the car parks outside the wall or on Avenida de la Diputación, with the public lift that goes up to the old town. Take from the car whatever you will need. If you arrive without a car, the Alavabus bus from Vitoria-Gasteiz or Logroño stops at the foot of the town, a few minutes' walk away.
On foot from Rúa Mayor de Peralta
From the door you have the whole old town at hand: the El Fabulista winery, in Plaza de San Juan; the tourist office on Calle Mayor 52, with the visits to Santa María de los Reyes and the Torre Abacial; and for eating, Amelibia, next to one of the gates of the wall. Sleeping inside lets you taste in the afternoon and walk back.
Times, dogs and cancellation, by phone
The website does not publish check-in and check-out times, whether dogs are allowed, whether there are beds for children or the cancellation conditions. Ask before booking on 945 621 015, on 657 799 311 or at erletxe@gmail.com.

## Dónde dormir in style
- **Hotel Silken Villa de Laguardia**: The Silken Villa de Laguardia is the town's big hotel: four stars and 84 rooms on Paseo de San Raimundo, at the foot of the walled old town and surrounded by vineyards, 15 km from Logroño. It has what the houses in the old town cannot offer: its own parking, an outdoor pool and a 1,000 m² spa.
On Paseo de San Raimundo, beneath the wall
The hotel is in the lower part of the town, outside the wall. That means two things: you drive right up to the door and leave the car in its car park or garage, and to enter the old town you walk a few minutes uphill. For anyone travelling with suitcases, with children or with a car loaded with wine, it is more convenient than accommodation inside the pedestrianised town.
Around you have what can be done without climbing: the Villa-Lucía wine museum, on the Logroño road, and the path to the Laguardia lagoons, which leaves along that same road among vines.
Wine Oil Spa
The spa covers about 1,000 m² and bases its treatments on wine and olive oil: massages, facials, circuits, baths and wraps. We have not been able to confirm prices, circuit hours or minimum age: ask when you book.
Rooms for families and groups
The 84 rooms are spacious and the hotel presents them as designed for families and groups too. There is a restaurant and café, with a breakfast buffet, a terrace, a gym and laundry. It is a smoke-free hotel in all its areas. Among the Laguardia accommodation in this guide, it is the one with a pool.
A bus at the door
Without a car, the bus stops in front: Alavabus line 9, between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Logroño, has the "Laguardia (Hotel)" stop on Paseo de San Raimundo. From Vitoria it takes about an hour; check the season's timetable on the Alavabus website before setting out.
Check-in, dogs and garage, to be confirmed
We have not been able to confirm on its website the check-in and check-out times, whether dogs are allowed, or the prices of the car park and garage. Ask on 945 600 560 or at reservas.laguardia@hoteles-silken.com.
- **Hotel Marqués de Riscal**: The Marqués de Riscal hotel occupies the titanium building that Frank O. Gehry built over the Elciego winery, founded in 1858, about 7 km from Laguardia. It is Rioja Alavesa's luxury stay: a night inside the building that can be seen from all over the region, with the winery beneath and the vineyards all around.
Titanium over a winery from 1858
The hotel opened on 10 October 2006 in Marqués de Riscal's City of Wine. Gehry, the architect of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, designed the building, with sheets of coloured titanium and steel, and also the interior decor. It belongs to Marriott's The Luxury Collection and has the Green Key environmental certification.
Sixty-one rooms and a walkway
There are 61 rooms, ten of them suites, spread across two buildings joined by a cantilevered walkway. At the top, a lounge for guests serves as a viewpoint: on one side, La Rioja; on the other, the Basque Country. The winery's website does not publish sizes, types or prices: they are shown when you book on the hotel's page at Marriott.
Francis Paniego's table and the Caudalie spa
There is no need to leave to eat. There are three places: the gastronomic restaurant, with Francis Paniego as culinary adviser; 1860 Tradición; and the Vinoteca & Bistró. The Caudalie Vinothérapie spa works with grape extracts, brown sugar, honey and essential oils, in massages and treatments. The hotel also has a 100-seat auditorium and ten event spaces.
Visiting the winery as a guest
The winery visit is the same one any visitor takes, with a three-wine tasting from €30, but guests do not buy it on the website: it is requested from the reservations department, on 945 180 888 or at reservations.marquesderiscal@marriott.com. The €45 and €60 ones are only for over-18s. The winery opens every day from 10:00 to 19:00.
How it fits into the trip
Elciego is about ten minutes by car from Laguardia; the Alavabus bus does not go there, so you need a car or taxi. The plan Sunday in Laguardia leaves the winery for the afternoon, after the old town. If you prefer a smaller hotel among the wineries, the Hotel Viura, in Villabuena de Álava, is about 6 km away.
Breakfast, parking and children, not published
The winery's website does not publish check-in and check-out times, breakfast, parking or conditions for children. On animals, the winery says they are not allowed on its premises except guide dogs; confirm with the hotel if you are travelling with a dog. Hotel telephone: 945 606 000.
- **Hotel Viura**: A hotel among wineries
Villabuena de Álava is a small village in the Rioja Alavesa with a figure that explains it: the Hotel Viura counts 43 wineries around it. The hotel is a pile of coloured cubes fitted into the hillside, beside the church, and can be seen from afar among the stone houses. It has four stars and only 35 rooms, larger than usual; some with a terrace and views of the village or the Sierra de Cantabria.
Wine, bistro and rooftop
Beneath the hotel, former escape tunnels have been turned into its wine cellar, and the wine list is long. You eat in the bistro, reached down a staircase, with informal cooking of local, seasonal produce; the bar serves pintxos and the terrace and the rooftop are for an aperitif, with the bell tower beside you. The hotel organises wine tourism and gastronomy experiences and proposes routes through the wineries and villages of the region.
Why sleep here
Because it solves the problem of every winery route: getting back. From Villabuena, Bodegas Baigorri, in Samaniego, is about 4 km away, Laguardia about 12 and Elciego, with Marqués de Riscal, about 6. You do the tastings, dine in the bistro and do not touch the car until the next day. Booking on their website they offer a best-price guarantee, late check-out and a welcome drink.
What the website does not say
It does not publish check-in and check-out times, whether animals are allowed, or the parking: ask when you book.