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.