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.