Casa Grande de Rosende

Casa Grande de Rosende is a pazo that the Díaz Varela family built in 1511 in Rosende, a hamlet of Sober in the Lugo part of the Ribeira Sacra, not far from the edge of the Sil canyon. The wall of the old manor house encloses more than 10,000 square metres of gardens and vineyard. Inside remain the chapel and the lounges with frescoes by Juan Bernardo de Castinandi, a Galician painter trained in Rome, and much of the period furniture.

From the 16th century to the House of the Misses

The house was extended in the late 18th century. In the mid-20th century some sisters of the family lived in it, and in the hamlet it was called the Casa de las Señoritas. In the late seventies the Vieitez family bought it and opened it to rural tourism in the late nineties. In 2005 a fire destroyed much of the building, and it was rebuilt respecting the original architecture.

Thirteen rooms and one extra bed

There is one special double room and twelve doubles, all with full bathroom, television and telephone. For rates, the website distinguishes standard, premium, suite and single. The extra bed only fits in the premium and costs €20 in low season and €22 in high: bear it in mind if you are travelling with a child. Prices include VAT:

• Standard: from €67 in low season and €82 in high.
• Premium: from €77 and €92.
• Suite: from €90 and €108.
• Single: from €54 and €65.

High season is Easter and 15 July to 15 September. The website published a winter closure from mid-December to February; ask the dates for this winter before booking.

House breakfast and tasting dinner

Breakfast is not included: it is a buffet with home-made sweets, house cured meats and fruit from the garden, for €10. Dinner, of traditional inland cooking, is a tasting menu for €24 plus wine. There are two dining rooms, three indoor lounges and one outdoor, a library, a games room, a television room and a tennis court. Wifi and parking are free, there is a laundry service and they rent bicycles.

Animals are admitted, with prior notice. For those who play, there is an 18-hole golf course about 5 km away, at Augas Santas, and a 9-hole one in Monforte, about 12 km away.

Packages with boat and winery

The house sells two-night packages outside high season that combine accommodation, breakfast and, depending on which, tasting dinner, a catamaran on the Sil, a winery visit with tasting and a visit to a pottery centre. See the day's price on its website. If you prefer to organise it yourself, from here you go down to Doade for the tasting at Adega Algueira and the catamaran from A Abeleda, or cross to the Ourense bank towards Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil.