Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Hotel Marques de Riscal, in Elciego, La Rioja
Facts in brief
Official star rating 5
Location The hotel is 5-minutes' walk to Bodegas Valdelana winery
Annual opening All year
Closest airport Bilbao
Distance from airport The hotel is about 90-minutes' drive from Bilbao Airport
Hotel facilities and services
Café, Restaurant, Library Lounge, Wine Bar, Spa, Bicycles.
Complimentary
Bicycles.
Out and about nearby
Tours and wine tasting sessions at the Marques de Riscal winery, just a few minutes' walk from the hotel. Other wineries within a few miles include Bodegas Baigorri, a contemporary winery where visitors can learn about modern techniques, Bodegas Ysios, another design masterpiece with innovative architecture. Also nearby are the medieval town of Laguardia, the historic city of Logroño over the border in La Rioja and Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the Basque Country.
Sports nearby
Walking, Cycling.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Grand deluxe room for 3 nights
From about
£1,090 low season
£1,320 high season
Holiday Code EXH1427
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Hotel Marques de Riscal, in Elciego, La Rioja
A wine lovers' retreat, Hotel Marqués de Riscal is a luxurious, contemporary masterpiece surrounded by rolling vineyards on the outskirts of the town of Elciego in the Rioja wine region. Built in 2006 by renowned architect Frank Gehry, the distinctive structure is a space-age vision amid the picturesque landscape, complete with a curved and twisting metal roof. Bright and contemporary bedrooms are split between the main building and the spa wing, with the former enjoying glimpses of the metal waves through angled windows. A Luxury Collection hotel combining art and design, food and wine, the Hotel Marqués de Riscal experience is a sensory one. Be sure to sample the region's most fabulous labels at the Wine Bar, while the two restaurants provide unique settings for ambient meals. The self-titled Marques de Riscal Restaurant has a Michelin star to its name, and the exciting cuisine of Chef Francis Paniego is accompanied by a choice of up to 200 fine vintage wines. The dining room combines heady, wall-to-wall reds with pristine white table cloths, but you can opt to dine on the terrace amid spectacular vistas over the vineyards to the mountains behind. Bistro 1860 Restaurant is a more casual setting for local Spanish cuisine with a modern twist, where the Chef's Table offers a unique opportunity to observe the kitchen staff at work. If possible, even better views can be sought on the terraces and at the rooftop library lounge, where beverages are served as you browse reading material on La Rioja's wine-producing history. Continue your wine-themed experience at Hotel Marqués de Riscal's Spa Vinothérapie, where the essence of grape is used in health and beauty treatments, including barrel baths for hydro-massage sessions enriched with vine extracts. A lovely addition to the service is access to bicycles, which you can take on gentle rambles through the delightful countryside. It is well worth taking a tour of the Marqués de Riscal's prestigious winery, where visitors can learn about traditional wine-making methods and end with a wine tasting session.
Room descriptions
Hotel Marques de Riscal has 43 rooms and suites with king size bed, high speed WiFi, flatscreen satellite TV with pay-per-view movies and music and CD player.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Grand deluxe room for 3 nights
From about
£1,090 low season
£1,320 high season
Holiday Code EXH1427
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Hotel Marques de Riscal, in Elciego, La Rioja
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to the Marques de Riscal, Elciego, Expressions Holidays includes scheduled flights with British Airways from London to Bilbao. Flights may be available from other UK airports with Easyjet and Jet2 for example. If you are combining this hotel with stays elsewhere, you may want to consider flying into one airport and out of another. We can arrange this for you. The hotel is about 1 hour 30 minutes’ drive from the airport and we recommend that we book for you either a private car transfer or a hire-car, depending on the itinerary.
Special offers
Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Grand deluxe room for 3 nights
From about
£1,090 low season
£1,320 high season
Holiday Code EXH1427
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Hotel Marques de Riscal, in Elciego, La Rioja
About La Rioja
La Rioja, by Spanish standards, is a small and compact region in the north of Spain, to the south of the Basque country and north of Castile and Leon. Sheltered from the Atlantic by the Sierra de Cantabria, La Rioja is a region whose name is synonymous with the high-quality wine produced in over 500 wineries. The vineyards form a patchwork on gently rolling hills and terraces above the valley of the River Ebro and are divided into three zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja. Each of these areas has a wine route the visitor can follow. Many of the wineries have been run by the same families with expert knowledge passed through the generations for centuries, whilst others are set apart by their stunning modern architecture. The Marques de Riscal winery is one place which combines both elements; founded in 1858 it is one of the oldest wineries in La Rioja but is also known for its iconic building which was designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. As well as the wineries, La Rioja is also known for its cultural significance and magnificent religious buildings. The town of Santa Domingo de la Calzada is a key stop on the St James’ Way pilgrimage route which traverses northern Spain and the cathedral here is well worth visiting. Meanwhile in the city of Logroño guests will find the Cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda with its twin baroque towers and elegant façade. The Ebro River winds lazily through the city and visitors can enjoy a relaxed, self-guided tour of the town, stopping in at the many bars to try the local pintxos paired with local wines.
Highlights of La Rioja
Wine-producing towns across La Rioja DOC region where visitors can enjoy cellar tours and wine tastings, which can also be enjoyed at the luxury vineyard hotels which we feature. La Rioja is subdivided into three zones; Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. Follow the wine routes of each of these areas. The beautiful Iglesia de San Bartolomé and cathedral in Logroño. The Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, stopping point on the Saint James’ Way pilgrimage route. Numerous bars across the region which serve ‘pintxos’ (a Basque version of tapas), including those in Logroño. The attractive old town of Haro. The Museum of Wine Culture in Vivanco. San Millán Yuso and Suso (Upper and Lower) Monasteries, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in La Rioja, known for their role in the early development of the Spanish language. The hilltop walled town of Laguardia. Walking and nature watching in the Sierra de Cameros Natural park near Soria. “El Barranco Perdido” paleontology-themed amusement park. The pretty village of Ezcaray in the Oja River Valley, made wealthy by the wool trade, is popular with visitors for its outdoor pursuits and host of tapas bars.
Festivals in La Rioja
April: “Los Picaos” Easter procession in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. May: Saint’s Day festivities in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. June: Festivities of San Bernabé in Logroño, Haro Wine Festival and the Battle of Wine, Briones Medieval Festival. August: Bread and Cheese Festival in Quel. September: San Mateo Wine Harvest Festival (Logroño).
Gastronomy in La Rioja
La Rioja is best-known for its high-quality reds as well as many excellent white and rosé wines. A regional variation of tapas called ‘pintxos’ can be found throughout La Rioja, frequently eaten as a snack in bars. Enjoying pintxos like a local means visiting several bars and trying one or two small dishes in each, accompanied by local wines. Regional cooking varies from place to place but the key flavours and ingredients are simple and wholesome with high quality products from the region. Of particular note are the traditional stews made with fava or caparrón beans and a wide array of vegetables and pulses. Christians and Muslims have each left their mark on the region with pork and lamb forming popular bases for dishes, whilst fish caught from the Ebro also appear on the menu.
Climate in La Rioja
La Rioja is one of the colder regions of Spain and tends to have fairly mild summers and wet winters. The preferred time for visitors tends to be from June to September with most tourists avoiding the winter months of November to March. This part of Spain escapes the fierce summer heat found in the centre and south of the country with pleasant temperatures of around 20-25 degrees typical.
