Luxury hotel holiday Marques de Riscal Elciego

Hotel Marques de Riscal is a contemporary masterpiece surrounded by rolling vineyards on the outskirts of the town of Elciego in the far south of the Spanish Basque Country. Designed by Frank Gehry who was also responsible for Bilbao's titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum, this is an impressive property which contrasts with the town's traditional buildings.  With a wine bar, a Michelin-starred restaurant and a Vinotherapy spa - all with spectacular views over the region's oldest winery where visitors can enjoy a tour with wine tasting - Hotel Marques de Riscal promises a unique food and wine holiday not far from La Rioja. Located under ninety minutes' drive south of Bilbao, this is a convenient destination for a short stay or as part of a touring holiday through northern Spain.
Included in your Expressions holiday
  • Accommodation in a double or twin room on bed and breakfast
  • Scheduled flights with British Airways London to Bilbao
  • Hire of a group A car for the duration of the holiday
  • Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
  • Optional room, car and flight upgrades. Details on request

Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Hotel Marques de Riscal, in Elciego, La Rioja

Hotel Marqués de Riscal is an ultra-contemporary 5-star boutique hotel in the Rioja wine region. Perfect for gourmands and oenophiles, it offers Michelin star dining, Vinotherapie spa facilities and luxurious accommodation, making it an unmissable spot on the northern Spanish wine trail.

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.

Special offers for this holiday>

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.

Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Hotel Marques de Riscal, in Elciego, La Rioja

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.

Deluxe Spa Wing
Premium Spa Wing
Deluxe Gehry Wing
Premium Gehry Wing
Executive Suite
Gehry Suite

Special offers for this holiday>

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.

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.

Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Hotel Marques de Riscal, in Elciego, La Rioja

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.

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