Santa Maria Briones

Style

Mediaeval magic, bottled

Setting

Go-with-the-flow Ebro

Turning water into wine, or as close as with its River Ebro and vineyard views, Hotel Santa María Briones feels like a modern day miracle by any oenophile’s stretch of the imagination – here you’ll split your time between the bottle-packed subterranean cellar and the library-style wine bar. The 16 bedrooms tally with the manor’s 16th-century origins, which have been transformed into soothing spaces sealed in original stone walls and set beneath darkly-painted wooden beams. Tuck into more-ish tapas dishes while seated at dimly-lit dining tables, soaking up the extensive wine list which celebrates La Rioja’s producing prowess. This sun-drenched corner of Spain enjoys an unhurried pace, so you can take your time vineyard-hopping, meandering along mountain trails, and picnicking on pinchos in bottle-green valleys.

Facilities

客室

16, including one suite.

Checkout

Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

詳細

Rates include a continental buffet breakfast with à la carte eggs, plus home-baked bread and pastries, and freshly gathered fruit from local orchards.

Also

All the common areas and one of the Deluxe rooms are wheelchair-friendly.

Hotel Closed

The property closes for a short stint throughout January and February each year.

フィットネスセンター

インターネット接続（無料）

ランドリー

ホテル内にレストランあり

ルームサービス

At the Hotel

Reading room, wine cellar, gym, charged laundry service, plug adaptors, and free WiFi. In rooms: smart TV, air-conditioning, L’Occitane bath products, bathrobe and slippers, and minibar.

Our Favourite Rooms

Whichever room you choose, you’ll awaken to relaxing natural hues and period details which are given pride of place, whether it be a sloping ceiling or a stone-wall headboard. As the hotel’s stand-alone suite, room 21 should get special mention. Named after the region’s ancient inhabitants, the Berones Suite is split over two levels with its own lounge and direct access to the manor’s main balcony. Though repeat guests will tell you that room 33 is the one to book, for its extra exclusivity on the top floor and outrageously good views. You can even spot the castle of San Vicente de la Sonsierra on a clear day.

Spa

The gym is free. The machines include a bicycle, running machine, gym weights, a bench, toning machine, and towels.

Packing Tips

Every room comes with at least three wardrobes, which means you can pack as much winery-appropriate finery as you please. Bringing an extra suitcase for all those bottles of – you guessed it – Rioja also wouldn’t go amiss.

Also

To really drink in the hotel’s history, take a seat beside the 11th-century aljibe, a medieval well which once held the town’s water.

子供

Although not strictly ‘adults only’, the hotel is aimed at children aged 12 and over.

ギャラリー

Food & Drink

Top Table

When it’s not groaning under the weight of the generous breakfast buffet, the table known as El Reservado is available for private dinners in the former grape pressing room. Or ask to be seated in the candlelit cellar for more clandestine conversations.

ドレスコード

Don your darkest attire in case of any spillages, with some trusty flats to navigate the cobblestones.

Hotel Restaurant

Come to Allegar restaurant with a hearty appetite and a glass-half-full – or even ‘full’ – attitude. The eatery takes its name from an old Riojanism ‘to gather’, which translates more rough and readily here as piling up your plate with slabs of grilled meat as thick as the stone walls. Chef Juan Cuesta is a Rioja native, who puts ancestral recipes on a plate with a generous dollop of his Michelin-starred training, and takes pride in the provenance of his ingredients. The carefully prepared courses change with the seasons – but the honeyed, crispy lamb on sweet potato cream and panko breadcrumbs usually stays on the menu year-round by popular demand.

Hotel Bar

Most guests simply help themselves to the cellar’s stockpile, but there are a few stools discreetly tucked into the hotel’s reading room if you’d like to taste en el bar. Cold meats, coffee, and cocktails can also be savoured out on the patio, against the weathered backdrop of the old town wall.

Last Orders

Allegar serves lunch from 2pm to 3.30pm, Friday to Sunday; and dinner from 7.30pm to 9.30pm (from 8pm, Friday to Sunday).

Room Service

Breakfast in your room is a must when the views are best enjoyed from bed. Simply dial down to reception and your wish is their command.

Planes

Domestic travellers can opt for the smaller airports of Logroño–Agoncillo, which is half an hour’s drive, or Vitoria (an hour by car), but most international arrivals will fly into Bilbao or Madrid. The hotel can help to arrange transfers, which are lengthier (allow up to three hours from Madrid) but rewardingly scenic.

Trains

Haro is just a 10-minute drive from the hotel, and is served by direct trains from Bilbao-Abando. Transfers can be arranged from €20 one-way.

Automobiles

Though we wouldn’t normally recommend getting behind the wheel in wine country, a car will place La Rioja’s crumbling castles, monastery-dotted mountains, and wineries within easy reach (sorry, designated drivers). The hotel has four private parking spaces (for €30 a night) with a Tesla charger for e-vehicles.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

La Rioja most certainly is wine country, which means tours and tastings are the most popular time-passers for red-loving visitors and locals alike. Right on Hotel Santa María Briones’ doorstep, the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture delves into all things oenological with something to suit every taste - ancient drinking vessels stand on display alongside agricultural tools and grape-centric artworks which peel back layer after well-balanced layer of Spain’s fermentation fascination. Save time for a stroll through the museum’s Garden of Bacchus, a mighty fine vine collection of over 220 grape varieties from around the world. To truly take a step back in time, hop aboard a horse-drawn carriage in one of nearby Haro’s wineries to clip-clop your way up and down the vines, learning about the harvesting from sun-kissed farmers as you go. Should you time your visit for mid-June, be sure to set your watch back six centuries or so as the entire town of Briones will be dressed head-to-toe in traditional costumes to celebrate Medieval Day. Come for the bustling bodegas, stay for the sword-brandishing knights.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .