Hotel Marqués de Riscal, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Elciego — Hotel in Elciego

Located in the quiet town of Eltziego on the edge of the Spanish Basque region, Hotel Marqués de Riscal is a work of art. We drove almost four hours from Madrid to explore Rioja for a few days, and seeing the structure from a distance was an almost surreal experience.

After passing security—more on that later—and entering the driveway, the staff were exceptionally welcoming and kind; they even offered a complimentary valet service! Upon check-in, we were offered an unsolicited and incredibly generous upgrade for being Marriott Elites and using Nightly Upgrade Awards. The room category was even higher than the options Marriott had available for selection!

We were taken to the room, and upon opening the door, we were blown away. The finishes and attention to detail were superb, and our balcony overlooked the town of Eltziego and its church. On the counter, we were greeted with a plate of delicious chocolate-covered strawberries and a bottle of the house red, along with two drink tickets for the bar or rooftop library.

We arrived around dinnertime, so after settling in, we headed to the on-site restaurant. Usually, I tend to avoid hotel restaurants, as I find they often come at a premium while underdelivering. However, arriving on a Sunday evening, dining options in the vicinity were limited. Fortunately, the food and service were excellent. The same restaurant serves breakfast, which consists of a charcuterie board and different egg-based main dishes every day. Overall, I’d be more than happy to return and dine here again.

The hotel arranged a wine tasting and tour for us at the winery, which we managed to squeeze in between our other appointments in the region. The tour itself was fairly standard, especially if you have a background in wine, but the one-on-one tasting was great. The wines of Marqués de Riscal are typically not a style I would seek out in Rioja, but after their generosity, I have a newfound appreciation for them. Our stay at Hotel Marqués de Riscal was memorable, and one I hope to repeat soon; however, it was not without its downsides.

It seemed the sheets had been dosed with a strong perfume, and as someone sensitive to scents, it was difficult to sleep the first night. Upon bringing it up to the front desk the next morning, they assured me they do not spray perfume on the sheets and would change them. When we returned to the hotel after our day of tastings, the sheets had indeed been changed, but one of the four pillows on the bed was still doused in the perfume, which we simply set aside and didn’t use. Another issue was the inhospitable and rude behaviour of the security guards. Staying for one night wouldn’t have been a problem, but being there for multiple days and confronting surly security guards every time we entered the property became tiresome. One time, no one was at the security booth, and after waiting a few minutes, we continued down the driveway. A guard chased after us, yelling as if we had done something wrong. Guests shouldn’t be treated like criminals for simply trying to enter the property. A better system should be in place for guests staying multiple days to avoid being aggressively questioned each time.

Aside from those two drawbacks, which I hope are resolved, Hotel Marqués de Riscal is worth a visit—or even a detour—if you’re in a nearby region. The care and thoughtfulness in place are evident, and I hope to visit Frank Gehry’s architectural masterpiece again in the...

The hotel and grounds are beautiful but kind of in the same way that a Venus flytrap attracts its prey. Nothing at the hotel, with the exception of staff who are just doing their job, lives up to the... physicality of the place, and its distance from everything else is both part of the charm and how they get you.

Quite frankly, I found better service and food at both other hotels I stayed at in Spain, Grand Central in Barcelona and NH Collection in S. Sebastian, neither of which are 5-Stars.

The room was luxurious and the view was amazing, and that's basically worth the price of admission. However, I should have known something was up when I called and asked if I could smoke on my balcony and was told no but "We won't tell you you can't." I'm not a guy who flaunts policy because I have money, so I went to where I was directed, a shadeless corner with nowhere to sit near the elevator.

Really hot and exhausted after a long day and want to cool off in the pool? Better get to the spa (which is actually pretty awesome, though the hot tub is more like a kinda-warm tub. I suppose that's so the elderly or people unfamiliar with that kind of climate don't stroke themselves out) before 8pm. 8! And it's not like there's a beach you can walk to or anything.

My biggest problem was with the food. Sure, there's a Michelin-starred restaurant, but it's the kind of frilly fine dining stuff that's been mostly out of style for about a decade, not something you can sustain yourself on. Everything else is underwhelming. Paid the equivalent of $25 at the cafe above reception for two average-sized meatballs that my grandmother would be insulted by calling like hers, mostly because they're under-seasoned (the shaved black truffles add little to nothing) and, along with room-temp mashed potatoes, entirely lack texture. The chocolate cake I ordered through room service was heavily on the drier side and tasted exactly like what you would expect from a cafeteria. The wine was fine (I prefer white in the summer, so I can't speak for the others), but you can get two bottles of greater or equal quality practically anywhere else for the price. My mojito was tasty, but sugar instead of simple syrup makes it a bit gritty. My girlfriend and I did like the club sandwich, and she enjoyed her salads.

All of which is to say that I don't mind paying a premium, even a bit on top. I don't expect it to be phoned in, though, just because there's not much other choice.

Oh, and if that's your thing, the TV setup was really cool, but there aren't a lot of English options (pretty much news and kids stuff), basically just YouTube for streaming, and no way to cast to it, though you can connect with...

It's difficult to adequately summarize such a great experience except to say that our time here exceeded all expectations and was above and beyond what we could have ever anticipated. This is one of the most beautiful buildings we have ever stayed in and, in conjunction with our experiences with the staff, we were impressed an an almost hourly basis.

Prior to our arrival, we arranged transportation with the hotel. Our driver picked us up at the train station and promptly took us to Marques de Riscal. On arrival, even after close to 30 hours of travel, our check in was smooth ,and we were presented with all the information necessary for our stay. Our main point of contact during our stay was Casilda and she was absolutely phenomenal in answering any questions we had as well as in helping us plan all details of our time in the surrounding area. Staff at the hotel were incredibly friendly and welcoming. All staff made attempts to communicate in both Spanish and English and it was very easy to communicate with everyone there.

Our room had one of the best views in the entire hotel with direct line of sight into El Ciego and the mountains behind it. Much of time was spent sitting in admiration of our beautiful surroundings. We ate in Bistro 1860 and the Wine Bar and had great food and experiences in both. We thoroughly enjoyed the pool, jacuzzi, sauna and spa services (Barrel Bath & Couples Massages). Every corner of the hotel showcased a new look into the surrounding environment of the vineyard and El Ciego. One of the features I personally enjoyed most was the library on the third floor. It was a very relaxing space where I wish I had more time to spend.

When we decided to explore the area surrounding the hotel, we were able to borrow bicycles from the front desk and were provided with a map of suggested paths to explore in order to best soak in the beauty of the area. We also attended a free winery tour and learned how the Marques de Riscal wine is made on the premises. After the tour we were able to enjoy a free tasting.

There were absolutely no disappointments with anything during our stay here. We would rate the hotel and our stay as a 6/5 with an overwhelmingly strong recommendation to anyone remotely interested in this hotel. We already...