Weekend Life....Hotel Viura, La Rioja, Spain

Hotel Viura, Villabuena de Alava, La Rioja, Spain May 2012

From the lush, green rolling hills and deep valleys of the coastal Spanish Basque region, our drive into La Rioja Alavesa felt like journeying into a different country altogether. The contrast in the landscape was astounding: where much of Basque country felt to us almost like Switzerland, Rioja was much drier, warmer and had more of the rugged Spanish landscapes we had been expecting. Shielded by the Sierra de Cantabria mountain ranges, Rioja is characterised by big blue skies, fertile plains, fields filled with scarlet poppies, pretty medieval villages and, of course, acres of vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see. This is one of Spain’s premier wine producing regions after all.

Our destination was Hotel Viura in the sleepy village of Villabuena de Alava. Turning off of the main road at the insistence of our sat nav, it was difficult to believe that an ultra modern 33-room hotel was nestled somewhere in the heart of this tiny village. Were it not for the presence of some discrete hotel signs guiding the way through the maze of tiny streets, we I probably would have declared ourselves lost. Upon rounding a corner we glimpsed the hotel design, which consists of a series of concrete and glass cubes seemingly balanced slightly off-kilter on top of one another, its ability to coexist seamlessly with the traditional architecture of the village was even more of a surprise and a testament to its designers. This juxtaposition of old and new is not unusual in this region of Northern Spain and leading contemporary architects such as Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava, Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid have all designed extraordinary buildings here over the past few years. Pulling into the car park, with the late afternoon sun casting a golden hue over the buildings, we couldn’t help but notice that the village was reflected in the large mirrored windows of the hotel’s cubes. A design fluke? Not likely. I can only imagine that the integration of the village, with its charming 17th century church and traditional houses, into the avant-garde design of the hotel was a pre-requisite to getting planning approval.

The interior design of Hotel Viura matches the modern exterior: polished concrete floors and ceilings, “chalkboard” style walls (they aren’t actually chalkboards as, out of curiosity, I tried to rub a room number off one day. Shhhhhh!) and sleek furnishings are softened with blonde wood, enormous rugs, soft gauzy curtains, artwork, subtle lighting (I loved the light “cubes” in the hotel rooms) and comfortable couches. Our spacious deluxe room was located on the first floor of the hotel overlooking the village and its communal swimming pool. Decorated in a palette of white and varying shades of grey with an enormous rust-coloured feature wall, the centrepiece of our room was the huge bed with soft white cotton sheets facing the bank of floor-to ceiling windows. As with Hotel Iturregi, the bathroom (with shower and bath) was integrated with the bedroom and separated only by a heavy grey curtain so for those who are a “toilet door always closed” kind of person like me, the open bathroom situation can take a little getting used to! Turndown service is provided and each evening we came back to our room to homemade truffles and a printout of the next day’s weather conditions.

Hotel Viura has two bars (plus a wine shop) as well as an amazing rooftop terrace where we enjoyed spending a couple of hours each evening before dinner. The terrace is beautifully presented with manicured Mediterranean gardens, plenty of white outdoor chairs to relax in (the most “prized” seating being two extra large round day beds*) and views of the craggy mountains, the village, church, vineyards and acres of blue sky. With a glass of crisp cold rioja blanco in hand and a plate of olives to share, we were content to just sit and watch tiny starlings duck and weave around the church spire in the dusky evening sky until the church bells alerted us that it was time for dinner.

The restaurant in the hotel (and room service) was excellent which was rather fortunate as there are no other dining options in the village (the walled hilltop town of Laguardia is only 5km away where there are numerous restaurants and bars). We had the Viura tasting menu which featured local and Basque produce, accompanied by wines of the region. Each course was beautifully presented and tasted wonderful. The highlight? A zingy watermelon gazpacho. It was so delicious that we ordered bowls of it from room service (despite it not being on the menu!) the next evening. Unfortunately our attempts to recreate its flavors back in London have failed rather spectacularly. I am blaming it on the lack of intense, ripe Spanish tomatoes ;)

Eat: A drive to La Rioja’s capital, Logroño, is a must to experience the concentration of tapas bars which line a cluster of narrow streets in the old town. Most of the bars specialise in just one or two types of tapas – garlicky mushrooms secured with a toothpick on a round of baguette and topped with a teeny prawn, tender lamb kebabs, thin slices of acorn-fed wild Ibérico ham, grilled chorizo, potatoes coated in a spicy red sauce as well as more exotic offerings (which I was not brave enough to try) such as lamb intestines and sheep’s ears (eep!). And the best thing is that each tapas only costs a euro or two!

Our favourite places? Bar Angel (for the mushrooms – we each had 3 rounds! Reordering felt rather like we were doubling down our blackjack bet at Caesar’s Palace in Vegas: a simple nod to the waitress and tapping the bar top with two fingers to keep them coming seemed to work!)

Taberna Casa Del Volapie (a cone of crispy calamari, and a delicious bowl of spinach and chickpeas with bread for mopping up and all washed down with glasses of local wine).

Do: Being one of Spain’s premier wine-making regions, bodegas (winery) visits are a must. It is just a matter of choosing which ones especially if you are short on time. Our picks?

Bodegas Roda (good olive oil as well as wine)

Viña Tondonia (with tasting pavilion designed by Zaha Hadid)

Bodegas Baigorri (which is about 3km down the road from Hotel Viura. The hotel has bikes for guest use so if you were feeling particularly energetic you could jump on a treadly and ride to the bodega)

*I will admit to feeling particularly pleased with myself each time I snagged one. Clearly I would be hopeless at one of those beach resorts where you need to get down to the beach by 8am in order to “bar” your recliner for the day!

Our stay at Hotel Viura was courtesy of the hotel.

Part III of our Basque road trip next week (the French Basque countryside).

Weekend Life....Hotel Iturregi, Basque Country, Spain

Hotel Iturregi, Getaria, Basque Country, Spain, May 2012.

The Basque region, which straddles the border of Spain and France, has long been on my travel wish list. While pilgrims from all over the world have been making their way for centuries through Basque country following the Camino de Santiago de Compostela trail, this part of Northern Spain has more recently become a site of pilgrimage for food lovers. So when the opportunity came up at the end of May this year to do a little road trip through Basque country, I naturally jumped at it.

Travelling from the airport in Bordeaux, our first destination was the beautiful Hotel Iturregi situated in the hills above the pretty fishing village of Getaria, 25 minutes drive from San Sebastian. Boarded by vineyards, woods, lush rolling hills, green fields dotted with sheep, and with stunning views towards the Bay of Biscay, this small hotel (only 8 rooms) was the perfect peaceful oasis we were looking for to begin our Basque adventure. Pulling in through the gated driveway which is bordered by olive trees and garden beds filled with masses of white roses, we were greeted warmly by one of the lovely staff members, Susana, who spoke perfect English…which was helpful as our Basque language skills were embarrassingly poor pretty much non-existent. The hotel, which was opened in 2007 and is built on the site of an old Basque farmhouse, feels rather more like staying in a wealthy relative’s private manor house than an impersonal hotel. Our room, Jaizkibel, was located on the first floor of the property and was beautifully decorated in soothing tones of crisp white, olive green and botanical print. The bathroom is entirely open plan with the bedroom (so perhaps not the best choice for a holiday with a new lover unless you are entirely comfortable with, ahem, all bodily functions!) with an enormous walk-in shower and, beneath the bathroom window, a spacious deep bath where you can soak and enjoy the stunning views of the coastline. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors in front of the comfortable bed open to reveal a balcony with a table and chairs and expansive views of the neighboring woods, vineyards and sea. The weather was perfect during our stay so we naturally gravitated to the balcony to breakfast, read, check emails, drink Txakoli* in the afternoon, gaze at the twinkling lights of Getaria in the evening and, one morning, even managed to drag ourselves out of bed early enough to watch a glorious sunrise over the ocean.

 The common areas of the hotel are just as gorgeous as the rooms and never feel crowded due to the restricted number of guests. A lounge area with huge windows framing the view hosts an honesty bar plus a (complimentary) Nespresso machine for morning/afternoon caffeine fixes, a fireplace for the winter months and a stack of glossy Spanish magazines to peruse. A large covered outdoor terrace with enormous comfy sofas feels like an extension of the lounge area and is perfect for a pre-supper drink or curling up with a book (I loved listening to the chirruping of the frogs in the nearby pond in the late afternoon). Leading off the terrace and up some stone steps is the hotel’s stunning pool which is set in the ruins of the old farmhouse and framed by pretty, manicured gardens. Sun lounges border the pool edge and with the only sounds being the gentle lapping of the water, the occasional clang of a cow bell in the distance or bleating lamb, it was tempting to forget all about sightseeing and spend the entire day napping by the pool!

Eat:

San Sebastian: In an article for Qantas magazine, Australian chef Neil Perry says “If San Sebastián isn’t the world’s best food town, it’s close”. And with three 3-star Michelin restaurants, an abundance of fresh produce (both from the sea and the land) and bars lining the narrow streets serving achingly good pintxos (the Basque version of tapas) I can see why. We started our pintxos stroll in San Sebastian at around 7pm and managed to try 5 different places before our tummies (and feet) began protesting. My favorites?

Bar La Cepa (Calle 31 de Agosto, 7) Try the grilled wild mushrooms with egg, thin slices of buttery, glistening Iberian ham and slivers of smoked salmon and anchovy atop a round of baguette with a dab of crème fraiche. The friendly barman had us mesmerized by his ability to precisely pour Txakoli from a great height into tumblers without looking and without spilling a drop!

Bar Borda Berri (Fermin Calbeton 12) On the recommendation of a Spanish-Australian girl who happened to be standing right next to us while we were trying to decipher the chalkboard menu, we tried the mushroom risotto and the beef cheeks slow cooked in red wine. Both were outstanding.

Bar Martinez (Calle 31 de Agosto, 13) Try the warm salt cod and Iberian ham croquettes.

La Vina (Calle 31 de Agosto, 3) We shared a piece of the baked cheesecake which La Vina is famous for. Creamy, light, not too sweet – it was a delicious way to end our progressive meal.

Axtondo: Asador Etxebarri. About an hour’s drive from Getaria, Asador Etxebarri is on many food lover’s “must visit” places (just google it!). Located in one of the prettiest (and tiniest) villages I have ever been and surrounded by mountains (much of Basque country reminds me of parts of Switzerland) it is worth going for the location alone. A grilling institution, the highlight of the meal was the cooked-on-the bone beef chop. In the top 5 steaks I have eaten in my lifetime, it was full of flavor, both from the meat itself and the grilling process.

Tolosa: Casa Julian By far my favorite restaurant from this trip, Casa Julian was recommended by a Swedish friend who knows his food and wine. Entering through what appeared to be the restaurant’s storeroom, we weren’t quite sure whether we were in the right place (the Basque version of a Speakeasy perhaps?) until we caught a whiff of delicious, grilling meat. Shown through into a small room with white cloth topped tables filled with locals, the focal point of the room was the open grill at one end manned by Señor Julian. We were served impossibly thick, fat spears of asparagus in a sweet vinegary sauce, glistening roasted peppers, crusty bread with creamy, peppery olive oil and the highlight, a thick grilled steak prepared expertly by Señor Julian. Not even the 30 minute search for a car park nor the slight incident with a tree (eek!) could dampen our enthusiasm for Casa Julian – it is one of those very special, authentic restaurants that you hope to discover on every holiday to a foreign destination but so rarely do.

Getaria: Grilled fish restaurants. If you are staying near Getaria like we were, the asador restaurants, where super fresh fish is grilled over charcoal, are great for a casual meal overlooking the harbour. We tried The Mayflower and the grilled fish was lovely.

Do: Apart from eating, swimming in the sea and exploring the lovely towns which dot the coastline, this part of Basque country offers wonderful walking opportunities and we saw many walkers making the Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage (identifiable by the scallop shell seen dangling from their backpacks).

Getaria is also the home of the Cristóbal Balenciaga museum (Cristóbal was born in Getaria) and while we didn’t have time to visit, it looks excellent.

 *The slightly salty, spritzy young local white wine

 Part 2 of our Basque road trip next week.