SpaceBass

Just checked in, only have a second...all I can say is this:
This is the most amazing hotel and hotel expirence I've ever had.

I'm putting pictures on my blog...I know...kinda shamless and a tad silly...but if anyone is interested in seeing this amazing property...

I'm going to update this thread and my pictures over the next few days here.


www.nickdawson.net

EDITED to add:
Direct link to pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickdaw...7594355687688/


-N

TraveltheWorld

According to SPG's website, it's a category 6. Did it get bumped up early?

dogmom11

**staff told us that the entire property is sometimes booked for month-long corporate events (Jaguar was mentioned), so that may explain extended periods of unavailability, 'maintenance', etc.**

http://s131.photobucket.com/albums/p...1164005159.pbw

Incredible property and an easy, scenic drive from Bilbao...great to see 2 of Gehry's creations in one trip. (The lovely staff at Sheraton Bilbao provided maps and directions...more on them in another post.) Gehry originally refused the commission (adjacent to the Marques de Riscal vineyard) b/c he now walks w/a cane and it is indeed a long way from LA…he changed his mind after tasting the wine!

Located next to the tiny village of Elciego (or as the Basque say, el-thee-aygo) on a 2-lane road, you’ll probably run into at least one construction detour. However, the locals seem unfazed, the grapes are tasty and most improbably, the design fits. We checked in behind several press folks and figured that the good rooms were gone. Happily surprised when our Plat status was fawned over (sorry, but that just never gets old!!) and we were given a suite, not in the main building (the one always photographed), but across the indoor bridge (check out the view from our room!!). Loved the room, especially the welcome gift of wine (not the Marques de Riscal) and chocolate truffles...it was perfect for sharing w/our 2 Italian friends who are now Plat converts! Oversize marble bathroom w/separate loo. Internet connection in the room or walk down the hall for the free computer in the lobby of the suite wing (see photo).

If you plan to wine taste, please note that Rioja vineyards are nothing like the walk/stumble-in tasting rooms of California/Australia/Italy. Also, there’s nothing equivalent to an enoteca in every town. EVERYTHING (including the Marques de Riscal) has scheduled tours (typically 2 hours and ~6 Euros) and must be reserved in advance. There is usually only one tour/day in English and you can't skip the tours and go straight to tasting. The day before isn’t enough notice…even for the hotel’s namesake vineyard (hotel guests still have to reserve and pay). The staff valiantly tried to set us up, but even in low season, it was too late. Not to worry, you can always create your own wine flights in the nearby (thankfully, non-touristy) tapas bars of the walled village LaGuardia. You may even luck out and get one of the owners to make a phone call to one of his vineyard buddies for you… There is a ‘museum of wine culture’ in nearby Briones (www.dinastiavivanco.com/museo/museo.asp) , but we couldn’t get motivated to pay 20 Euros for a 3 hour tour and tasting, we just wanted to taste!! However, this is a great stop for photos, souvenirs (unique wine gadgets and mugs/shirts w/drunken sheep...) and wine by the bottle (theirs). There is also a cool, unrelated shop (huge signs, so you can’t miss it) on the main road where you can taste (tap it yourself in plastic glasses from the kegs) and buy wines, cheeses, chocolates and meats. The selection is top notch and the prices are great…just be sure to mind the kitties and other animals you’ll encounter in the long driveway.

Marques de Riscal is worth a visit, even if you don’t stay there--you can have coffee/drinks at the bar (in the main building) or a fixed price dinner (85 Euros) that (given the prices we found in Bilbao) is an incredible bargain. One note for spa princesses…the treatments are very pricey and guests must pay to use the hot/cold pools & sauna. Sercotelhotels (http://www.sercotel.com/) is an excellent source for discount hotels in Spain, especially for nearby Laguardia. We stayed one night at the Villa de Laguardia (~100 Euros) and were very pleased w/the rooms, wine library and the view over the vineyards from the exterior glass elevator.

SpaceBass

Sorry I've been so negligent about following up with my original post.

I'm going to have to be a little terse here, but I wanted to get something out.

I'm going to start by again echoing how impressed, overall, with the Marques we were. We drove in from San Sebastian where we had visited the Guggenheim in Bilbao the day before. We had also watched Sketches of Frank Gehry (the documentary) a few days before. So we were pretty into the the architecture before we even go there.

I was driving and getting my directions from Microsoft's Autoroute... I have to say I started to get nervous when we were 10k outside of Elcigo and didn't see anything that looked like where a luxury hotel would be. Then we crested a hill and saw the hotel and the town and it was just breath taking. It was a lot like the Guggenheim where it looked so alien but right at home at the same time. There were people trying to take pictures everywhere. And that's where it got tricky.

The place is very gated and there isn't great signage. I'm guessing they are still working on the main entrance, but we had to come through the guard house at the winery. The end result is that we felt very 'cool' to pass through the on-lookers, but it was a bit tricky. The other advantage is that the property feels very secluded and private.

The first impression, after the building, was the staff. Its hard to describe. They feel like ghosts, they were there when you needed them and almost invisable when you didnt. It was very different from, say the Ritz Carolton where you see 10 people before you get to your room. In this instance Jean-Michelle helped us with our bags, checked us in, gave is the tour and delivered our bags. Later that night he was also our concierge. I really appericated the personal feel of that. The service was just amazing!

We stayed in the more traditionally shaped building. I had written ahead to ask about some details including dining and wine tours. I had also, shamelessly asked for a room upgrade. When we saw our rooms we were VERY impressed, but they were not suites. It wasn't until I opened the windows and saw the view (see pictures) that I truly appericated the rooms they had given us.

The rooms were very large, even by US standards. They were also very well appointed. If I had any complaint, its the use of all the hard surfaces- creates a lot of echos. That being said, my wife and I have very modern tastes and have done our house in a similar style so we didn't notice it like my parents did. The bathrooms were huge, comfortable and had great showers. All in all they were A+ rooms... on par with, if not surpassing, any luxury hotel that I've stayed in (St. Regis, Ritz, etc). Our room did have an odd bed setup...it was 2 doubles made seperatly but places together. The end result was like a king with a line down the middle.... a little awkward for a couple.

The wine bar on the first floor was a neat space. But they only serve Marques wine which is just a little lackluster in my opinion. The library on the 4th floor was stunning. The bar was just set out and there was no one on duty. So we asked...and it was serve yourself and complementary. Nice touch.

The breakfasts were the best we had in Spain- and maybe my most memberable breakfast ever. Sitting outside under the heaters drinking champagne while scarfing down wonderful ham and breads, etc was just sublime.

The restaurant, now that was another story. Long story short, the service was great, the space was inspiring but the food was pretty bad. I really wasn't impressed and I'd strongly recommend striking out and finding some local fare over eating at the hotel. We ate there the first night and my wife did come down with a stomach bug shortly after dinner. Its unclear if it was food related though. I should also say that I ordered lambs feet which was challenging but not entirely unpleasant. I also sampled by dad's beef dish and my wife's ravoli- both of which were more traditional but still bland and not executed well.

I agree with everything Dogmom11 said about tours in Rioja. Its not like CA at all. But it is like most of the rest of Europe. We did one or two, but it wasn't worth the time the tour takes to taste 2 wines. So we bought several bottles and had our own tasting at the Marques.

this may sound odd, but I really fell for the building itself. I'm still looking at my pictures and I almost 'miss' the place. Since there are so few rooms and the staff was so attentive, the whole expirence felt private. We rarely saw other people, so we had the sense that this whole place belonged to us. I'm not sure if that's typical, or if it was truly empty (although we were told they were booked solid).

To me, the bottom line is that this was a one of a kind place. I've stayed in a lot of hotels in a lot of neat places and this takes the cake. A+ service, A++ rooms, and the building itself is simple unique.

I'm going to spend the next 10 years trying to talk my wife and friends into going back to the Marques!

Pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickdaw...7594355687688/

Again sorry for the informal write up and sloppy style...

-N

edited to add:
We also heard about Jaguar renting the place out. They also told it was closing in december or Jan for a month of renovation. B/t my broken French (both of the front desk staff were native french speakers) I got the impression that they had to open by a certian date but that there were still 'punch list' items to polish up. We couldnt find any rough edges..except for some sloppy screw work in some of the window casings...sorry we are renovating my house and so I notice stuff like that
They were also still aggressively landscaping...so we did open the windows one morning to a guy planting right outside. There was also some construction noise where they were building the main entrance...not a big deal though.

fly co to see the yanks

by the way, can anyone comment on the fitness center/gym at this property? obviously, the equipment would be new. but, was there free weights and machines? was there a decent amount of cardio equipment? did the cardio machines have TVs attached? was there ample water and towels, etc?

thanks.

SanDiego1K

I had never heard of this hotel until reading this thread, and was immediately intrigued. Wouldn't you know, when I was catching up with my travel magazines today, I found pictures/articles in two of them.

The best is a profile in the December 2006 issue of Travel & Leisure. It claims as the design inspiration:

"Those anxious to assign inspirations to the design will be pleased to learn that Gehry did indeed choose pink titanium to signify red wine (the color is often deeper, depending on meteorological conditions) and gold to represent white wine and bottle netting. The undulating ribbons are not, however, a metaphor for the foil on a bottleneck, as so many have confidently concluded without bothering to ask, but rather for wine flooding out of a bottle."

[i]National Geographic Traveler[/] Nov/Dec 2006 (pg 81) says it is meant to look like the flow of a flamenco dancer's skirt. Take your pick.

Here it gives room preferences:

"Because they face the village, the most desirable rooms in the main wing are 101–104 and 112, 114, and 115. Those in the annex are boxy and endowed with less personality, though 116, 117, and 118 have thrilling reach-out-and-touch views of the mother cell; 128–144 turn their backs on it, and 119–127 have partial views."

"The fact that Gehry’s model in the MOMA exhibit did not show the hotel’s annex, which is also all but absent from the winery and Starwood’s Web sites, tells you everything you need to know about it. I wish it weren’t true, but Riscal has a dirty secret. The main building houses the restaurant and only 14 guest rooms; in a classic case of bait-and-switch, the remaining 29 rooms and the spa are in a facing bunker-like wing, in stucco with a canal-tile roof and linked by a footbridge, that is as deadpan and triste as the principal structure is expressive and gay."

"Starwood, which manages the property as part of its top-shelf Luxury Collection, is targeting it at that anything-for-a-thrill, no-price-too-high, no-distance-too-far subset of travelers who are appreciatively known as hotel freaks and are catnip to marketers. "

TraveltheWorld

I recently returned from a 2 night stay at the Riscal. I was impressed by not only the decor, but the service. Driving in from San Sebastian was easy with the help of GPS and MS AutoRoute.

I may have received a small Plat upgrade to a Jr. Suite, but not sure what the regular rooms are like. The room had quite a stunning view towards the cathedral located in El Ciego. As you might expect, the property looks spectacular both inside and outside. Admittedly, not all the interior elements may be practical in a permanent residence, but it certainly works for a hotel stay.

+The food in the restaurant was very reasonably priced and delicious. 80 Euros for the tasting menu was a good value, and most items were between 15-25 Euros.
+You must do breakfast in the wine lounge for 7 euros. Includes Coffee/Tea, fresh orange juice, a fruit bowl, and a collection of pastries.
+The resort provides bikes free of charge so that you may go cycling around wine country.
+The fitness center and pool are excellent. The pool had a few "treadmill lanes"
+The cigar lounge/library were completely empty, but they had a nice collection of Cuban cigars for purchase, and books to read.

number_6

The professional reviews have been rather scathing. Per the reviews, a beautiful property (as you would expect with the stunning architecture), but impractical, difficult to live in and not luxurious considering the price point. I've seen 5 or 6 different reviews now with the same tone. The problems aren't just teething problems in service, it is also poor design for usability and to provide the amenities needed in a hotel like this. I admire the photographs of this hotel -- they are truly beautiful -- but it has diminished my desire to ever stay here.

Life_Platinum

With the addition of the upscale category 7, I wonder if this hotel will be upgraded to this new category. William has not listed this property as one of the 9 hotels in Category 7 in his original posts when he described the development of the new category. Has anyone heard that it will be in Category 7?

fly co to see the yanks

i am just trying to figure out how long i should stay this summer? i like to keep busy. is four days a good amount of time?

Life_Platinum

We had made reservations for a stay in mid-2008 in early January '07 with Mr. William Sanders help. I remember that when we looked for dates in '07, those dates we might choose were completely sold out. Fly CO to see the Yanks-I would recommend you book ASAP if you would like to try this hotel this summer.

fly co to see the yanks

thanks. i've already booked. i am just taken by the relatively few trip reports on this property.

that's why i bumped this thread to the top.

thanks.

SpaceBass

I still cannot get over this place! Being one of the first guests was pretty amazing. Honestly, the way I think of it, the hotel itself was almost a character in our trip, I actually miss it in a way. I really enjoyed just sitting in various places, inside and out, and taking in the view... not only of the hotel but its juxtaposition to the surroundings...

At night, in any direction you looked you could see twinkling lights in the hills...it wasn't stars but people taking pictures of the hotel!

fly co to see the yanks

very cool. how long did you stay? i just don't want to stay too long. a day or two of wine tasting and a day of exploration.....anything else?

SpaceBass

We stayed 3 nights which was about perfect. I could have stayed longer but it might have lost some charm or magic....
While the hotel is amazing, I'm used to tasting wine (and lots of it) in CA and France...we found tasting in Spain to be a bit harder. First, Elciego (and environs) arn't home to many famous producers...but there are some notable ones. The close-by hilltop town of Laguardia was really neat for a day trip (talking 13k away, so very easy) but didn't have any mind blowing wines. Haro is home to Muga which certinally carries a nice rep, but we were diapointed in the stock 1 hour tour that ends in a 2 glass tasting... that was par for the couse through out rioja. I dont mind the tours, but frankly when I go to taste, I really want to taste a lot of wines (and I spit too...its for the wine's sake not to get drunk...I do that at night )

The same can be said for food in the area...Tapas are always great, but we didn't find any great evening options. I'm not even talking about michillen started places, but just classic local food. We did have one great meal at Marixa in Laguardia, but that was about it...and I think our server (the owner) is who made it so special. The food at the Marques was pretty disapointing (then again, I had braised lambs feet...so....yeah).

I only point out those two issues because it can be a little hard to kill time around Elciego. I think if I had it to do again, I might have done the special insider's hotel only tour at the Marques...not because their wines are top notch, but because the expirence may have trumped the other cheesy tours we had.

If you are into hiking or exploring or photography or drawing, etc then I think anyone would be content just to be there an relax for a few days. It was towards the tail end of our 2 week trip, so it was really nice to sit outside, have a few glasses of wine and just relax. But if you are looking for an action packed itenerary, it may be hard to fill up...or at least involve a lot of driving.