Hotel Marqués De Riscal - Elciego, Spain [Master Thread]
Jul 6, 2009, 6:47 pm
#46
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DC and Texas
Programs: Delta,SPG, Hyatt
Posts: 543
excited for an opportunity to stay at this hotel!
All,
Just booked a one night stay in Oct...we decided to cancel the Sheraton Bilbao and stay here instead. Were taking a leisurely drive from San Sebastian, to Elciego, then on to Madrid. Can I get some smart travel tips from the previous posters on food (were foodies - hole in the wall as well!), sights, and cant miss towns, etc.
Feel free to PM or post in this thread. We are very excited to stay at this hotel.
Just booked a one night stay in Oct...we decided to cancel the Sheraton Bilbao and stay here instead. Were taking a leisurely drive from San Sebastian, to Elciego, then on to Madrid. Can I get some smart travel tips from the previous posters on food (were foodies - hole in the wall as well!), sights, and cant miss towns, etc.
Feel free to PM or post in this thread. We are very excited to stay at this hotel.
Aug 7, 2009, 8:27 am
#48
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SMF
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, SPG LTP
Posts: 1,526
It's been a few years and we drove so I'm not too sure, but I thought it was Logrońo. I remember researching trains and after train fare and transfers to/from station, I think it was just cheaper to rent a car. Also, keep in mind that there isn't a whole lot in Elciego so you may want the mobility of a car to explore surrounding towns while you're there. Have fun.
Aug 7, 2009, 1:09 pm
#49
used to be 'Flyfarfar'
Join Date: Jun 2005
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So I've found trains to the following:
Logrono: One train time available on Renfe arriving in the late evening, but still requires a car drive of about 28 minutes.
Vitoria: Multiple train times available on Renfe arriving all afternoon, and requires a 45 minute drive.
Looking at taking a train to Vitoria since the times are better. We'll pick up a car there, then we'll fly out of Bilbao a few days later and will drop off the car there.
Logrono: One train time available on Renfe arriving in the late evening, but still requires a car drive of about 28 minutes.
Vitoria: Multiple train times available on Renfe arriving all afternoon, and requires a 45 minute drive.
Looking at taking a train to Vitoria since the times are better. We'll pick up a car there, then we'll fly out of Bilbao a few days later and will drop off the car there.
Oct 27, 2009, 12:08 pm
#50
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DC and Texas
Programs: Delta,SPG, Hyatt
Posts: 543
Had a one night stay in wine country…From the employee opening my wife’s door, taking our luggage, drinks and snacks while our room was getting ready, to our luggage being set nicely in our ridiculously gorgeous view of a room, everything was excellent. Wine and truffles in room seems to be the standard. The extreme niceness and slowness of it all was a welcome change from the hectic scenes found in other hotels.
The wine tour was great…it was done in Spanish and English as we ended up tagging along with a Spanish group since there was a hiccup at the front desk.
The pool and sauna are outstanding…pool was heated and large. Work out room was adequate…no bottled water available.
We took the bikes into town but they weren’t the greatest, wife’s chain kept slipping and my hands were greasy enough, so we returned early…
Drank and got the ˝ cheese plate at the wine bar located off the lobby, great conversation with bartender who tended some famous people and told us some great stories about them…
The library on the top floor was great...if no one is up there, pick up the phone and request service and they will be up there to serve you. Huge deck overlooking the town. They have a full bar, coffee, and cigars are available.
I was disappointed in two areas.
The first one was the closure of the gastronomy restaurant on the 13th. The hotel website, SPG website, and pre-arrival e-mail made no mention of this closure.
Secondly, and along the same lines, I had been eager to get massages and wine treatments from the renowned spa for my wife. Once again, the closure of the spa was not indicated on the hotel website, SPG website, or pre-arrival e-mail. We were disappointed…
Staff apologized but what could be done at this point?
We didn’t let it bother us and continued having fun and enjoyed a great stay.
Even so...we ventured far out of our way to this hotel, so coupling the spa and restaurant closure, you can imagine our collective disappointment. We left early in the morning to get to Madrid…
I would return in a heartbeat, but ensure from my end everything is open and up and running. The area, hotel, staff and other guests are great!
TOLL ROADS ARE EXPENSIVE IF YOU ARE TAKING THEM TO THE HOTEL!
The wine tour was great…it was done in Spanish and English as we ended up tagging along with a Spanish group since there was a hiccup at the front desk.
The pool and sauna are outstanding…pool was heated and large. Work out room was adequate…no bottled water available.
We took the bikes into town but they weren’t the greatest, wife’s chain kept slipping and my hands were greasy enough, so we returned early…
Drank and got the ˝ cheese plate at the wine bar located off the lobby, great conversation with bartender who tended some famous people and told us some great stories about them…
The library on the top floor was great...if no one is up there, pick up the phone and request service and they will be up there to serve you. Huge deck overlooking the town. They have a full bar, coffee, and cigars are available.
I was disappointed in two areas.
The first one was the closure of the gastronomy restaurant on the 13th. The hotel website, SPG website, and pre-arrival e-mail made no mention of this closure.
Secondly, and along the same lines, I had been eager to get massages and wine treatments from the renowned spa for my wife. Once again, the closure of the spa was not indicated on the hotel website, SPG website, or pre-arrival e-mail. We were disappointed…
Staff apologized but what could be done at this point?
We didn’t let it bother us and continued having fun and enjoyed a great stay.
Even so...we ventured far out of our way to this hotel, so coupling the spa and restaurant closure, you can imagine our collective disappointment. We left early in the morning to get to Madrid…
I would return in a heartbeat, but ensure from my end everything is open and up and running. The area, hotel, staff and other guests are great!
TOLL ROADS ARE EXPENSIVE IF YOU ARE TAKING THEM TO THE HOTEL!
Last edited by singtx; Oct 27, 2009 at 1:30 pm Reason: spelling
Oct 27, 2009, 4:05 pm
#51
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,741
The first one was the closure of the gastronomy restaurant on the 13th. The hotel website, SPG website, and pre-arrival e-mail made no mention of this closure.
Secondly, and along the same lines, I had been eager to get massages and wine treatments from the renowned spa for my wife. Once again, the closure of the spa was not indicated on the hotel website, SPG website, or pre-arrival e-mail. We were disappointed…
Secondly, and along the same lines, I had been eager to get massages and wine treatments from the renowned spa for my wife. Once again, the closure of the spa was not indicated on the hotel website, SPG website, or pre-arrival e-mail. We were disappointed…
How long is the restaurant to be closed? and the spa? I, too, would have been deeply disappointed to find both closed on arrival.
Oct 27, 2009, 8:31 pm
#52
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DC and Texas
Programs: Delta,SPG, Hyatt
Posts: 543
I love this hotel, and it was great to see a review of it again. I would love to return. We should have spent a day longer than we did, so perhaps will return some day.
How long is the restaurant to be closed? and the spa? I, too, would have been deeply disappointed to find both closed on arrival.
How long is the restaurant to be closed? and the spa? I, too, would have been deeply disappointed to find both closed on arrival.
Loved everything but the communication of this hotel!!
Dec 1, 2009, 7:58 pm
#53
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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New Year's Eve dinner is 280€ per person ($422)... yikes! Already booked the hotel, but thinking of canceling. Does anyone have suggestions for nearby restaurants? Hotel is saying nothing much is open nearby.
Dec 1, 2009, 9:32 pm
#54
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SMF
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Sep 16, 2010, 9:21 am
#57
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Join Date: Dec 2003
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My wife and I visited the property last year using last years FWN certificates (3 nights). Firstly there seemed to be no special platinum recognition. All room types are broadly the same, we were in the Spa Wing (not the Gehry Wing). I didn't like the room layout because the bed was clearly visible from the door it felt much more like a large bedroom than a Junior Suite. From the room plans we saw all rooms in the Spa Wing were broadly similar, our room type was slightly larger but as mentioned the room design was slightly flawed.
We visited both the bars and both hotel restaurants. Our experience in the Gastronomic restaurant wasn't terribly positive and I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there again. We had the tasting menus with matched wines and they completely screwed up the wine matching missing a glass or more. Service was extremely patchy and I personally didn't find the food to be that good. The second night we ate in the other restaurant which was crowded and had 2 small children running around and causing mayhem. We were ready to leave shortly after arriving but we were ushered into the Gastronomic Restaurant (which was closed on Sunday nights) and served there. We had fabulous service and excellent food and wine.
Our view was that the menu in the Bistro 1860 was both well designed and well executed and the service was excellent. However the main restaurant area (where breakfast is also served) is a little small and the ambience suffers as a result. Add in uncontrolled small children and you have a recipe for a chaotic evening. We were lucky I think to enjoy the menu in more appealing surroundings.
We had full spa packages and thought the spa was fun if a little expensive, it was a shame that the swimming pool did not act as the chill out area I expected because it was populated by again a number of small children and their families enjoying a family swimming session. Whilst I would expect this in a resort swimming pool, I didn't really expect it in a high quality Spa.
We did the wine tour which was enjoyable but similar to other vineyard tours the world over. I have long been a fan of Marques de Riscal wine it was a shame that the tasting concentrated on the relatively "standard" bottles rather than some of the more unusual variants. During the course of our stay we did get to try each and every wine produced and available for sale plus a very reasonably priced bottle of Tatttinger Comtes de Champagne, and a bottle of Baron de Chirel in the Bistro 1860.
It seems that each guest receives a complimentary bottle of Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva so my Plat Amenity choice of wine wasn't a great one (when it was eventually delivered). We received complimentary breakfast as Platinums (not sure if this is extended to all guests) and this seeme dto include room service. We had 2 breakfasts in Bistro 1860 which were fine and one room service breakfast, which should have been a Champagne breakfast (that i was willing to pay for) but where we were given Cava but not charged.
Overall we had a great experience at the property and would return but the property is far from perfect. Despite there being no room fees we spent over €1200 in 3 days. The gastronomic restaurant was the biggest let down of the stay because we had expected so much. By contrast we had an absolutely superb and well priced meal in the feature restaurant of the Gran Domine Hotel in Bilbao where we spent the first night of our trip and dining from the 1860 menu in the Gastronomic restaurant on the final night of our stay.
We intend to combine a repeat stay at the MdR with a stay in San Sebastian sometime next year and hope to experience less rough edges next time. We did pre-book our meals, tours, spa treatments before our visit and thus had no nasty surprises re closures. If certain activities are important to you I would strongly advise pre reservation. the restaurants in particular seemed very popular and held considerably more guests in total than there were guests in the hotel.
A few months later we spent 3 days at the Westin Napa and in many ways found that to be a better property in a similar vein (or should that be vine
)
We visited both the bars and both hotel restaurants. Our experience in the Gastronomic restaurant wasn't terribly positive and I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there again. We had the tasting menus with matched wines and they completely screwed up the wine matching missing a glass or more. Service was extremely patchy and I personally didn't find the food to be that good. The second night we ate in the other restaurant which was crowded and had 2 small children running around and causing mayhem. We were ready to leave shortly after arriving but we were ushered into the Gastronomic Restaurant (which was closed on Sunday nights) and served there. We had fabulous service and excellent food and wine.
Our view was that the menu in the Bistro 1860 was both well designed and well executed and the service was excellent. However the main restaurant area (where breakfast is also served) is a little small and the ambience suffers as a result. Add in uncontrolled small children and you have a recipe for a chaotic evening. We were lucky I think to enjoy the menu in more appealing surroundings.
We had full spa packages and thought the spa was fun if a little expensive, it was a shame that the swimming pool did not act as the chill out area I expected because it was populated by again a number of small children and their families enjoying a family swimming session. Whilst I would expect this in a resort swimming pool, I didn't really expect it in a high quality Spa.
We did the wine tour which was enjoyable but similar to other vineyard tours the world over. I have long been a fan of Marques de Riscal wine it was a shame that the tasting concentrated on the relatively "standard" bottles rather than some of the more unusual variants. During the course of our stay we did get to try each and every wine produced and available for sale plus a very reasonably priced bottle of Tatttinger Comtes de Champagne, and a bottle of Baron de Chirel in the Bistro 1860.
It seems that each guest receives a complimentary bottle of Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva so my Plat Amenity choice of wine wasn't a great one (when it was eventually delivered). We received complimentary breakfast as Platinums (not sure if this is extended to all guests) and this seeme dto include room service. We had 2 breakfasts in Bistro 1860 which were fine and one room service breakfast, which should have been a Champagne breakfast (that i was willing to pay for) but where we were given Cava but not charged.
Overall we had a great experience at the property and would return but the property is far from perfect. Despite there being no room fees we spent over €1200 in 3 days. The gastronomic restaurant was the biggest let down of the stay because we had expected so much. By contrast we had an absolutely superb and well priced meal in the feature restaurant of the Gran Domine Hotel in Bilbao where we spent the first night of our trip and dining from the 1860 menu in the Gastronomic restaurant on the final night of our stay.
We intend to combine a repeat stay at the MdR with a stay in San Sebastian sometime next year and hope to experience less rough edges next time. We did pre-book our meals, tours, spa treatments before our visit and thus had no nasty surprises re closures. If certain activities are important to you I would strongly advise pre reservation. the restaurants in particular seemed very popular and held considerably more guests in total than there were guests in the hotel.
A few months later we spent 3 days at the Westin Napa and in many ways found that to be a better property in a similar vein (or should that be vine
)
Last edited by Land-of-Miles; Sep 16, 2010 at 9:36 am
Sep 16, 2010, 9:30 am
#58
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Since there is nothing really similar nearby the property acts as something of a magnet for the well heeled local community as well as guests. This pricing doesn't seem too off beam really. There are 2 other relatively high end properties in the locale and I presume that they offer food options, but I can't imagine they would be markedly cheaper. Simple food from the room service menu was quite well priced as I recall.
Sep 16, 2010, 9:39 am
#59
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Miami Beach, FL
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Posts: 138
I thank you for your thoughtful response and advice. We will be there for 5 nights with the intention of taking day trips. We will have a car. Any recommendations for restaurants in the area or suggested trips?
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
Sep 16, 2010, 9:48 am
#60
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I have seen promo material for another new hotel in the area (I have forgotten the name) and that might make a good venue for one evening, la Guardia is also worth a visit but we found the food options there rather rudimentary (if fun and good value) rather than inspiring. personally I would consider spending a day or 2 in Bilbao before moving on to Elciego. We enjoyed our time in Bilbao and as mentioned above had an unexpectedly good meal.