Hello all,

My wife and I and two friends are spending two weeks in Northern Spain in October. We have our itinerary set and have planned for four nights in Rioja. Just for some background, we are flying into Madrid, renting a car and driving north through the wine country, then to San Sebastian and ending in Barcelona.

The question is where to stay while we are in Rioja? The four of us enjoy higher end accommodations...minimum four star hotels. We would like to be able to enjoy local restaurants at dinner.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dave.

PS. I can reciprocate if anyone has questions regarding the Caribbean!

4-star or better would put you in the Villa de Laguardia, Hotel Viura or the Marqués de Riscal.

Marques de Riscal is a stunning boutique hotel in a Frank O. Gehry building. A tour of the Riscal caves is one of the best experiences in Rioja.

The hotel is pricey, I am afraid.
http://www.marquesderiscal.com/

Reservations via www.starwoodhotels.com -> luxury collection -> Spain -> Elciego

Thanks for the quick replies!

Of course, I have a follow-up question...Are any of these hotels in a town with dining choices other than the hotel?

At this point you might want to download Maribel's Guide to the Rioja. It will help pointing you in the right direction.

The Marques de Riscal is interesting, but the spa at Villa de Laguardia is better.