Staying at a Vineyard in May?
 

My husband and I are flying in and out of Madrid the last week in May to the first week in June. We would like to stay at a vineyard for two nights. We probably won't have a car, so it would have to be accessible by train. Any suggestions? Thank you.

Which area? The Rioja? Ribera del Douro? Or one of the other wine regions?

The Ribera is closer to Madrid, but the only rail service would be to Valladolid. #L'Domaine, Abadia Retuerta, is a taxi ride to the east, but staying there will depend on your budget.

The train also does go to Logroño (Rioja Alta). You can taxi from there, but there are few options for staying at a vineyard.

Trains don't go to vineyards. Think about it.

I also doubt if buses will get you to any Bodega either.
Have you thought about the use of a taxi from the town to the countryside?

Trains go to vineyards in Italy, but we have a lot of vineyards everywhere.

I think about it more and there are trains that go to vineyards in Portugal, Switzerland and Austria. I never take a train in Spain because the train system was very bad when I was there. Maybe you don't have the possibility to go to vineyards with the train in Spain but in Italy it is not hard in many regions. Austria and Portugal it is easy.

If you say that then you can get to La Rioja region by train. However the bodegas are out in the countryside, not near any town.
Everywhere is reachable by train. But the trains do not allow you to explore the region, neither do they drop you off outside of a bodega.
Please can those who are in the know tell us of all of the wine regions you can explore by train....not just reach by train.

I live in the Dordogne. It's not a wine-producing region for the most part, but we are near to Monbazillac and Bergerac and St-Emilion and Bordeaux. Of course you can find a train that will take you to a town near a wine region, but for very obvious reasons you cannot take a train to an actual vineyard.

I think Americans have very limited and frankly innocent ideas about European life. Getting to a vineyard by train in Italy? Ok, it's probably possible, but I suspect these folks who are accessible by train are just out to get your dollars.

Robert mentioned Le Domaine, the hotel of Abadia Retuerta vineyard. I stayed there for two nights last October. It was one of the most glorious hotel stays of my long traveling life. The hotel is set into a centuries old monastery and merges the historic structure with contemporary design with a splendid result.
The spa is beyond gorgeous although we did not have the time to avail ourselves of any treatments. They have two restaurants; we ate in the more casual one and the food, and setting, was superb. The other, el Refectorio, has a Michelin star. There are other wonderful restaurants in the area that you could reach by taxi or hotel car.


I would fly to Spain just to stay there! If you can manage the price, do not hesitate!!

You can take the train from Logroño to Haro. It drops you off at near the wineries in the Barrio de la Estación, but you would have to stay in Haro, or somewhere outside of the city, as none of the bodegas there offer accommodations.

Hotel Finca de los Arandinos (www.fincadelosarandinos.com) is located near Entrena, 20 minutes south of Logroño. The hotel/spa sits in the center of the vineyards. And of course there is the Hotel Marques de Riscal in Elciego, about a half-hour west of Logroño.

If you take the train to Salamanca, you can stay at the Hacienda Zorita (the-haciendas.com), which is located about 20 minutes by taxi outside of the city.

we still do not know which wine region the OP is looking at. Maybe it is one nearer to Madrid?

You can get a train around here. But it does not connect with the RENFE main line.
http://www.lugoturistico.com/index.p...-canon-del-sil

Why would you want to stay in a vineyard in MAY ? Not much going on then. At the time of the harvest, yes. In May, no.

Is your heart set on a vineyard or do you just want to visit the wineries?

In the past, I have taken the train from Madrid to Logrono (capital of the Rioja region)and then a bus from Logrono to Haro. There are many wineries close by but you'll need a car to go commune with the actual grapes.

Los Agustinos, a monastery-hotel, in Haro is one of my favorite places to stay, anywhere.
http://hotellosagustinos.com/en/

The wineries are just across the bridge from Haro town.

I am in Italy and it is not a problem to go to vineyards by train and the people there are not dishonest. We have an Italian word for people like you but I will not put it here. Any tourist can take a walk from the train station or bicycle or a quick taxi to find a vineyard and a good person to share with you the wine that they produce in every region of Italy. When I visited Portugal it was easy to go to the wine places by train. In Switzerland too and Austria. If I went to Hungary I don't think I would have a problem going to the vineyards by train. Even in Rome, you can get on a train and go to vineyards in one hour or 30 minutes.

I am sorry there are Americans who want to be dishonest and then point at Italians and talk as if they were dishonest. I see other Americans writing negative things that are not true about Italy, making everything sound complicated because it makes them look important. I am sorry for your attitude and I hope other Americans are smart so they don't believe you.

<<I am sorry there are Americans who want to be dishonest and then point at Italians and talk as if they were dishonest. I see other Americans writing negative things that are not true about Italy, making everything sound complicated because it makes them look important. I am sorry for your attitude and I hope other Americans are smart so they don't believe you.>>

Huh? What is your problem? Who are these Americans who are wanting to be
dishonest? Most Americans on this site love Italy! Whether or not it's possible to enjoy a vacation in the midst of a twig-field of vines is debatable.

Are you one of those man-boy Italians who lives at home with mama and doesn't have a life, or what?

As Robert and Overit mentioned, you can take public transportation to Haro, in La Rioja, where there are several wineries, including the wonderful Lopez de Heredia. Or you should be able to get to Logrono, also in La Rioja.

FWIW, I regret that some Fodorites who are often extremely helpful have offered comments that might seem less than responsive to your very legitimate question. :-(

Hope that helps!

Who is this clown from Italy and what is he/she referring to?

There is only one clown in this world. If I named him it would be a political statement.