6 Best Hotels in The Basque Country, Navarra, and La Rioja, Spain

Frank Gehry's post-Guggenheim hotel, presided over by Marriott, looks like an extraterrestrial colony in the middle of one of La Rioja's oldest vineyards. The jumble of pink-and-gold titanium sheets curves around rectilinear sandstone surfaces; inside, guest rooms are streamlined and appointed with designer furniture. Amenities include the winery visitor center, historic cellars, and horseback riding, and golf. There's also a spa featuring grape-based emollients and two award-winning restaurants.

Arbaso means \"ancestor\" in Euskera, and though this newcomer is awash with modern comforts, it exudes Basqueness in its staff uniforms, inspired by traditional jai alai uniforms; cuisine at Narru restaurant, hinging on local meats and seafood; and design elements incorporating Basque timber and stone. Entry-level rooms peer out over a zen courtyard, while the best digs afford vistas of the bay and add fireplaces and living rooms. Keep an eye out for low-season deals. 

Belle Époque grace and opulence define San Sebastián's most legendary hotel, which has hosted countless movie stars and dignitaries since opening in 1912. Public spaces are appointed with Oriental rugs, potted palms, and Carrara marble columns, and there's a spacious gym in the basement. The renovated guest rooms—many with river views—feature elegant (if perhaps gaudy to some) design accents like tufted headboards and fuchsia wall art. Marble bathrooms add more pampering with deep-soak tubs and separate showers. A piano player teases out an eclectic medley of tunes nightly at the bar.

You can live like a medieval lord in this 10th-century bastion, home in the 16th century to Spain's founding emperor, Carlos V—hence its alternative name: Parador El Emperador. Replete with suits of armor and other chivalric bric-à-brac, the place feels like a movie set (and has occasionally been used as one). Many rooms have views of the Bidasoa estuary; upgraded digs add canopy beds and baronial appointments and are worth the moderate extra expense. 

This mansion-cum-hotel retains many architectural bones from the original 1898 construction—such as vaulted ceilings, stained-glass windows, marble floors, and Victorian oak stairs—but virtually everything else, from the bathroom fixtures to the wall art, has been meticulously refurbished.

San Sebastián's buzzy new Hotel Arbaso likes to call this luxurious hilltop villa with five rooms its finest "suite," but that's selling this sister property short; after all, most suites don't span 67 acres teeming with goats, sheep, and pampered Basque "Wagyu" cows (a passion project of the owner). Situated 20 minutes from both Hondarribia and San Sebastián, Basalore—with its on-call chef and chauffeur and ample room for events—is one of the most exclusive rentable homes in Spain. For a family looking for the ultimate splurge or for a deep-pocketed company planning a small retreat, this well-appointed getaway is hard to beat.