Hotel Viura
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Key Highlights
- ✓Exceptional Service:** The staff's friendliness, attentiveness, and helpfulness, including their knowledge of local wineries and assistance with reservations, are a recurring highlight.
- ✓Excellent Dining:** The on-site restaurant and breakfast receive strong acclaim.
Expert Review: Hotel Viura
Hotel Viura: A Modern Architectural Gem in the Heart of Rioja Alavesa
Hotel Viura in Villabuena de Álava, a Michelin Key Selected property, consistently receives high praise for its audacious modern design, exceptional service, and prime location amidst the renowned wineries of the Rioja Alavesa region. Guests are drawn to its unique architectural style and the luxurious, yet comfortable, experience it offers.
1. Overall Rating & Sentiment
The overall sentiment for Hotel Viura is overwhelmingly positive, with guests frequently rating it as "excellent" and "fabulous" (scoring 8.9 out of 10 based on 759 reviews). Descriptions such as "beautiful hotel, very unique, modern style," "stunning modern property," and "an amazing hotel" are common, highlighting its distinctive appeal.
2. Key Highlights
Guests consistently laud Hotel Viura for several standout features:
- Unique Design: The hotel's cubist, stacked-box architecture, which playfully contrasts with the adjacent 18th-century church, is frequently cited as a major draw and an architectural masterpiece.
- Exceptional Service: The staff's friendliness, attentiveness, and helpfulness, including their knowledge of local wineries and assistance with reservations, are a recurring highlight.
- Prime Location: Its setting in Villabuena de Álava, surrounded by vineyards and numerous bodegas, is ideal for wine tourism.
- Excellent Dining: The on-site restaurant and breakfast receive strong acclaim.
- Amenities: Guests appreciate the comfortable and well-equipped rooms, as well as features like the rooftop terrace with panoramic views, a spa, fitness center, and a well-stocked wine cellar.
3. Room Quality
The rooms at Hotel Viura are described as spacious, elegant, and comfortable, blending brutalist concrete with warm wooden elements and natural light. Many rooms offer large windows, providing panoramic views of the village, the Sierra de Cantabria mountains, or the surrounding vineyards. Guests often mention the very large, comfortable king beds with an abundance of throw pillows. Bathrooms feature a chic yet rustic design, cleverly outfitted with thick wooden butcher-block countertops. Standard amenities include flat-screen TVs, tea/coffee makers, and a hand-picked selection of local wines. Some rooms also boast private balconies or large terraces.
4. Dining Experience
The Hotel Viura offers a highly-regarded dining experience at its Bistro Barrica restaurant. The cuisine focuses on traditional Spanish dishes with a modern twist, utilizing local and seasonal ingredients to create a perfect harmony between food and the region's rich wine offerings. Dinner at the restaurant is frequently praised as "outstanding" and "out of this world." The breakfast buffet is generally considered very good, though one guest found it underwhelming. The hotel also features a cozy bar with a fireplace for colder months and a terrace for aperitifs, offering a large selection of wines and pintxos. The wine list is extensive and pays tribute to the diversity of the local land and its producers.
5. Service & Staff
The service and staff at Hotel Viura consistently receive "exceptional" ratings. Guests frequently highlight their helpfulness, friendliness, and attentiveness, with many mentioning staff going "above and beyond" to ensure a good stay. Staff are also appreciated for their knowledge of local wineries and their assistance in securing reservations.
6. Location & Accessibility
Hotel Viura is strategically located in Villabuena de Álava, a quaint and quiet village in the heart of the Rioja Alavesa wine region. This position makes it an excellent base for exploring the surrounding vineyards and numerous wineries, many of which are within walking distance. The hotel's setting next to an 18th-century church provides a striking visual contrast with its modernist architecture. While the village itself is described by some as "quite 'dead'" in terms of bustling activity, its proximity to other Rioja towns and the focus on wine tourism are seen as perfect. Easy parking is also a noted convenience. The hotel is approximately 120 km from Bilbao International Airport (BIO).
7. Value & Pricing
Guests generally perceive Hotel Viura as offering good value for money. Some reviews explicitly state it provides "terrific value for money and much better than some of the much more expensive hotels in the area." The combination of luxury, unique design, and excellent service contributes to this positive assessment of its worth.
8. Common Complaints
While overall feedback is highly positive, a few minor issues have been mentioned:
- One guest reported the breakfast as "underwhelming," although many others praised it.
- An isolated complaint noted that a shower head kept moving, splashing the floor.
- The village of Villabuena de Álava is characterized by some as "quite 'dead'," implying a lack of extensive nightlife or bustling activity, which might be a consideration for some travelers.
Sources
Points to Consider
- •While overall feedback is highly positive, a few minor issues have been mentioned:
- •An isolated complaint noted that a shower head kept moving, splashing the floor.
