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Doreen
Pendgracs |
Basking it up in Basque Country It wasn’t an easy trip. I got lost twice while discovering the gems of Northern Spain. But it was well worth it. Driving up the cobblestone road to the magnificent Marqués de Riscal Hotel, I knew I had arrived in a magical place. Penned as the “City of Wine,” the hotel is the centerpiece of a destination resort that was more than six years in the making.
Herederos del Marqués de Riscal began producing wine in 1858, and the original sandstone brick buildings are still used to produce fine wines 150 years later. Gehry’s striking design for the hotel is “over the top” to some; tantalizing to others. But in his avant-garde way, Gehry has managed to bridge the 19th and 21st centuries. The hotel is constructed of waves of stainless steel and titanium using three colors that represent the Marqués de Riscal vintages. Titanium ribbons of grape represent the color of the winery’s famous red wines. The silver color represents the foil that wraps the top of the bottle and the gold represents the wire mesh bottle covering that is a mark of the Marqués de Riscal brand.
If you prefer to have a view of Gehry’s masterpiece (AKA “the jewel”) it’s recommended that you stay in the Spa Wing, where the rooms are larger at 50 square meters (538 square feet.) If you want to stay in the main building, where you can opt for a vineyard or village view, you’ll have interesting amenities such as leather headboards and angled walls, but a smaller space at 30 square meters (323 square feet.)
There is much else to explore during your visit to the Marqués de Riscal. Don’t miss a guided tour of the winery. Four million bottles of wine are stored on-site during various stages of the aging process. Enjoy the tasting, but plan to drink what you buy while in the area, as you cannot legally take bottles of wine onboard aircraft – even if they are bottled and then boxed by the winery. Minutes from the hotel is the tiny historic village of Elceigo – just 122 kilometers (about 76 miles) from the charming city of Bilbao, where you will find the other of Gehry’s masterpieces, the Guggenheim Museum. And if you’re in the mood for a game of golf, visit Izki Golf, an 18-hole public course located nearby in Urturi. See www.izkigolf.com for more information or to make a reservation.
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Designed by the Canadian-born futuristic architect,
Frank O. Gehry, (who now lives in California) the Marqués de Riscal Hotel is
a project of Vinos de los Herederos del Marqués de Riscal --
the oldest winery in La Rioja Alavesa, a wine-producing region in the
Alava territory of Basque Country in Northern Spain. (Not be confused
with La Rioja, the better known Spanish wine region just south of Basque
Country.)
In this part of the hotel, you will find two
restaurants, a wine bar, the library lounge (where smoking is permitted)
and 14 guestrooms. Connected to the main building by a covered (open-sided)
walkway is the Spa Wing of the hotel where you will find 29 guestrooms – in
addition to the Caudalie Spa, which offers a unique line of grape-based
vinotherapies. 
Be sure to treat yourself to some of the treatments
at the Caudalie Spa. But beware. At the time of my visit, the therapists
only spoke French as they had come from Bordeaux, the region of France
where the worldclass line of spas first began. (A Caudalie Spa is
being planned for the Plaza Hotel in New York; opening date October,
2007.) 
The Marqués de Riscal Hotel is managed
by Starwood and is part of their Luxury Collection. See