Hotel Villa de Ábalos

AS with all of our stays at the Hotel Villa de Abalos we were just overwhelmed with the property. location, surrounds and fabulous views from our bedroom windows. With the windows wide open you could easily looking at wonderful panoramic paintings. The bedrooms are large, very clean and comfortable, feel very rustic and Spanish with large comfortable beds and great bathrooms. The creation of the beautiful stone building was a labour of love by the current owners who rebuilt from a shell of a very old state building. The hamlet of Abalos is filled with small streets and squares with beautiful stone buildings as well as an enormous ancient church. The are surrounded with Rioja grape vines for as far as the eye can see. The service and food at the hotel are superb, wind is inexpensive, a pre dinner Gin & Tonic is skilfully prepared and presented. Sitting on the patio in the garden at the back of the hotel under to shade of grape vines is bliss. My wife and I have stayed several times and always agree that the Hotel Abalos is probably our most favourite hotel in the world. This time we were touring Northern Spain including the Picos and decided to finish our trip together with one of our Sons and his wife here, they too were hugely impressed with the whole experience.

Excellent service. Fabulous food. Charmin, and spotlessly clean. The rooms are stark but clean and roomy enough, they have little homey touches without being kitschy, bathrooms small but adequate, the owners take care of small details, and the common areas are pleasant. Locals come here after work for a drink at the bar so the prices are reasonable. The food is excellent with fresh, quality ingredients superbly prepared, the dinner was fabulous and so was the breakfast, in fact we felt bad we couldn't finish it all. But what makes this place special is the owners, a most pleasant couple who take pride in what they do and aim to make their guests as welcome and comfortable as possible. You feel as if you are a cherished guest at a relative's home, but better. The town is very small and quaint but has little of interes, however it is only a few minutes from other towns, wineries, etc. So there is a lot to do in the area. We look forward to coming back.

Superb location with numerous Bodegas close by. Lovely clean hotel with stunning views across the Rioja valley. A great Tapas menu offering plenty of choice and value for money. Perfect outdoor space to sit and relax while our twin 5 yr olds cart wheeled up and down the garden. secure parking. We will visit again.