Hotel Echaurren Relais & Châteaux

What is really special about Echaurren is the strong feeling of family and tradition. The hotel - and restaurants - have been in the family for 5 generations. They are celebrating their 125th year! It was very nice to meet all the siblings! We stayed at the hotel for two nights and dined at both of their restaurants - both restaurants are quite fine. In fact, we decided to visit the hotel because we had enjoyed so much the "pop-up" of their fine dining restaurant in San Sebastián a few years ago. Besides wanting to visit their restaurant, we also wanted to explore La Rioja and learn about the wines - and the hotel recommended to us a private guide - which was fantastic! Her name is ITZIAR CALLEJA - and we highly recommend. In terms of the rooms, our room was modern and very large and the AC worked very well! However, it was not so comfortable... and missing some really basic things like tissues and a make-up mirror, and the shampoo dispensers did not work. The tub was awkward to use... The closets were not tall enough for dresses.. The bathroom is attached to the bedroom which meant that if someone had the light on when they were in the bathroom, there was light in the bedroom. They also seemed very understaffed - for example, when we arrived there was only one woman there and she was rushing to help us with our bags and get back to the desk, and she forgot to tell my husband that he needed a room key to get into the parking lot - he did not appreciate going back and forth to the parking lot after a long drive and then when he did she was helping someone else. Breakfast is nice but also understaffed -- this morning they did not even give us a menu let alone ask us if wanted any hot food. Overall, we recommend for the history and ambiance but hope they can consider the comfort of the rooms and the level of service.

My husband and I absolutely adored this hotel and thoroughly enjoyed our 2-night stay in Ezcaray! The room was really nice, modern, comfortable and clean, with lots of light, and it was an added pleasure that they provided us with a bottle of wine and some snacks in the room. The service is top notch and the staff is excellent. The breakfast was amazing - best we've ever had in a hotel! A combination of buffet, table service and made-to-order egg dish options. The hotel restaurant is a true gem - and I'm not talking about the 2-star Michelin restaurant (Portal) there (we did not eat there) but its little sister - Tradicion, which serves more traditional local fare. We had a six-course lunch that was absolutely delicious! Everything was so well prepared and was served with care. Much of the food/ingredients are locally sourced. We only wished we had planned to stay longer!