In brief
- Palacio de los Ángeles hotel has opened in Haro, the wine capital of Rioja, in a restored 18th-century Baroque palace.
- A boutique five-star property operated by the Catalan group Majestic Hotel Management, which has joined The Leading Hotels of the World collection.
- Thirty-eight rooms and suites, complemented by private residences with kitchens, designed for long stays and families.
- The Ventilla restaurant, helmed by the Echapresto brothers of Venta Moncalvillo, acclaimed by the Michelin and Repsol guides.
- An underground cellar dedicated to Rioja wines, and an inner courtyard garden with a heated pool.
Haro has fewer than twelve thousand inhabitants and boasts, in its Estación district, the highest density of century-old bodegas in the world. It was once a town people passed through to drink, rarely to stay the night. The opening of the Palacio de los Ángeles hotel, in an 18th-century Baroque palace restored to its residential purpose, changes that equation.
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An 18th-century palace restored for living
The building occupies the historic centre. Its ashlar stone façade, illuminated at dusk, commands the square all on its own. The restoration, led by the Catalan group Majestic Hotel Management, chose to preserve the original stonework and timber frames rather than conceal them. What strikes you inside is the silence of the materials: the stone remains exposed, the furniture is low and understated, and the ornamentation has been left to the building itself.
The property has joined The Leading Hotels of the World collection, the alliance of luxury independents, placing it immediately on the international circuit without tying it to a chain.
Thirty-eight keys, and residences for longer stays
The hotel features thirty-eight rooms and suites, alongside private residences equipped with kitchens. This second offering is not merely decorative: it responds to the reality of Rioja, where visitors come for several days and often in groups. A family or a group of friends on a bodega tour will find the independence that a block of hotel rooms cannot provide, without sacrificing hotel service.
The volumes inherited from the palace do the rest. The rooms are high-ceilinged and filled with light, and the contemporary design holds its own without trying to compete with the stone.
Ventilla, the Echapresto brothers’ restaurant
The Ventilla restaurant is helmed by the Echapresto brothers, Ignacio in the kitchen and Carlos in the dining room and cellar, both from Venta Moncalvillo in Daroca de Rioja, which holds accolades from the Michelin and Repsol guides. The format chosen here is intentionally more relaxed than that of their flagship establishment: an interpretation of the Riojan terroir in a signature bistro style, rather than a lengthy fine-dining experience.
Wine is not an accompaniment; it is the main event. An underground cellar and a tasting bar bring together one of the most comprehensive selections of Rioja labels and vintages to be found in any hotel. In Haro, this was the bare minimum, yet it is rarely executed to this standard.
The inner garden and wellness area
The heart of the property shelters an inner garden with a heated pool, secluded from view by the palace walls. The wellness area completes the offering with a hydrotherapy section and a gym. It is the missing piece in Haro, where hotel options were previously limited to transit stops or bodega guesthouses.
Who it is for, and when to go
This is a destination for a three-to-five-night stay, to be slotted between bodega visits, with Logroño forty minutes away and Bilbao an hour and a half. The best window is from May to June, and then from September to October during the harvest, when the Ebro valley is bustling and the town comes alive. The residences also make it a viable base for a week-long stay, which is rare in the region.
Ultimately, the key point remains: Rioja possessed great wines but lacked a hotel worthy of them in its capital. That is no longer the case.
