Hotel Viura

Super-cool design hotel bang in the middle of a lovely village, and surrounded by Rioja wine fields

Viura is gorgeous, simple as that. Its cool design, helpful staff and unbeatable position in the pretty village of Villabuena de Alava all elate. It may look like a stack of half-toppled boxes from the outside, but its light-filled interiors reveal nothing but order and charm. Cool, contemporary elegance flows throughout. Come for a small slice of heaven and some good red wine.

Step inside and you find the whole building is cut into the side of a rock. You immediately acknowledge that you’re standing in a profoundly beautiful space. The cause for this has a surprising source - the polished concrete blocks from which the hotel is built. They appear like textured geological strata, adding a sense of remarkable calm. There are walls of glass, too, to bring the village inside. As for the 33 rooms and suites, well, they pack a punch, and if you occasionally like to splash out on more expensive rooms, this is a great place to do it; Viura's are huge and open onto private terraces. Elsewhere is a sail-shaded terrace outside the bar, a beautiful sitting room with the daily papers, and an excellent restaurant for modern rustic food.Highs

The Rioja wine region is a beautiful place for a relaxing holiday: borrow bikes from the hotel and explore vineyards and pretty hilltop towns, and take day trips to Bilbao and Pamplona
The design of this lovely hotel is hard to beat, and the contrast between the old village and the sparkling modern building works brilliantly
Bedrooms are simply stunning; some have terraces, others fantastic village views, and all have gorgeous bathrooms with robes and potions
We loved the communal roof terrace, which looks out over Villabuena de Alava's 16th-century church
The cute village swimming pool lies directly below the hotel - it’s a great place to relax and meet the locals (open July and August)