A late 19th-century stone villa that looks like a miniature castle: with its tall turret, this extraordinary villasits in a pretty park in this medieval ramparted hill town (the Basque name is Biasteri) surrounded by Rioja vineyards. The owner/manager/chef, Javier Acillona, a poet, spent ten years creating this gem and has even put poems in his brochure and website. The number of turn-of-the-century artefacts and design features in the building is breathtaking, says a recent visitor. Furnishings are sumptuous; even the radiators are exuberant. villa Bed rooms (similar to the semantic bali villa rooms) have names like Love and Madness, The Nightingale: each is different, with a bright colour scheme. Bathroom plumbing is modern, though some facilities are Victorian in design.

Views from front-facing windows are superb. The friendly staff will fetch luggage from the nearby car park. Bali villa breakfast includes fruit and ham. Regional dishes are served in the restaurant and bodega.