THE MAGIC OF RIOJA ALAVESA LIES IN ELVILLAR
THE COUNTRY HOUSE. THE PLACE
THE PEOPLE
"Unfinished Manor House". This is how the oldest of the existing documents refers to this 18th century building in which winery work was fundamental from the very beginning. Three centuries later, it has finally been finished, and is now a meeting- place and somewhere to rest. It opens its doors to allow you to discover all the charm of Elvillar, which seems to bubble up from its dolmens. In this way, you can rediscover yourself and those who belong to your most private circle. Everything you will find here has been designed for this purpose.
Rioja Alavesa
Elvillar is located in one of the highest points of Rioja Alavesa, a unique enclave in a Designated Origin area to which it contributes historic vineyards with a spectacular landscape, laid out over ravines and terraces made of clay and limestone soil that you can walk through to experience something unique.
Against this backdrop, you will be able to peep into the most remote past of the region, where there are ancient wine stores that reveal its intimate relationship with the world of wine, and dolmens that were used to create a vital link between its ancient inhabitants and the universe through dreams. From Casa Robla, you can walk to the dolmen of the Txabola de La Hechicera (Sorceress’s Hut) along a path that protects the vineyards. It is one of the most important, most magical dolmens in the Basque Country, forming a direct link with a legacy that seems engraved in the sky.
SUSTAINABILITY/ACCESSIBILITY
It was a winery and all its elements (presses, tanks and cellars) have been adapted to provide you with an unforgettable experience at the foot of Sierra Cantabria where thousands and thousands of liters of wine were produced. We are pleased to inform you that your stay will leave a minimal carbon footprint, that our facilities are committed to renewable energy and designed according to the principle of accessibility to allow you to reach almost every corner.
Tradition
THE SECRET OF YOUR CHOICE IS A PARTY
The Real Academia de la Lengua (Royal Academy of the Spanish Language) says that robla is the "food that is given as a gift at the end of a job". Quite a party. En nuestro caso, también el espacio que ponemos a tu alcance para que celebres aquello que te hace sentir feliz al lado de los tuyos. Stop the hands of the clock and forget the demands of work for a few days.
According to the locals, the house was once known as El Cabaret (The Cabaret). Now it is yours.
ROOMS
RELAX
ONE: La hechicera (THE SORCERESS)
Dedicated to the person who, according to legend, dwelled in the dolmen erected more than 5,000 years ago, a stone’s throw away from our house. It is the entrance to a cozy, peaceful space, full of details, hidden depths and, of course, magic.
TWO: EL ENCINAL (the holm-oak WOOD)
As in the prehistoric construction that gives it its name, local wood becomes the protective feature of an exclusive refuge for those who want to reconnect with nature from a luminous corner that sifts the light through its windows.
THREE: LOS LLANOS (THE PLAINS)
On the floor of the room sits a bed illuminated by the flood of light that streams on to the bedspread from the balcony. And streaks of colour in the most intimate corner to verify, going back to the chair that helps to measure time, that white is even whiter.
FOUR: EL ALTO DE LA HUESERA (THE HILL OF THE BONESETTER)
The heart of the dolmen that bears this name is reached through a corridor that guards and protects its central room, and the secrets of the past that are manifested in the tiles that serve as a headboard to the bed, focusing your gaze on their fascinating geometry.
FIVE: SAN MARTIN
No Neolithic construction helps to conjugate the verbs of past and present like this one, because the hut that shares its location rests on the mound itself. Much the same happens in this room, which is an attic under the roof, where the headboard rests on the star-shaped tiles rescued from the old Casa Robla.
SIX: EL SOTILLO (the little groves)
Full of nooks and crannies, the heart of the sixth room of the complex is also reached through a corridor with a blend of cold and warm lighting, on full display to create a unique atmosphere, where you can rest looking up at the skies that peek through its skylight, another flash of inspiration.
SEVEN: LAYAZA
The essential is sheltered between four walls that shoot skyward, in much the same way as this particular point of the prehistoric iconography of Sierra Cantabria. Clean light, freshly created each morning, streams into the nerve center of the room through a skylight that offers a glimpse of the Tower of the Iglesia de la Asunción (Church of the Assumption).
EIGHT: EL MONTECILLO
Curiously, despite being at the foot of Sierra Cantabria, the Dolmen of Montecillo served as a landmark for local people, jutting up above its immediate surroundings. It is also the last room of the house, which offers guests a refuge full of nooks and crannies to feel in a unique space.
ARCHITECTURE AND CREATIVE PROCESS
Casa Robla is the result of a thorough, meticulous restoration of an old winery and manor house whose original construction dates back to the 18th century.
The project and creative management, carried out by architects David D. Iriondo and Beatriz Lacasa, aimed to establish a dialogue between traditional and contemporary vernacular architecture.
Craftsmanship, the beauty of the imperfect and the "cradle to cradle" concept of the circular economy were the principles driving the creative process, from the design of the spaces to the furniture.
The ground floor is the social, communal area of the house, where the old wine cellar was once located, where the press, the wine stores, the underground cellars... have all been preserved, highlighting the traditional construction with its characteristic masonry walls.
The bedrooms are located on the upper floors.
The aesthetic theme is "visual silence". Monochromatic spaces that evoke an almost monastic atmosphere: natural materials, warm tones, pure lines, sincere architecture... the house as a sanctuary.