Hotel Rural Emina

“A clean and calm room, an ok breakfast”

The room was clean and calm with a very nice bathroom in the old house. Breakfast was ok, self service. Don't forget that the check in is at the Imena winery! Nice wines! The main road is very close to the house so it can probably be a nuisance in the summer.

“New, average country house - MAP IS WRONG”

I don't know if there's another one, but where we stayed, and where photos had been shot, is not Valladolid but Valbuena de Duero, about 40 km from Valladolid, in the wine production zone knowed as Ribera del Duero. This country house (casa rural) opened in summer 2011 so it's pretty new, nice mini… more

I don't know if there's another one, but where we stayed, and where photos had been shot, is not Valladolid but Valbuena de Duero, about 40 km from Valladolid, in the wine production zone knowed as Ribera del Duero. This country house (casa rural) opened in summer 2011 so it's pretty new, nice minimalist rooms with all you need, they have a newer house plus an older one. Emina is a big wine producer firm, if you are guest you are invited to visit their "bodega" for free, they have a restaurant too (we didn't eat there, but it was packed so should be fine). Definitely a pretty good place to stay, only complain I have to do is about breakfast, cause it seemed to me very very poor, it sure can be better.

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“Great for quiet, poor for atmosphere”

Not quite sure what to say about this hotel. I booked it because (a) it was close to an appointment I had for the following day and (b) it's owned by the Matarromera Group, which produces some of the best wines in Ribera del Duero. The rooms are very smart, modern, spotlessly clean and with excelle… more

Not quite sure what to say about this hotel. I booked it because (a) it was close to an appointment I had for the following day and (b) it's owned by the Matarromera Group, which produces some of the best wines in Ribera del Duero. The rooms are very smart, modern, spotlessly clean and with excellent modern shower rooms (well, at least mine was), excellent (free!) wifi (if you can master the 20-character access code - it took me five goes but then, I am the world's crappest typist). There's a big flat-screen tv with lots of channels (but I couldn't find one in English) and a decent-sized work-desk, but without a mirror so a lady couldn't use it as a dressing-table. Not-so-good bits: (1) there is no bottled water in the room or in the fridge in the breakfast room. I had to buy a bottle from the restaurant where I had dinner to bring it back. Indeed, I thought that the owners might have at least included a half-bottle of wine as a welcome gift (although there was some revolting alcohol-free spritzer). (2) It's almost impossible to find: my taxi-driver from Valladolid took an hour and 30 minutes, after stopping to ask for directions three times, to cover 42 km. (3) If you don't have a car (as I didn't) you're effectively trapped. There's a simple bar/cafeteria 150m away, but that's the sum total of the entertainment available in the village, and if you want to get back to the station/airport/city centre in Valladolid, it'll set you back about €50 - if you can get a taxi. (4) It's completely unstaffed. You have to go to the Emina bodega (2km out of the village to the east - you can't miss it, it's like an illuminated Buckingham Palace) to check in, pay your bill (in advance) and get your keys. You have a key to the main door and your room, but security beyond that is up to you. (5) Breakfast is deeply unambitious, with cheese sandwiches, fresh fruit and bottled orange juice. There is a microwave and a coffee machine, however, if you can figure out how to work them: there's no-one to ask. OK, the good bits: (1) The price: €48 a night for a double room. (2) Very quiet and very comfortable bed, warm and clean. (3) If you have a car and you're touring the area, it's an excellent budget base. (4) The village itself is charming, if socially pretty dead. (5) There are excellent restaurants and fascinating wineries within about 20 minutes' drive. So, to sum up, if you're mobile/visiting wineries/on a budget/looking for a quiet escape/have a case of wine in the boot of your car, it's excellent. As a working base without a car, it's the Gobi Desert.

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