W W W. P O LO LI FESTYL ES .COM
BEST FOR PRIORAT
BEST FOR HISTORY – AND OCTOPUS
Hotel Trossos del Priorat, DOQ Priorat; Gratallops
Casal de Armán DO Ribeiro; O Cotiño, Ribadavia, Galicia
Six rooms; From €108 for a Double Room with Terrace to €123 for a Suite or Family Room hoteltrossosdelpriorat.com The very best way to understand Priorat and the special quality of its terroirs is to stay in the region for a few days. There’s still a scarcity of hotels, and this small project, which describes itself as ‘rooms in a winery’, is just the ticket. The views are stunning, and the building itself is sympathetic to the landscape. There’s no swimming pool or spa, but the rooms are comfortable and well equipped. There’s no restaurant either, but breakfast is provided and picnic baskets can be ordered for lunch. There’s also an honesty bar for the Trossos del Priorat wines. Priorat is all about driving along narrow winding mountain roads, and it’s easy to encounter a peloton of cyclists coming the other way round the bend. So staying here is so much more relaxing than driving up from Sitges or Barcelona each day. Plus, when the tourists have gone for the day, you can luxuriate on the terrace in the quiet.
Six rooms B&B from €75 to €90 casaldearman.net Ribeiro has a long history in wine and was trading with England even before the Port trade was established. It has been through a long decline, but is now at last reviving. Casal de Armán is one of the names in that revival, launched in the late 1990s, working with varieties such as Albariño, Godello and reds Brancellao and Caiño. Ribeiro has history aplenty to explore and Casal de Armán makes a good jumping-off point for excursions. Visit the lovely medieval town of Ribadavia, or O Carballiño, renowned for its pulpo, or octopus, and the Festa do Pulpo (this year on 12 August), when some 50,000kg of octopus will be eaten by the revellers.
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