Hacienda Zorita Winery & Spa

One of the most illustrious farm stays on FarmStayPlanet, Hacienda Zorita near Salamanca, Spain, is a luxury hotel on a picturesque 14th century Dominican Estate that even back then served as a ‘casa hospitalaria‘, i.e. a lodging house, and an organic (no choice not to be organic in those days!) farm, exactly as it does today.

It is a very much a place to spoil yourself with the finest of food, wine and spa facilities to be enjoyed. And even in medieval times it was able to attract some high profile guests with Christopher Columbus having stayed here on a fund raising tour before his voyage of discovery to the Americas.

The location is fantastic too. It sits by the famous Duero River, in an area famous for having some of Spain’s best wineries, including Hacienda Zorita itself of course, and is also very near the UNESCO World Heritage City of Salamanca, a must see in central Spain.

THE ACCOMMODATION:

They have a choice of B&B rooms and suites, all of which are beautifully appointed, spacious, clean and comfortable but with a distinct rustic style in keeping with the historical nature of the property. You will find the usual suspects in every room; air-conditioning, minibar, WiFi, satellite TV, DVD player, plus some terrific massage showers in the bathrooms.

Pieces of art and antiques abound throughout the property, in both the rooms and the common areas, of which there are many, including lounges, bars and dining rooms.

The grounds are lovely to wander around too; around the banks of the Duero River, and through the beautifully landscaped gardens. Pamper yourself then at the excellent spa facilities (which have some unique olive, and wine, skin treatments amongst others), retire to one of the lounges or bars, catch a movie in the film room maybe, or enjoy some fresh, top quality farm to table food, and vineyard to table wine, in one of the dining rooms.

You can also enjoy wine and cheese tasting sessions and arrange yoga sessions, picnics on the lawn or even catch a movie at the open air cinema (open in summer only!). Farther afield are the vineyards and the organic farm which you are also welcome to discover and can be a day out all by themselves.

THE VINEYARDS & THE FARM:

The farm produces much of the food that ends up on your table at the restaurant, all of it organic, and a whole array of things at that; various cheeses, Iberico hams & charcuterie, olive oil, bread, various fruits, vegetables and more.

Cattle, sheep, goats and pigs graze peacefully on the pasture land which sits side by side with acres of beautiful old oak forest. And around both the forest and the farm you might spot some of the abundant local wildlife the likes of wild boars, foxes and hares, and, up above, milano eagles.

They also have 70ha of vineyard, all of it carefully managed with cutting edge Smart-Dyson canopy management and drip irrigation systems. They have developed a very good reputation in the Duero Valley and beyond with a number of international varieties such as Malbec, Syrah, Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Spain’s very own, deep red, Tempranillo.

All of them you can try out paired with some of that fantastic food Hacienda Zorita is also famous for and can join tasting sessions at the estate ‘Cheese Room’ where you can learn how to pair different cheeses with different wines yourself.

THE LOCATION:

Most, even casual, visitors to Spain will have some idea about the wonderful city of Salamanca, less than half an hour from the agroturismo. It is one of Europe’s oldest university centres and has an extremely charming medieval old town but of course sees a huge number of tourists.

This side of Salamanca, around the Duero River, is fertile land and very much wine country. They do a full range of wine tourism activities at Hacienda Zorita but if you want to take a look at some other local wineries, and check out some of their wines, this can also be arranged by the helpful staff.

We’d also recommend a nice boat trip along the river; the countryside around here is lovely and there are some spectacular stretches of river with rocky canyons and sheer cliffs that can only really be appreciated from the water itself. This can also be arranged by the staff, as can many other tours, trips and activities in the local area.

The nearest major city to the agroturismo is of course Spain’s capital, Madrid, and its international airport, about two and a half hours away.

WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY:

“It was a most amazing experience staying in this beautiful hotel. The buildings and gardens were breathtaking!..”

“We will definitely return to this hotel. It really does tick every box for the things that we love… Food, wine, beautiful surroundings. Can’t wait to go back…”

Click here to read more of what other guests say.