Best Farm Stays and Vineyard Hotels near Madrid

One of the most illustrious properties on FarmStayPlanet, Hacienda Zorita near Salamanca, Spain, is a luxury wine hotel & spa 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 READ MORE