Hacienda Zorita Wine Hotel & Spa

We grabbed four nights here on something of a whim and built an enjoyable and informative northern Spain trip around our stay at the Hacienda. The bones of this splendid property are a 14th century monastery where Columbus – along with academics from the nearby Salamanca University and representatives of the royalty -- met to finalize his trip to the New World and hand over the check to make it possible. (I do not hold this against the present owners.) The exquisite renovation is even more astonishing after viewing photos of the sad state of the buildings in the early 20th century. Architectural brilliance and craftsmanship are evident throughout, from the spacious bedrooms with hand-hewn ceiling timbers to the inviting variety of sitting areas, complete with fireplace, period artwork and comfortable furniture. We ate dinner at the hotel several times, and each was delicious. And of course wine (the Syrah and tempranillo are sourced from their vineyards in the nearby Douro Valley) from the hotel’s own winery is available for tasting and to enjoy at your table. Included breakfast was ordered from a menu and was consistently excellent. I enjoyed a massage in the old stone building that once (and still does!) housed the machinery that regulated water flow into the mill race, which still runs cheerfully under the main building. With a special nod to Pablo, whose knowledge of Spanish history and wines was exceeded only his charm and hospitality, the staff was uniformly helpful and welcoming. This is a place to relax and enjoy the gardens and an exquisite property that has incorporated modern comforts in a beautifully restored 800-year-old piece of history.

Hacienda Zorita is truly a magical location. Walking around the grounds is like taking a step back in time to the beautiful monastery where Christopher Columbus once stayed. We stayed in a villa room which was quite large and very private, and the room has an old world charm and even a private outdoor lounge area. We came here toward the end of the season for this hotel, and we enjoyed our stay. The food is the restaurant is quite good though albeit a bit less memorable than some of our other meals on our trip. Overall, I think this hotel is exactly as advertised, but I would make a few recommendations. First, if you are staying here for more than one night, know that the bar and restaurants menus are almost identical so would recommend you work with the hotel to arrange a taxi to Salamanca for dinner on another night. The hotel was wonderful and arranged this for us! Second, the wine tasting is free and you should definitely take advantage of this. It was hosted in an event space which is beautiful, but was a bit lackluster due to the numerous flies. I would have loved to learn more about how the wine was made in that region, but the tasting is truly more about the taste of the wine and the tasting notes rather than the production. Finally, while the hotel is beautiful, they seemed to be a bit short on staff. They all did a fabulous job taking on numerous roles and I am unsure if this is due to the time of year when we visited, but service was slow at times! Overall, if you are staying near Salamanca, you should absolutely stay here if you are looking for something outside of the city or just a place to relax! It truly is gorgeous!

The Hacienda Zorita is a charming hotel in an interesting facility. The main building is a former Dominican monastery, with each hotel room built from two monastic cells. We stayed in a villa, which is in the old stable. We liked this better as it afforded more privacy. No one walked past our room, and we were in the ground floor. Our room was comfortable with a good bed, and one the better showers of our trip. There is housekeeping service twice a day, although the evening turn down service is little more than closing shutters and turning on the lights and maybe tugging on the linens. No chocolates on the pillow. It hard looks they even were there. We ate at the hotel several times, either in Zorita’s kitchen for dinner the first night, the bar the second night (limited menu, basically an abbreviated version of the main menu with no meat or fish main courses). Breakfast in Zorita’s Kitchen was complimentary. By the third night wanted a different menu and the hotel kindly arranged a taxi for us into Salamanca for dinner. We took advantage of a complimentary wine tasting but found it nothing great. We had two wines, some charcuterie and cheese. The main winery is some distance from here, but they don’t make wine any adjacent to the hotel. On our own, we tried bottle of the Reserva red, which was quite good. But you know they are serious about wine when the church is St Nicholas of the Vines (see photo). The hotel offers several services, all at additional cost. Laundry can be done, albeit at typical hotel prices. We didn’t take anything from the minibar, but they charge for everything. Overall, a very good experience.

Our stay at Hacienda Zorita was perfect in every way, truly faultless. From the moment we arrived the staff greeted us and let us know that we were much appreciated guests who were going to be well cared for in a highly professional yet relaxed and friendly way. Dreamy and romantic are the adjectives that come to mind when describing this ancient monastery dating back to 1366, located on the river Tormes. There simply could not be a more perfect setting for a wedding. Our daughter and son-in-law were married here and the entire day was joyous. As far as organisation was concerned, every stage of the day ran as smooth as a very well oiled machine. High quality organic food and wine is produced at this venue. The standard of the food and drink served to a large number of guests at each stage of the day went over and above expectations. The generous servings of a multitude of delicious canapies upon arrival was quite a happy topic of conversation amongst the guests. All this served with ice cold glasses of champagne from a strong number of smart well-trained waiting staff. This set the scene for a day that the staff grasped with determination to ensure that each and every guest had the time of their lives. The experience of staying as a hotel guest was equally world class. The rooms are charming and rustic, in keeping with the history of the building, whilst providing luxury and all the usual facilities one expects of a hotel of this standing. The beds and luxurious bedding deserve a mention in their own right for the comfort and wonderful night's sleep they provided. The grounds are well manicured and fascinating, providing walks with views to delight the eye around every corner, after which one can wander into the main house at what seemed like any time and sit by the river to be served delicious food. Such is the pride in the meat and cheese they produce, that they have a special room with a glass wall to display what is on offer! There is a small spa on the premises which we didn't visit but I was told by another guest that they also offer massage and it was excellent. The location of this great historic hotel complex is idyllic, set deep in glorious countryside yet 10 mins drive from Salamanca and all its history and exquisite architecture. Pick up the phone and reception always get a taxi there within 20 mins. What more can I say? Hacienda Zorita will undoubtedly call us back time and time again.

The Hacienda and grounds are beautiful and the staff were really knowledgeable on its history. We stayed in one of the terraces which was lovely and cool in the warm spring weather and the bed was very comfortable. The only thing missing was some milk for tea and coffee, we asked for some and got a big jug of lovely fresh milk. There were sun loungers in each garden which were great for relaxing in the sunshine. Wine and cheese tasting was very nice and all of the meals served were delicious. We really loved the breakfast which was buffet style with a small menu of fresh, hot meals available. The waiters were all very friendly and helpful. I would recommend buying some of the produce available in the shop, absolutely lovely organic olive oil, wine and cheese. We also enjoyed seeing the red kites flying around and the stork nesting on the bell tower did occasional majestic circles over the river. Everywhere was spotless and people were constantly sweeping and tidying the pathways. Just a perfect place to relax and unwind! It took us just less than 3 hours to drive here from Madrid and Salamanca was only about 15 minutes. Salamanca is also a beautiful place to visit.