Hotel Merindad de Olite

We stopped by at night for wine and tapas. They have some excellent local wines at very reasonable prices, and the people were great. It’s a quiet place to sit by the bar and enjoy the wine selection, away from noisy bars.

A cozy, wonderful restaurant with excellent food and really nice staff. Highly recommended, especially if you’re going there instead of the Parador.

We had a lovely room with a balcony looking out toward part of the castle, vineyards, and distant hills. It was small but comfortable, with a tub and shower, a handheld shower head, and plenty of hot water and pressure. There was no fridge or glassware, just paper cups. The little hotel is inside the walled town, a short walk from the train station. Check-in took a while. Nobody was at the desk, so we used the intercom. An older man showed up five minutes later, but he was on the phone and continued talking for another ten minutes while we waited just to leave our bags, even though we had a reservation. After a few days, I got the impression it was a family-run business, which is part of its charm, I suppose. The restaurant downstairs had decent food, but the waitress was surly and the bright white lighting was horrible. The wine list was exceptional, although several things weren’t available, including seasonal vegetables. It seemed to be the only place open late at that time of year.

We had an excellent dinner at the restaurant, and Luis, the owner, was lovely and accommodating. It’s a wonderful little hotel within the walled city.