Exploration

Spain’s LeDomaine - A 12th-Century Monastery with 21st-Century Luxury

- Richard Warren

Don’t expect to lead the life of a monk at Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine, although you may well say a prayer of thanks for its luxury. Founded as the Santa Maria de Retuerta monastery in the 12th century, nowadays it is simply called LeDomaine. It is a five-star hotel in Spain’s Ribera del Duero wine region about two hours north of Madrid. It sits like a jewel in the beautiful Duero river valley surrounded by a landscape filled with vineyards.

In operation for just five years, LeDomaine opened after a renovation so meticulously preserving the monastery’s historical features that it won a Europa Nostra Award from the European Union for conserving cultural heritage. Though its 27 spacious guest rooms are furnished in a contemporary fashion (many rooms have original Joan Miró lithographs, for example), the public areas still have a monastic feel. There’s a classic Gothic cloisters; a Romanesque church now used for public events and the original dining hall, now a Michelin-starred restaurant, with vaulted ceilings and a 17th-century fresco of The Last Supper. The overriding atmosphere throughout the facility is almost Zen-like, with a sense of peace and quiet far removed from the noise and bustle of everyday life.

In its short time of operation, LeDomaine has garnered no shortage of kudos. In 2016, it was named the Best Hotel in Spain by both Trip Advisor and the Spanish magazine Club de Gourmets. It’s also been selected as one of “The Top 50 Greatest Hotels in the World” in the British Daily Telegraph’s upscale travel supplement. Earlier in 2017, LeDomaine received the top honor in Andrew Harper’s Hideaway report and in March it joined the exclusive portfolio of members of Virtuoso.