Review of Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine

Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine is located in Sardón de Duero, Spain, within the historic region of Castilla y León. Historic Valladolid, Spain’s capital before Madrid, is a 30-minute drive and Madrid, two hours by road or train. Transfers can be arranged on request or guests may prefer to arrive by helicopter, landing at the hotel’s helipad.

Penafiel – with its spectacular castle and bullring – is about 20 minutes’ drive away whilst Segovia with its incredible cathedral and Roman aqueduct, one of the most complete in Europe, is about an hour away.

Take a tour of the estate to discover the terroir and the winery in a private 4x4 or go on a leisurely horseback or cycle ride around the estate to discover the area in your own time.

The main building of the hotel has 19 spacious and lavishly appointed guest rooms and three suites on three floors, most with Juliet balconies to enjoy the magnificent views out over the estate’s vineyards, woods, and fields. The ground-floor rooms enjoy a private patio and direct access to the garden. 

A further eight rooms are located in an adjacent building (the former stables) and are directly connected to the El Santuario Spa.

One room has been adapted for guests with mobility issues.

The climate-controlled guest rooms offer all the luxuries demanded of today’s discerning travellers – a large bathroom with sumptuous linens, luxury amenities, multi-channel TVs but here they also come 24/7 butler service, a complimentary welcome bottle of Abadia Retuerta wine and a fully stocked and free mini bar. An à la carte breakfast is also included in the room rate.

Rooms are striking in their luxurious simplicity – oak flooring and accents with a muted colour palette, modular contemporary furnishings and custom-made walnut furniture, huge soaking tubs, an original Miró lithograph on the walls – they ooze subtle style and discreet luxury. The suites offer a similar style but of course, more space and seclusion.

The estate is available for private use.

For a property the size of LeDomaine, there are an extraordinary number of facilities offered to estate guests.

The Santuario LeDomaine Wellness & Spa lies in an adjacent building and offers 1000 square metres of nurturing and holistic healing. As one might expect, they offer a wide range of treatments including a ground-breaking “fusion wine” vinotherapy spa concept based on a blind tasting of wines. There’s also Europe’s first ‘Spa Sommeliers’ who guide guests on their wellness journey. The spa is separated into two different areas for men and women, each with a Finnish sauna, steam bath, whirlpool, showers, and a relaxation room overlooking a landscaped interior courtyard. There’s also an indoor heated pool and a larger one outside. A yoga room and fully equipped gym are located in the main hotel building.

Within the grounds, there is a unique open-air museum to showcase the sculptures of contemporary artist Ulrich Rückriem, who extracts massive stones from the earth and reassembles them on its surface.  His work also features in the abbey church, a tour of which can be arranged. 

The hotel has a fleet of complimentary mountain bikes for riding around the estate whilst horseback riding or helicopter tours can also be arranged. One of the most popular pursuits however is a tour of the nearby Abadia Retuerta winery in a private 4x4 complete with wine tasting.  Seasonal events include helping with the wine harvest or heading out on a mushroom picking expedition. 

Additional experiences such as ballooning, falconry, beekeeping, stargazing, forest bathing – plus a whole host of wine making experiences and picnics – may also be privately arranged on request.

Marco Serra, the Swiss architect charged with re-imagining the abbey, has done a remarkable job in preserving the historic structure for future generations whilst bringing it into the 21st century. Whilst creating a contemporary space, it still maintains an unmistakable feeling of peace and serenity – that’s no mean feat when undertaking such an historic transformation. The priceless antiques and artworks dotted around the public areas are highlighted and enhanced by the otherwise paired down modern aesthetic. 

Guests have said that they feel themselves immediately calming down as soon as they cross the threshold and a feeling of tranquillity comes over them. For me too, sometimes, in the dead of night, I swear I can almost hear the chanting of age-old monks at prayer, former lives living on in these old buildings. It’s an extraordinary and unique experience where the past and the present seem to intermingle.

Of the historic estate’s 1,730 acres, more than 500 acres are dedicated to the vine. The winery produces award-winning vintages of exceptional pedigree and is among the most advanced in Europe combining ancient wine-making traditions with cutting-edge technology. The estate’s own Abadia Retuerta wines are showcased; other fine wines are also available.

Refectorio, the main gastronomic restaurant, lies in the former monks’ refectory and features a vaulted ceiling of pure Gothic style, anchored by a 17th-century fresco of The Last Supper. A sanctuary of haute cuisine with one Michelin star under talented chef Marc Segarra, the menus offer innovative and seasonal gastronomic fare using the freshest of local ingredients, procured from speciality local suppliers as well as LeDomaine’s own organic kitchen gardens, farm. and fields.

In addition to Refectorio, guests may dine outdoors in the Cloisters Garden courtyard or at the Pool Bar in season for light snacks or an outdoor barbecue. Vinoteca in the main hotel building offers a more informal, tapas styled menu which can be expertly paired with the estate’s wines.  Private tastings and meals can also be arranged in the atmospheric ambiance of the Wine Cellar whilst the comfortable Sala Capitular Lounge and Bar is the perfect venue for an evening tipple at day’s end. The latest offering at the estate is the Calicata Terroir Bar, perfect for extending a visit to the winery. It features a contemporary styled outdoor terrace overlooking the estate’s pine forests and vineyards.

The winery sells little bottles of the estate’s own Wine Salt, Milfores Honey and Pinenuts – the perfect presents for friends back home. 

As Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine gains so much from its natural surroundings, the management team is committed to maintaining a balanced ecosystem and preserving and protecting the environment, natural resources, biodiversity, social development and rural communities. They see themselves as stewards of the land, passing down good practice to preserve and build on their legacy for future generations.

This extends from Woodland Management and working alongside accredited professional bodies to safe waste disposal, from being part of WFCP Wineries for Climate Protection to switching to a paper free office, from maintaining 70,000 bees in 40 beehives as part of an insect re-populating programme to Refectario being awarded a Michelin Green Star in recognition of its contribution to sustainability, from installing photovoltaic panels to working closely with local businesses and suppliers to augment local ingredients and reduce the restaurant’s food carbon footprints  – the estate has so many eco-friendly initiatives, it’s hard to list them all here. See their annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report available for download on their website for more information.