El Secreto de Ollo

Rooms

Rooms are scattered over 2 floors with the original 300-year-old staircase to sweep you up in style. There are 3 suites, 3 double rooms, a junior suite and a self-catering apartment.

The suites are gorgeous - all the character of a grand old house, all the comfort of a smart hotel. All are on the first floor and 2 have separate sitting rooms; the other is simply enormous. We especially loved the one to the side of the house. You’ll find four-poster beds, painted wood ceilings, off-white colours to soak up the light. Pretty sofas turn into beds for children, smart wood floors are nicely varnished, super-comfy beds are dressed in Sunday best linen.

There’s always something beautiful to catch the eye, be it an old leather armchair, a 500-year-old chest or chunky timber frames painted grey. Those at the front face south and have the view, but the big suite at the back is probably the loveliest. All have colourful bathrooms with gilt mirrors hanging above alabaster sinks and good showers over big baths. The junior suite is up on the top floor and has the same beautiful style, but even though it’s big, there’s no room for a sofa or bath.

The 2-bedroom apartment on the first floor is for those who wish to self-cater, either a little or a lot. It’s perfect for small families as one room has bunk-beds for children. The main room - an open-plan kitchen/diner - has a long dining table under a painted wood ceiling; there’s a sofa here too, but no separate sitting room. The master bedroom has a huge four-poster which dominates the room. Both rooms share a pretty bathroom with a bath and shower. It works just as well for couples as for families. Breakfast is not included, but you can partake on request.

The 3 double rooms at the top of the house are smaller and simpler, but 2 have the view and if you’re passing through on a budget, then they’re absolutely fine. Like the other rooms, you'll find stripped wood floors, whitewashed walls, painted beamed ceilings and pretty linen. Each has a small, colourful shower room.

Features include:

• Hairdryer
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfast is a feast. You can eat in the big dining room, the small conservatory or out on the terrace. You get fresh orange juice, croissants and pains au chocolat, then rustic sticks of freshly baked bread. There’s lots of fruit, plates of cured meats, cheeses that are hard to resist. Arantxa’s homemade jams are delicious: rose petal syrup on fresh bread was a good way to start the day. If you are off to walk in the hills, packed lunches can be arranged, too.

Dinner is served by arrangement, so make sure you book if you want to eat in. You dine off a short menu, perhaps smoked salmon or stuffed peppers, then baked crab or lamb from the valley. Cheesecake for pudding is followed by coffee on the terrace.

If you're staying in the self-catering apartment you'll find that the kitchen is well equipped - fridge, freezer, hob, oven, microwave - but you’ll have to leave the valley to find some shops. Best to stock up on your way here, though basic ingredients (salt, pepper, oil, bin bags, washing up liquid) are provided.

If you want to eat out, there are a couple of restaurants a short drive away in the valley, which are open in summer (July to October); Arantxa can advise. You’ll eat well - grilled fish and meat - but if you want something fancier, you’ll need to head into Pamplona (25 minutes by car). Here the world is your oyster. If you want the best fish in town head to La Mar Salada, a very popular eatery just south of the Plaza de Toros. You could also try Café Iruña in Plaza del Castillo for a good steak. This was a favourite haunt of Ernest Hemingway, who loved the city. Rodero, a family-run restaurant close to the bullring, is considered one of the best places to eat in Navarre, but it’s quite formal and the prices are high. If you want to keep it simple, then head into the Old Town for excellent pintxos (tapas with attitude, a religion up here).

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Dinner by arrangement
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• The Ollo Valley has much to offer. You can follow a tributary leading to the Santiago Way or pick up circular walks, anything from a leisurely stroll to a full day’s hike. There’s a canyon for extreme sports, Arantxa can arrange horse riding, or you can take to the hills on a mountain bike. You’ll find swimming holes in the Arakil River, a lovely way to cool off. The small ethnographic museum in Arteta is well worth seeing
  
  
• There’s a small farm in the village where children are invited to come and meet the animals. It’s very low key, but the kids love it
  
  
• Head to Pamplona, an ancient city famous for its fiesta, which is held in early July in honour of Navarre’s patron saint, San Fermín. To celebrate, bulls run through the streets on their way to the bullring. For hundreds of years they have been preceded by an army of foolish young men keen to prove their mettle
  
  
• If you fancy something calmer, head to the city’s excellent museum - the Museo de Navarra. It weaves through local history rather beautifully: prehistoric tools, Roman mosaics, Moorish pottery, medieval art, Baroque magnificence. There’s lots more to see: the 13th-century cathedral (better inside than out), the old citadel’s walls that still cling to steep hills, and the narrow alleyways of the Old Town. If you leave the city to the northwest, you can drop into the Museo Oteiza in Alzuza to see the work of the famous Basque sculptor Jorge Oteiza, well worth the detour
  
  
• Olite, a well-preserved medieval town, stands 40km south of Pamplona. Swing east 40km and you come to the Monastery of Leyre - 1,100 years old and still standing. The kings of Navarre are buried here
  
  
• San Sebastián, a city on a beautiful beach an hour north, is unmissable, its Old Town the loveliest in the Basque country. It holds a jazz festival in July and its famous film festival runs in September. It is also firmly placed on Europe’s gastronomic map: 3 of its restaurants have 3 Michelin stars
  
  
• Ollo’s fiesta takes place in the first week of September. Villagers act out short plays on the street for friends from the valley. Then they party all night long

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Mountain biking
• Museums / galleries
• Shopping / markets
• Swimming
• Traditional cultures

Kids

Children are very welcome. The hotel has a couple of baby cots (free of charge), and there are sofabeds in the suites (extra charge), which can be curtained off for privacy. The apartment has a room with bunk beds.

Best for:

Toddlers (1-4 years), Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

The suites and the apartment

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

El Secreto de Ollo is set in the tiny village of Ollo, in the Navarre region of northern Spain. It's 15km northwest of Pamplona and 70km south of San Sebastián.

By Air
The closest airports are Biarritz over the border in France (120km, 1.5 hours by car), and Bilbao (145km, 2 hours by car). If you fly into France and hire a car, make sure you are allowed to drive in Spain. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.

From the Airport
Transfers can be arranged (see Rates), but we'd say it's pretty essential to hire a car to get here - see below.

By Car:
See our car rental recommendations.

By Train
If you can't drive, the train from Barcelona to Pamplona takes 4 hours. From here you can take a taxi. However, this isn't ideal as you'd be pretty isolated during your stay if you didn't have a car.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on Getting to Navarre