Nafarrola: The Boutique Hotel that Pays Tribute to Urdaibai through Wine and Gastronomy
Nafarrola: The Boutique Hotel that Pays Tribute to Urdaibai through Wine and Gastronomy
In the heart of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, nestled among lush forests that descend toward the sea, rises Nafarrola Gastronomy & Wines — an exclusive boutique hotel led by Josu Goikoetxea which has become one of the Basque Country’s most captivating food and wine destinations. With only eight rooms —spacious, intimate, and equipped with a wood-burning fireplace, whirlpool bath, and private terrace— this haven in the coastal village of Bermeo offers a serene escape where luxury is measured in silence, scenery, and flavor.
The experience revolves around the taste buds, and the firm’s underground wine cellar is testament to that: a sanctuary housing more than 200 national and international wines, from Pingus and Alabaster Teso La Monja to Louis Jadot and Remírez de Ganuza. Yet it is txakoli, the Basque Country’s emblematic slightly sparkling white wine, that takes center stage in a dedicated section of 40 labels, featuring bottles from defunct wineries, limited editions, and award-winning gems such as Lexardi, Terlegiz, and Hegan Egin.
This same bond with the land is reflected in Rola, the hotel’s restaurant, headed up by Chef Gaizka Goikoetxea, who offers a refined and intimate cuisine rooted in local tradition. At midday, the restaurant presents a fourteen-course tasting menu reserved for just four tables, where each creation reveals a fragment of Urdaibai’s landscape through locally sourced ingredients.
In the evening, Rola unveils a seductive à la carte menu of reimagined traditional recipes and seasonal dishes: squid in its own ink stuffed with tentacles and gently sautéed onion; beef cheeks with truffled parmentier in red wine sauce; roasted venison with its juices; and pine, laurel, and eucalyptus ice creams.
Many of the experiences curated by Nafarrola for its guests also celebrate Basque culinary culture — including visits to organic farmhouses, tastings, live cooking events, and pintxo workshops, among others. Every detail is designed so that guests not only admire the landscape but inhabit it through flavor, tranquility, and the excitement of a local connection.
Nafarrola
Barrio Artike 45, Bermeo.
Tel.: +34 613 006 827
