Luruna Hotel: The Rebirth of the Larrinaga Palace in the Heart of Mundaka
Luruna Hotel: The Rebirth of the Larrinaga Palace in the Heart of Mundaka
In the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve —where the sea, tradition, and natural beauty of the Basque Country intertwine— stands the Luruna Boutique Hotel. Located in the charming coastal village of Mundaka, this project has restored the splendor of a nineteenth-century architectural jewel, now reimagined as a haven of calm, design, and haute cuisine.
The building, constructed by a family that owned a shipping company with roots in Liverpool, was inspired by the hôtels particuliers of the Paris of the Second Empire. Its stately façade —marked by elegant bays, mansard roofs, slender chimneys, and delicate ironwork— evokes French elegance seamlessly adapted to the Atlantic landscape.
Inside, a sensitive contemporary renovation reveals the building’s original materials, integrated within an atmosphere of clean lines and natural light. A central atrium organizes the common areas —reception, restaurant, bar, and guest rooms— with balance and openness. Pieces of art, carefully chosen furniture, and a grand piano accentuate the character of the place, designed for contemplation and wellbeing.
Each room, distinct in layout due to the building’s unique structure, shares a sober yet sophisticated look and feel. Generous in size and featuring large beds and elegant bathrooms, they offer a serene, unpretentious experience that reflects meticulous attention to the nuances that make comfort a form of art.
One of Luruna’s defining pillars is its culinary identity. The Mil888 Bar, which translates to “1888” in English, is named after the year the building was constructed and provides an informal yet refined atmosphere — ideal for relaxed gatherings. Its offerings combine simplicity and quality: Wagyu cured beef, Cantabrian anchovies in a butterfly cut with red pepper confit and citrus pil-pil sauce, Galician scallops, grilled Bermeo octopus, Iberian pork cheeks prepared in Tempranillo wine, fried hake, and grilled line-caught squid.
On the main floor of the building, the Luruna Restaurant offers its most refined expression. Chef Adrián Diba, together with Mexican Chef Alan Leyva, offers menus that evolve with the seasons and ingredients: Mundaka —a €38 weekday menu that changes each week— as well as a weekend menu, tasting menu, and group menu. The à la carte selection includes dishes such as: crispy and glazed sweetbreads of suckling lamb with apple textures and roasting jus, grilled black monkfish with squid jus and Carrasco Iberian veil, grilled wild turbot with noisette butter and saffron potatoes, braised Bresse pigeon with foie gras and smoked onion purée, and grilled Basque Country suckling kid with smoked eggplant and a burnt rosemary base. The restaurant’s wine list lives up to the level of the chef’s creations, with champagnes such as Gardet 120 years, Lallier Grand Rosé, and Delamotte Blanc de Blancs; cavas such as L’O de L’Origin Brut Nature Edición 13; txakolis from Biscay, Getaria, and Álava with labels as interesting as Itsasmendi Artizar-Borgoña 2019, Lurretik 2021, and Urtaran 2020 fermented in the barrel; white wines from all of Spain, France, and Germany like Remelluri 2021, Joaquín Rebolledo Godello 2020, and Maximin Riesling 2022; organic rosés such as Pícaro del Águila 2021; outstanding reds like El Huerto del Fraile 2017, Gran Reserva 904 from 2015, and Emilio Moro 2020; only to finish with sweet wines like Vi by Glass Gewürztraminer.
Beyond its enogastronomic offering and distinctive architecture, Luruna delivers a deep and peaceful experience. Its privileged location between the sea and the mountains, a constant dialogue between the past and the present, and the care devoted to every detail make this place something more than a hotel. Here, hospitality is expressed without ostentation, through measured gestures, comfortable silences, and spaces that invite pause. Luruna is not merely an accommodation option, nor is it simply a restaurant: it is the embodiment of a way of understanding luxury — one rooted in meaning and authenticity. An enclave where history becomes the present, where each stay becomes a memory, and where beauty reveals itself effortlessly in the essence of things.
Luruna Hotel Larrinaga Palace
Goiko Kalea 39, Mundaka.
Tel.: +34 846 610 035
