On a hill overlooking the town of Elciego is a building which, from a distance, looks like flowing ribbons made of metal and glass.

This is the hotel Marques de Riscal. Designed by world renowned architect Frank Gehry, the intriguing and unique structure is home to a luxury hotel which opened in 2006. Planted in the famous Rioja wine region, the hotel has a long list of fine wines and a very high end restaurant. It also sports an award winning spa with wine themed treatments.

The hotel offers local tours as well, exploring the Basque-flavoured culture around the area. As a border town between the the Navarre and Castille kingdoms for awhile, the village has seen a fair amount of history in its nearly 1000 years. With the hotel as a piece of 21st-century imagination, the juxtaposition is an interesting look at the transformation of architecture. Glass rooms overlook the village below like a futuristic castle over an ancient feudal town.

Adapted with permission from uniqhotels.com.