Photo: © Torre del Marqués Hotel Spa & Winery
Torre del Marqués: a locavore, low‑impact retreat in the hills of Matarraña
Once a noble watchtower keeping guard over the Matarraña hills, the Torre del Marqués Hotel Spa & Winery rises today like a fragment of another era, when the land set the pace of life. Encircled by terraced vineyards, centuries‑old olive trees and the blue‑grey outline of the Puertos de Beceite, this working estate turned hedonist hideaway cultivates a rare kind of luxury: silence, light and raw materials. Behind its timeworn stone walls, contemporary rustic design, a spring‑fed spa and an estate cellar sketch out a quietly sustainable art of living guests will want to delve into further.
Torre del Marqués, from stately estate to sustainable hedonist retreat in the Matarraña
In southern Aragon, within the municipality of Monroyo, the Torre del Marqués Hotel Spa & Winery estate occupies a singular position “en pleno corazón del Matarraña”. This rural region, lying between Barcelona and Valencia, is reached in around two and a half hours by car from either city, placing the address firmly in the “destination hotel” category rather than an urban base. As you approach, your eye is drawn to a tower rising above terraced vineyards and olive groves, with the Puertos de Beceite mountain range as a constant backdrop. The estate borders the Puertos de Beceite Natural Park, opening onto gentle hills tailor‑made for contemplative walks and full days outdoors.
Much of the property’s character comes from its original architecture. Some parts of the complex are described as a 17th‑century “edificio señorial”, while other sources mention a tower and surrounding buildings dating from the 18th century, patiently restored and reimagined as an intimate 18‑room boutique hotel. This small scale recreates the feel of a private residence, in keeping with the hotel’s positioning: a refuge for travellers who prize silence, agricultural views and a rigorously sourced kitchen.
The land itself underpins the property’s identity. The vast vineyards and olive groves are not just scenery: they define the spirit of this rustic luxury wine estate, where the surrounding landscape quite literally feeds the kitchen and the cellar. Torre del Marqués’ inclusion in the Considerate Collection of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, together with its three MICHELIN Keys, speaks to the importance placed here on sustainability and hospitality, in a region whose standout seasons are spring and autumn.
An 18-room boutique hotel and villa, conceived as a contemporary residence
The transformation of Torre del Marqués into a boutique hotel has preserved the spirit of the original stately home. The 18 rooms are divided into several categories — Familiar, Junior Suite, Superior and Estándar — complemented by a spectacular villa located around eight minutes from the main building. The overall scale remains deliberately modest, with a limited number of keys that reinforces the sense of staying in a private country house rather than a large resort.
As noted earlier, the estate’s historic architecture gives the shared spaces real presence. Old walls are offset by understated contemporary design and up‑to‑date amenities, an ambience neatly captured by the MICHELIN Guide’s “Modern Design & Quiet” label. This subdued atmosphere, far from any urban bustle, appeals to aesthetes who prioritise calm, space and natural light, in the same spirit as certain other properties featured by V&V, such as Cap Rocat in Mallorca, also set within a historic site.
The standalone villa completes the offering for families or groups of friends seeking an extra degree of privacy, while still enjoying the hotel’s services and facilities, from the gastronomic restaurant to the spa. Torre del Marqués’ explicit commitment to zero‑emissions operations and its framing of sustainability as a “cross‑cutting strategy” are evident in the way the estate is managed, from agricultural production to modern infrastructure, including the electric vehicle charging stations listed by the MICHELIN Guide.
Rooms and suites: contemporary rustic style, working landscapes and quiet comfort
The rooms at Torre del Marqués follow an aesthetic the hotel describes as “rustic contemporary”. A Superior Double Room, for instance, offers 25 m² arranged around a king‑size bed, with open views over the Bosque Mediterráneo. This outward focus extends the presence of nature into the room, whether you are in bed or settled into an armchair, echoing the vineyards and olive groves that define the wider estate.
Travellers seeking more space gravitate towards the 40 m² Junior Suites, which combine a bedroom with a separate living room and fireplace. Generous windows frame broad views, and these suites include daily access to the 5 Estaciones spa, reinforcing the hedonistic side of a stay here. In the same vein, the 65 m² Family Suites offer two separate bedrooms and a living room with fireplace, again with daily spa access. This layout works as well for families as for couples travelling together, preserving a welcome degree of privacy in such a peaceful setting.
Accessibility is taken seriously, with an adapted Superior Room offering 25 m² plus a 10 m² accessible bathroom. This inclusive approach aligns naturally with the hotel’s overall philosophy, discreet yet exacting when it comes to detail. Comfort here does not depend on showy effects, but on well‑judged proportions, understated materials and a constant dialogue with natural light and the surrounding agricultural landscape of vines, olive trees and the shadowy line of the Bosque Mediterráneo.
Spa 5 Estaciones: thermal wellbeing, spring-fed bath and heated outdoor pool
At the heart of the Torre del Marqués experience is the 5 Estaciones spa, whose intimate architecture mirrors the hotel’s scale. The wellness area is organised around a thermal water circuit, sauna and Turkish bath, complemented by several treatment rooms. A heated outdoor pool allows guests to take in views of the estate’s cultivated land while enjoying a constant swimming temperature, whatever the season.
One feature in particular sets the 5 Estaciones spa apart: a spring‑fed bath. This natural water source lends the bathing ritual an almost pastoral quality, in tune with the surrounding vineyards, olive groves and Mediterranean woodland. As mentioned earlier, Junior Suites and Family Suites include daily access to the spa, integrating this moment of wellbeing into the rhythm of the stay rather than treating it as an occasional extra.
The spa atmosphere, simple yet refined, is clearly aimed at guests for whom silence, unhurried time and self‑care are central. This notion of a contemplative, almost artistic retreat also runs through other properties featured by V&V, such as Belmond La Residencia in the Serra de Tramuntana, albeit expressed differently. At Torre del Marqués, it is the spring, the surrounding herbal scents and the outlines of the Puertos de Beceite hills that shape the spa’s sensory world.
Atalaya del Tastavins: zero‑kilometre cooking, edible landscapes and estate cellar
Torre del Marqués’ locavore philosophy finds its fullest expression at the Atalaya del Tastavins restaurant. The kitchen showcases high gastronomy rooted in local produce, following a “kilómetro cero” approach that blends contemporary creativity with traditional know‑how. The estate’s agricultural landscape — terraced vineyards, olive groves, Bosque Mediterráneo — is more than a backdrop: it is the matrix that supplies both kitchen and cellar, in the spirit of a rustic luxury wine estate where the distance between soil and plate stays minimal.
Atalaya del Tastavins’ dining room opens through large picture windows onto the surrounding countryside, extending the plate into the view. Wine service draws on the estate’s own cellar, and among the activities on offer are guided tours of the vineyards and winery with tastings of organic wines. This immersion in the world of wine adds another layer to the meal: guests can taste the wines after walking the very parcels they come from.
In this pursuit of terroir‑driven gastronomy, Torre del Marqués stands out for the rigour of its sourcing, without setting itself up in comparison with major city addresses. Where a hotel like Hotel Ritz Madrid dialogues with the museums of the Golden Triangle of Art, Atalaya del Tastavins is in conversation with the Matarraña hills and the Puertos de Beceite range. The result is a restaurant aimed at gastronomic aesthetes for whom the coherence between what they see through the window and what they taste on the plate is an essential part of the experience.
A destination for the seasons, between vines, olive trees and the Matarraña hills
Torre del Marqués is designed primarily for travellers who choose a hotel for itself rather than for its proximity to a major city. Set between Barcelona and Valencia, with about two and a half hours’ drive from each, the property is experienced as a deliberate retreat in a region whose most sought‑after seasons are spring and autumn. At these times, high in demand, the Matarraña reveals particularly gentle colours over its vineyards, olive groves and the contours of the Puertos de Beceite.
The estate’s immediate surroundings encourage a slow rhythm, from strolls through cultivated fields to longer walks into the neighbouring natural park. Among the activities available, guided tours of the vineyards and winery with organic wine tastings offer a behind‑the‑scenes view of the winery and a clear sense of the link between terroir and cuisine. Sixty‑minute horseback rides across the finca deepen this physical connection with the landscape, in a contemplative spirit.
The overall mood, described as calm, intimate and close to that of a private residence, attracts a specific audience: design‑minded couples, gourmets seeking zero‑kilometre cuisine, and guests drawn to thermal wellbeing and quiet. Far from coastal crowds or city streets, Torre del Marqués belongs to a constellation of places that V&V favours for their strong personality, sense of place and attention to detail, whether that takes the form of a fortress overlooking the sea, an artists’ hotel in the mountains or, here, a working agricultural estate oriented towards a sustainable future.
Explore the surroundings
Booking Torre del Marqués: experiencing the Matarraña in a hedonist, sustainable mode
Torre del Marqués encapsulates a certain idea of contemporary luxury: unhurried time, an unmediated connection to the land and a sense of wellbeing rooted in the surrounding landscape. The 17th‑ and 18th‑century estate, ringed by vines and olive trees and backed by the Puertos de Beceite, now houses 18 rooms and a villa in a contemporary rustic style, the 5 Estaciones spa with its central spring‑fed water, and the Atalaya del Tastavins restaurant dedicated to zero‑kilometre cuisine. The hotel’s commitment to zero‑emissions operations, its membership of the Considerate Collection of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and its three MICHELIN Keys all add to the appeal of this exacting retreat.
For V&V readers seeking a stay where silence, locavore gastronomy and wellness are inseparable, this Matarraña address offers a distinctive Mediterranean setting, best experienced in spring or autumn, the most popular periods. Check‑in at 15:00 and check‑out at 12:00 make it easy to plan arrival and departure, while the facilities — spa, outdoor pool, restaurant, bar, wine cellar, bicycles, and electric vehicle charging stations — meet the expectations of the most discerning travellers.
Torre del Marqués Hotel Spa & Winery
Paraje Torre del Marques
Carretera, a, Km 2,2
Monroyo, Teruel – Spain
Book on www.hoteltorredelmarques.com or via leading high‑end booking platforms.
