Much Ado About Castillo de Arteaga

After a long day hiking up, down and around San Juan de Gaztelugatxe in the strong Northern Spain breeze, it was a treat to spend a night in Castillo de Arteaga. As we pulled up to the long driveway that led to the prestigious castle, I thought, "This castle was meant for me to stay in!" Just kidding, mostly... Settled amongst the suburbs in Basque Country, the castle-turned-hotel seems very preserved yet well kept. There is nothing but beautiful architecture, and the delicious, intricate meals from the restaurant made us want to stay even more! Even our room was in one of the tower’s pillars with an ornate, spa-like bath tub and spiral staircase that led to our personal rooftop terrace.

The courtyard was covered in greenery and a simple “secret garden” feel led to the rest of the hotel that included a beautiful dining room, spiral staircases, large sliding doors, a library and wine cellar. I loved reading about the hotel’s history and could see that a lot of France’s overthrow had taken a toll on the design elements and menu of the hotel. There was beauty and history in every part of the hotel from the molding on the ceilng to the mantles in the dining room.

I couldn’t help but wonder how lovely a wedding would look at this castle, and the funniest part about this thought was a day later there was a wedding setting up! I just had to throw together a mini photoshoot as soon as I saw the romantic aesthetic. This was towards the end of our vacation, so not many outfits were left, but I did try out my new Mara Hoffman midi dress (here's a similar one!) during our long, but exquisite dinner and an older Abercrombie and Fitch Olive Jumpsuit to frolic in the courtyard in. These both would be lovely to wear to any wedding this season. I included a more funky, collared dress from a Barcelona shopping spree because I was obsessed with the print, but I'm not sure I would ever dare wear something like it to a wedding.