If you are in the Rioja Alavesa with your pet, but you still want to visit the wineries, there is not problem. The Residencia Canina La Burra Lola is a luxury hotel for your dog!
If you are a dog owner who also travels a lot there are several options for taking care of your pet while on the road. The first is to leave your dog with someone in your town. We are lucky enough to have a good friend who has become Dino’s “auntie”. He loves spending time at her house because she has two big female dogs and Dino; even though he’s small, has become the leader of the pack. He’s definitely a macho man. Haha! The other option is that your dog come with you on the trip. So when we decided to take a trip to the north of Spain and Toulouse, we decided to bring Dino with us in the car. The only issue was that when we arrived in the Rioja Alavesa Dino wouldn’t be allowed in the bodegas with us and we would be away from the hotel too many hours to leave him alone. Our solution wound up being a luxury vacation for Dino: the Residencia Canina La Burra Lola. (A dog hotel!)
We found the option of the “hotel” for dogs thanks to a recommendation from Thabuca Wine Tours (who would be helping us explore the area over the next few days). After taking a look at their website, we realized that La Burra Lola was a real gem located on the border between La Rioja and the Basque Country. It is a center that is specialized in luxury care for your dog. For example they offer relaxing massages, Reiki for dogs, interactive games, as well as having a veterinarian on call 24 hours. It was the perfect place to leave Dino without being worried about him as we visited the area. After all, we didn’t want to have to leave him alone for hours in the hotel, so a dog hotel was the perfect option.
When we arrived, what impressed me the most was how enthusiastically they welcomed Dino. From the first minute they were worried about how he was adjusting. They even left three little dog treats on his pillow in the “room.” The residence has individual rooms that also have an outdoor area with views of the other dogs and a big yard. Every day the dogs had several opportunities to go out and play with the other dogs in the residence and they made sure to take care if some of the dogs didn’t get along. Dino might have been even better off than at home in some ways! I certainly wish we had a yard like that in Málaga!
During his stay, Laura and her team treated Dino like a king. We know they did because every morning they sent us photos showing him playing with other dogs, meeting Lola the donkey, even posing for selfies. We must admit that Dino is very good at posing for photos. After all, he is blogger dog. They gave him a massage with lavender oils and they took care of a little patch of dry skin that he had when we arrived. We had been putting moisturizing cream on the area; but when we picked him up the area was completely healed.
What we loved most about the Residencia Canina La Burra Lola was the love and enjoyment they take in caring for the dogs. It’s clear that Laura and her team really like their job and they don’t mind going the extra mile to take care of the dogs whenever possible. In fact, she lives at the other end of the yard and takes a walk through the dog area at night to make sure none of them are crying or have any kind of problem.
If you are planning a trip to the area of the Rioja Alavesa to visit the vineyards and the gorgeous landscapes, it’s a great option to leave your most faithful travel companion in good hands. We could have even taken Dino out for a few hours if we called in advance. So if you aren’t traveling with such a tight, jam-packed schedule, you can combine time with your dog and time visiting the wineries. We were really happy to leave Dino in such a friendly place. And he was so happy to see us when we picked him up at the end of the trip! Dino’s stay at La Burra Lola was a great experience for us (and I’m assuming it was even better for Dino!)
