This old "palace" (as they call it) is a beautiful stone building far up on a hill in a small…read morevillage south of San Sebastián. It takes around 35 minutes to drive from the hotel to central San Sebastián. We asked the hotel reception for a map and they recommended us where to park close to San Sebastián Old Town which was very useful. They didn't have that much information about which pintxos bar to visit however. It's good to know that some bars are open for lunch and close during the afternoon and open again for dinner. And other bars only open at night. Don't miss these: Bar Nestor (lunch or dinner) http://www.yelp.se/biz/bar-nestor-donostia-san-sebastian-2 Txepetxa (simple pintxos) http://www.yelp.se/biz/txepetxa-donostia-san-sebastián Zeruko (extreme pintxos) http://www.yelp.se/biz/zeruko-san-sebastián Also: Koh Tao (great coffee) http://www.yelp.se/biz/koh-tao-donostia-san-sebastián Arzak - one of the best restaurants in the world - (book FAR in advance) http://www.yelp.se/biz/arzak-san-sebasti%C3%A1n-2 We had room 103 and it was just what we'd hoped. Classic and beautiful but not too much. The bathroom was newly renovated and the sheets were clean. Only thing we didn't like was the home scent they had sprayed in the room prior to our arrival. If you get hungry there's both the Bailara restaurant (by Enrique Fleischmann) and a snack menu in the bar, in the Iriarte Jauregia Hotel buildning. Tip to guests: Book far in advance to get a better rate. Tip to Iriarte Jauregia: You should definately do something about the big electricity pylon in front of the hotel that destroys the view.

Beautiful modern hotel inside an ancient castle: A+ Would stay again and again. Superb locally…read moregrown and raised cuisine on site, and nearby farms to visit and partake in endless hospitality that is the essence of the region and its people.

Best for last! This…read morereview will be the last of my reviews from our recent trip to Spain. The reason I left it for last was because I wanted to give the place the attention it really deserves. Jesuskoa is a family owned and operated hotel/Bed & Breakfast. It is located in the small town of Zumaia, about 20 minutes drive from San Sebastian and 45 minutes from Bilbao. The main stone building on the property was built in 18th century by Jesuit priests and has been owned by the Oliden family for about 5 generations. The rooms are charming country-style and have TVs, free Wi-Fi and most importantly very comfortable beds. The apartments also have full kitchens. The restaurant is run by chef Ramón Oliden who uses mostly local ingredients, usually from his own garden. A breakfast buffet is offered for an additional charge, and served in the restaurant which also offers Basque cuisine. If one wishes to a charming and comfortable hideaway in a gorgeous corner of the Basque Country close to beautiful beaches of Zumaia, or the driving distance of beautiful coast of the Bay of Biscay in San Sebastian, Casa Rural Jesuskoa is the place to stay.

If you want to feel like royalty this is the place to stay...in fave it was even built by Queen…read moreMaria Cristina. We had the most lovely stay here in my new favorite place, San Sebastián. The hotel itself couldn't be more beautiful and we truly felt like we were living in a palace. The staff couldn't have been more friendly. And it's in the most perfect location - just minutes away from the best pintxo spots in town. I didn't get to check out any other hotels in San Sebastián, but find it hard to believe we would find anything better than the Maria Cristina.

A part of San Sebastian History…read more Hotel Maria Cristina first open its doors on July 9, 1912. The first celebrity to visit was the Regent Queen Maria Cristina after whom the Hotel was named. The building was and is a magnificent piece of architecture designed by French architect Charles Mewes, who is also credited for designing the Ritz hotels in Paris and Madrid. During the Spanish Civil War that started in 1936 the hotel was temporarily occupied by troops sympathetic to the revolution, but after a few days they surrendered to the local militia men. Fortunately the building was not damaged much in the process, but if you carefully look, you may still see a couple of the bullet holes on the walls outside. The hotel is an exclusive five-star hotel with a price tag that is too rich for my blood, but one can walk in and sit at one of the available tables in the lobby, order a coffee or drink and admire their surroundings.

Stay here and pay for a room with a water view. A friend and I stayed in a Junior Suite with one of…read moreus on the sofa bed and the other in the bedroom. It was a perfect set up! We both had closets and we could shut the door between the two areas when we needed privacy. We stayed in Room 111 which had a balcony with chairs and a fantastic view of the water and the promenade. The windows were also fantastic. When they were open, we could hear the lively noise of the promenade but when they were closed we couldn't hear a thing. The bathroom was also very nice with a bidet attachment to the toilet. The toilet even had a motion-activated night light. The shower was a little difficult to use without flooding the bathroom. The breakfast buffet was outstanding with lots of pinxtos, fruit, hot food, cold food, and pastries. My friend is a vegetarian and she found plenty to eat. One night we ordered room service and the food arrived within 20 minutes and was very good. The front desk people were also very helpful answering questions we had. The only negative was that we couldn't get the coffee maker in our room to work.

Awful. Rooms on non-seaside, street side noisy with construction going on across the street. If…read moreyou wish to use pools or workout room they charge extra. Avoid.