Unparalleled Service at One of the Most Beautiful Hotels in the World…read more While every review of Akelarre already highlights the breathtaking beauty of the resort--the striking architecture, stunning views of the Bay of Biscay, and the intimate luxury of a small number of suites--I want to echo that this property is truly exceptional in every way. But what really sets Akelarre apart is the level of personalized, world-class service that goes far beyond even five-star expectations. From the moment we arrived, the concierge team was always available, incredibly responsive, and genuinely warm. Every staff member seemed to know us by name and made us feel completely at home. It's rare to find service this intuitive and consistent. A standout moment came on the first day of our stay, during what turned out to be one of the worst power outages in Spain and Portugal's history. Remarkably, we didn't even notice--the hotel's private backup generator kept everything running smoothly. But when the staff tried to confirm our lunch reservation and taxi, they couldn't get through to any vendors due to the blackout. Without missing a beat, Lucie graciously offered to drive us to the restaurant in her own car. She walked us in, explained the situation to the staff, and didn't leave until we were seated with wine and appetizers. That level of care and thoughtfulness is rare and deeply appreciated. It turned an unexpected hiccup into a memory we'll treasure. We came here for a special occasion--our 40th birthdays and our anniversary--and left feeling like we'd been guests in someone's home. Akelarre is more than just a luxury hotel; it's a place where every detail is intentional, and every guest is treated like family. Could not recommend more highly. We can't wait to return.

This hotel is unparallelled in both its views, service and facilities. The rooms have the finest…read morelinens,mattresses, furniture,fixtures and appliances. The finishes are flawless, i simply could not suggest any improvements. I was loathe to leave the hotel, or my room, during our 3-night deluxe room stay. Yet we did and staff made arrangements. The breakfast featured local basque favorites as well as international standards served with refinement. Every staff member was top notch. Quiet, serene and breathtakingly beautiful.

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.

Came by as I was walking towards the beach. Had a glass of moscato along with the lobster empanada…read morewhich was so delicious, it was hot and flavourful. Perfect for a hot summer day. Over looking the beach, this was a perfect snack! Definitely recommend :)

Best hotel in San Sebastián. Attention to detail, great location, food and drink delicious. The…read morescramble eggs were so good. Had the terrace room and did not need to leave much. The technology is new and again too service. Definitely staying here again.

I stayed here for 3 nights…read more Our original hotel reservation got messed up and we booked here last minute. The location is fantastic. You are a minute's walk into old town and have easy access to anywhere you want to walk. It is a step or two up from a hotel. The rooms are basic. There is a pump on the shower wall with a soap/shampoo combo mix. There is someone on call, but not someone at the front desk in the off hours. There is a Jazz club that plays incredibly loud music that will boom through your walls until late in the evening. So when you book, ask for a room not adjoining the jazz club.

This review is long overdue. All I can say this place is a 5 star hotel for a 3 star price! But you…read moreknow what's even better is the service! How about leaving your camera bag with your DSLR camera inside and for them to send it back to you Stateside with everything intact? PRICELESS! Kudos to Roberto for the top notch service! If you need to talk to some one fluent in English, they have that covered to! Look for Inigo, he's from the east Coast and such a welcome surprise especially if you need recos and directions. All his pintxos places were spot on! We highly recommend this place!

One of my favorite hotel stays in a long time, and a luxury home away from home for my weekend trip…read moreto San Sebastián. I reserved one adult double historical room a few months in advance through my travel agent. You pay in advance and there's a strict no refunds/cancellation policy, so they are very clear up front what to expect. That said, it was a really dreamy experience. I arrived on a Saturday of a busy weekend around 11:30 am and they let me check in early and get to my room immediately, which was a huge plus after a few exhausting days of travel. The hotel is less than 300 meters from the main Old Town pintxos drag, but also removed enough that it's very quiet at night AND attaches to a main road that allows taxis through (clutch if you have heavy luggage like I did.) I ended up being able to walk to 95% of what I wanted to do (primarily eat pintxos across the city) and took a short taxi for the one bit of sightseeing I wanted to do (Comb of the Wind was absolutely worth it.) When I got sick, the farmacia was literally less than a block away. The convenience of this hotel is genuinely unbelievable. Hotel staff are available around the clock to help you with what you need but rooms are also well stocked with amenities to help you really relax during your stay. The shower water pressure was strong, the water steamy and got really hot how I like it, and the room temp was very easily adjustable to my preferred cold temp, which isn't always easy to find. The bed was very comfortable. I got sick right before coming here and spent a lot of the weekend napping, reading, and otherwise relaxing in the awesome bed. The room came with a hot water kettle which I used liberally for hot water and tea to recover from the cold I had acquired. It was a rainy weekend but the hotel offered umbrella rental for these who needed it. The hotel is also adults only, which was a huge plus. On my last day, they arranged a taxi (fixed flat fee of 61 euros, which is a bit steep but the airport is a hike and it was very early) for me to the airport, which was great because taxis are a bit annoying to order at odd times. My one small bummer of the weekend was it was cold and rainy the majority of the weekend so the rooftop pool and bar was closed. I would not hesitate to stay here again if given the opportunity to come back to San Sebastián!

We had a 14-night trip planned across Spain that we had to cancel after our dog was diagnosed with…read morecancer. She will be in treatment for the next year, and travel is not possible. We provided veterinary documentation and explained the situation clearly. Every other property, including five-star hotels, refunded their non-refundable rates immediately once they saw the documentation. This hotel was the only exception. We have received multiple email responses from the hotel, essentially repeating the same explanation over and over again. What I understand from their stance is this: even with a non-refundable rate, they are unwilling to show compassion for a unique and serious circumstance. This is not a case of choosing to stay at another hotel. This is the cancellation of an entire trip because our dog has cancer. The hotel insisted on charging us for the first night unless we returned within three months, which is impossible given the year-long treatment our dog is facing. Our booking overlapped with the film festival, when nearly every hotel in the city was sold out. They could have easily rebooked the room and avoided any loss. Instead, they enforced the charge without regard for the situation. This experience shows a lack of empathy and professionalism. While every other hotel we dealt with demonstrated understanding and fairness, this property chose to prioritize policy over humanity.

Completely agree with the first reviewer. This hotel has been open for only about a month and they…read moredid an amazing job with the decor. Staff are friendly and made us loose leaf green tea before we left. The bed was comfortable and ended up sleeping 10 hours :) Highly recommended.

Amazing stay! Largest room I've ever had in Europe. The service was truly 5 stars from the moment…read morewe entered the hotel to the time we left. Just a short walk from the beach and surrounded by local eatery's, this gem of hotel is located at the more "local" end of the bay with a easy 25 minute walk from the city center. We were impressed with the attention to detail by staff and especially the bartender Lina at the restaurant. The workout room is large but you do have to walk outside to get to it. The room itself had amazing pillows and a wonderful rain shower and soaking tub with a separate room for the toilet. It also had duo sinks. If you're looking for a luxury stay in a quite part of town and still near the beach then you have found your spot.

Looking like a mini-version of Rio de Janeiro, San Sebastián was really booking up fast in early…read moreOctober because it wouldn't have been my first choice to be on Calle Vitoria-Gasteiz, a broad boulevard in the western part of town where new developments appear to be flourishing. This massive-looking hotel dominates the neighborhood (photo: http://bit.ly/2BdnjB3), and it was probably a solid half-hour walk to the Old Town where we were told the action was with Monte Urgull a bit further than that. Thank goodness Jamie W. and I had our Fitbit watches on us because after all, those steps wouldn't have counted otherwise. Right? The very contemporary hotel looked like it attracted quite a few business travelers and tour groups because the front desk was constantly grilled by endless interrogations. At $167 per night, our double superior room was a little more premium priced than we were hoping, but there's no denying that this city is a top tourist destination for vacationing Europeans. It was spacious and quiet since our room was off a residential street (photo: http://bit.ly/2BY1HVU). The location was convenient to Funicular de Igueldo, which was the first excursion we took after settling in. It's a comfortable, fairly stylish hotel if you don't mind a hike before your Old Town pinxto crawl.

Just a hop, skip and jump away from the stunning beach of San Sabastian, Hotel Codina is the…read moreperfect place to get some rest and relaxation after a long night of enjoying Pintxos and Txakoli. The staff here are delightful and will warmly assist your every need. The breakfast is great, it's a nice buffet of local meats, eggs, cheeses and drinks. Hotel Codina is a great place to begin and end your days in the Spanish Basque Country.