We ended up here because our room across the street at Pensino Urumea was only available for one…read morenight and we wanted two. Pension Donostiarra is a very adequate hotel. The room was clean and large enough, the view from the balcony was great and the location was excellent. While not as spit and polish as Urumea we enjoyed our stay at Donostiarra. Donostiarra offers a common room with hot pot with tea selection, several tables and chairs and a tv. This is great for groups to get together outside their rooms. We felt the value received was well worth staying here. We will be back.

I had a really wonderful time at Pensión Donostiarra this past week. The staff were incredibly…read morehelpful, and forgiving when I accidentally rang the doorbell too many times :O. The room had many more amenities than I expected: full bathroom, a/c, tv, large closet, extra chairs. It was clean, stayed cool despite the heat wave, and quiet. It was just a few blocks from the beach, as well as the touristy parts of the town. This Pension was definitely a great value and will stay here again when I return.

I've stayed here twice now and had a great stay both times. The woman at the front desk was…read moreincredibly kind and friendly and allowed me to check in early which was great because it rained the first day I arrived. The room is nothing special or fancy, but it's clean and has all the things you need. The best thing about the place is the location, right in old town, close to the train station, and the coastline, as well as the hike up the hill to the old fort. If you love San Sebastián like I do, you'll love staying here.

Parma Hotel provides all the benefits of staying in Parte Vieja (Old Town) San Sebastian, with none…read moreof the hassles. Located on the far edge of Parte Vieja, a few blocks away from all of the into-the-early-morning noise of the pintxo bars and drunk revelers, you can count on a good nights sleep. After trying to spend one disastrous, miserable, hot, noise-filled night in a pension in Parte Vieja, we switched to Parma Hotel and couldn't have been happier. The 24 hour front desk is extraordinarily polite, knowledgeable and helpful. The rooms, while small in a typical crowded European city standard, are very clean, comfortable and air-conditioned. Unloading and loading luggage is very easy, using the 2 spaces provided immediately in front of the door for such purposes. Private parking is very conveniently located nearby in an underground parking lot. It is significantly discounted from the public lots and comes with unlimited in and out privileges. If you want to experience the best of San Sebastian--lounging at Playa de la Concha and playing in the waves at Gros, shopping and pintxo-ing in Parte Vieja, touring the harbor, visiting Museo San Telmo, walking the promenade at night, then Parma Hotel is in one of the best locations for all of this. At 130 Euros/night, it was a bit expensive for us, but San Sebastian is the most expensive city in all of the Basque Country as well as all of Spain. If we wanted a comfortable stay in one of the best, most convenient locations available in San Sebastian, we would return to Parma Hotel.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Beautiful privately gated boutique hotel that gives the feeling of being in the country side while…read morein the heart of San Sebastián. It was about a 20 minute walk or 5 minute taxi ride to the center of town. The building, British in style, was built as a family home in the 19th century and forms part of the Historical Heritage of the City of San Sebastián. The hotel keeps the spirit of the period intact, with its large lounges, high ceilings, fireplaces, and a carved wooden staircase. The 25 room villa really felt more like a home than a hotel. We stayed in room 24 which had a charming window with a beautiful garden view. The room was spacious, laden with dark wood which added to the sense of being in a luxurious country side home. Our room on the 2nd floor opened to a beautiful foyer with a huge overhead skylight that allowed natural lighting to flow in. There was an elevator but we only used it twice to bring luggage up and down. Otherwise we chose to use the beautiful carved wooden staircase to immerse ourselves in the essence of the hotel. The restaurant/bar, Eguzki Soro, had the appearance of a country side British bar. Breakfast came with the room and was served there. There was a small menu for lunch and dinner. Outside dining also available. Wonderful staff who helped us with directions and recommendations for places to eat. Big shout out to JM in the bar and Virginia and John at the front desk for going out of their way to give us directions and some gems that we wouldn't have discovered on our own. We would love to stay there again on our next visit. Happy Travels!!

I'm going to start with the downside, because I missed that before booking and it's important. This…read morelovely boutique hotel is pretty far from Old Town. They say it's a 20 minute walk. I didn't time it, but I definitely think it was farther--at least 30 and I'm a very fast walker. And not super fun in the rain. (And it does rain here--a lot). It's not in a very convenient location. That said, they do have complimentary bikes, and it took about 10 minutes to ride to Old Town (ride on the sidewalk until you can pick up the bike path). We took the bikes all over, really, which was really helpful in exploring some of the spots farther away. (Though be warned--these are beach cruisers--no gears!) They also provide locks, and you can keep the bikes out all day. You can also take a bus for around 2 Euros into town, though bus service at night is infrequent. For example, when we left dinner one night at 10:30pm and walked 10 min to the bus stop, it said that the next number 14 bus would come at 11:21pm. Maybe we could have taken a different bus, but it was hard to figure out. So we wound up walking back--maybe about a mile and a half in total? Here's the upside. The lobby and sitting room off the lobby is lovely. We sat and had a glass of wine and olives and had great conversation with some of the other guests. The beds are comfortable, and the bathrooms beautiful, stocked with Molton Brown bath products. Since the water in San Sebastián isn't safe for Americans to drink, they give a few complimentary bottles of bottled water. The service is wonderful--the staff really goes out of their way to make you feel at home. Breakfast is very complete and very good. And served in a beautiful room. If I return to San Sebastián, the only way I would stay here again is if they offered complimentary rides for guests to and from Old Town. That's all that's missing to make this a 5-star experience. Otherwise I would choose a place in Old Town to make it easy to get to all the restaurants, shopping, beach, museum, etc... Oh, and if you do decide to book, request a room in the main house. Apparently they're more charming.

Great pensione. Wonderful owner. Reasonable. Right in the heart of old town but on a quiet street'…read moresteps away from la concha Our host (Ibon sp?) was really gracious and helped us find amazing Pinxto pubs that satisfied our foodie needs. THe rooms were modern, well kept. The rooms had nature themes (fire, water, air, etc) and for the most part the rooms were all the same. 8 of us shared 4 rooms and out of the 4, Fuego was by far the largest. Note that the two rooms facing the front of the street have a balcony but no AC. Would definitely recommend to anyone staying in San Sebastian. It's literally 5 minutes away from the beach and all the Pinxto pub goodness

Pensión Iturriza is a fantastic little gem in San Sebastián. It is located on a quiet street that…read moreis within walking distance of the vibrant old town square . The owners (Ibon and his wife) are a super nice couple who are attentive to the needs of their guests and can steer you in the right direction if you're in need of restaurant recommendations. The rooms are tidy and sufficiently spacious and comfortable. My recent stay at Pensión Iturriza made my San Sebastián visit a relaxing and memorable experience and I will return to Pensión Iturriza on my next visit to San Sebastián.