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.

A Boutique Hotel That Puts You in the Middle of Everything…read more When choosing a hotel in San Sebastián, location is everything, and Sansebay gets that right. Perched on the edge of the Old Town, it lets you experience two sides of the city. One stroll takes you along the stunning La Concha Promenade, while the other follows the Urumea River toward the elegant Centro district with its beautiful architecture, shopping streets, and cafés. We hardly needed transportation during our stay. A small heads-up for anyone arriving by taxi: the hotel mentioned that drivers coming from outside San Sebastián sometimes aren't familiar with the best drop-off point, so we ended up walking a short distance with our luggage. Once we checked in, though, everything was smooth. Our room was comfortable and thoughtfully laid out. It wasn't large, but it never felt cramped. We also had a small outdoor patio with a table for two, which was nice for enjoying a quiet morning coffee, even without a view. The bathroom was spacious and stocked with good-quality toiletries. The reception team made the stay even better. They were genuinely friendly, easy to chat with, and always happy to recommend restaurants or answer our questions. The welcome drink was a nice touch, and having breakfast included made the stay feel like good value. Sansebay isn't a luxury resort, but if you're looking for a comfortable boutique hotel in one of the best locations in San Sebastián, it's an easy place to recommend. I'd happily stay here again.

Beautifully designed Hotel, great location, very friendly and helpful, and took the time to…read morerecommend some of the best restaurants and pintxo bars that were perfect for the two of us. The shower was great and I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel.

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.

One of the best hotels we've ever had the pleasure of staying. As united airline crew members to…read moretraveling the world with Apple, Google and Sodexho! The service of this staff is as the bar manager Marco stated our team has "emotional intelligence" this is so very true! The rooms, location and restaurants is all so impressive! Thank you hotel Maria Cristina!!

Given that we decided to allocate our entire budget to food in San Sebastian, there wasn't quite…read moreenough left in the coffers to stay here. It's pricey. Really pricey. But we couldn't resist stopping by the lobby bar for a cocktail just to get a taste of what it would be like to be rich and famous and staying at the Maria Christina. Dry bar is like a scene from the great gatsby (at the beginning of the night before Daisy is throwing up all over everyone and it's still classy). Art Deco abounds and all the cocktails are fantastic, with a price that won't let you forget what a swanky place you're in. A drink here throws you back in another era... one in which your great grandma was young and flapper dresses were the thing. It's certainly worth a peek if you've got the dough, just realize a that a few dollars of your steeply priced Vieux Carre is going towards your experience, which is truly one of a kind.

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.

Hotel Arima is a very nice hotel, but they have some kinks to iron out…read more The hotel is very modern and spa-like. It's beautiful inside, and we were lucky enough to get a view of the trees. Gorgeous and serene. Aroma is a very quiet hotel, and I was able to sleep very well in the comfortable beds. They provide slippers & toothbrushes, and they have mini "snacks"'to purchase in the room. There is no coffee maker though! What? I want coffee! On the bright side, they have a nespresso machine in the lobby with many coffee choices, but they didn't seem to be staffed to keep clean cups and the water jug full. It's simple things. I think it's basically an inexpensive (compared to most places) hotel, but it was about $475 a night when we stayed, and I felt that it needed to be a bit more buttoned up. Another drawback is the lights. They are so confusing in the rooms. So many different switches and nine make sense. Last drawback before I get to the positives: there is no room service. We arrived at 2am, and, according to the hotel, if you arrive late, you have to check in the next morning. Luckily there was someone working. She was outside smoking when we arrived, but she cane in and got us settled. We were hungry though and the mini snack bar didn't cut it. Pluses: as I said, it's a gorgeous hotel. It's also clean, located right at a bus stop that takes you right downtown. The beds are comfortable, and you can get total darkness at night with their blackout shades. The staff is friendly, and there is parking. I'm not sure if it's free, but it's available on site. Also, the pool is so cool. I would definitely stay here again. I may try to find something closer to town, but this place really is nice & I felt very rested and relaxed.

So close to La Comcha, a short block away. Friendly and helpful front desk staff, free Wi-Fi, and…read morean elevator. Our twin room overlooked the small triangle of green in front of the building. Great room, good bed and bath, lots of storage, even a small desk. Simple breakfast, nice server. Great for the value. And there's parking.

The hotel is in a great location. It's near the beach and a short walk to the parte viejo (the…read moreold town) where most of the renowned tapas bars are located. It's clean and the staff is friendly. The drawback, is that the room is very basic and there are basically no amenities - and at a rate of 130ish euros a night. There is no where to really hangout outside of your room. Plan on going elsewhere for breakfast, which is not an issue as there are a couple of hotels a few doors down that are very nice (e.g. the Niza). They provide no complimentary bath products, outside of the hand soap machine attached to the wall in the shower. If you do end up here and are driving, you'll want to purchase parking from the hotel. It's tough to find a public spot and the price they offer is well worth it.

The hotel is off the beaten path but close to public transportation and has free parking. The rooms…read moreare clean and comfy, the owner and staff are happy and helpful and the restaurant/bar provided a great reason to stay put. Awesome food, creative indoor and outdoor spaces... and did I mention it was really affordable? After spending most of my nights in Albergues it was a great treat for just a little more, having seen how much rooms in town were, I am glad I found this place!