There is something about private residences turned into hotels which makes me seek them out as my preferred accommodation over chain hotels. These niche properties usually lack the multiple restaurants, recreation activity options, add-on services (salon, spa, etc) that regular hotel chains offer but inspite of these drawbacks, I am always on the lookout for them. Guess it has to do with the fact I am not a heavy user of these add-on services and if I have to prioritize, getting the room basics, ambience and overall luxe factor carry more weight for me than recreation options, size of swimming pool, etc. Whilst these kind of hotels are to be found aplenty in history rich Italy and France, they are somewhat of a rarity in Spain. When it got down to where do we stay in glitzy San Sebastian, I thought it was a no- brainer that it has to be a hotel on the famed La Concha promenade. The two known hotels on the stretch are Londres and Niza. Apart from a fabulous sea front location, these hotels don't have much to offer and going by their tired exteriors, I reckon them to be 3 star rated at best. Having ruled out these two hotels next in consideration was Maria Cristina - the super luxury hotel owned by Sheraton. Whilst the hotel was open, a large part of it was closed for renovation. With benefit of hindsight, I am glad we did not stay here as it was surrounded by lot of construction activity and the location is in the central but very crowded part of town.
A Spanish friend recommended Hotel Villa Soro in Gros. With a wee bit of apprehension about staying some distance away from the city centre, we took the plunge. Whilst the hotel is about 30 minutes walk from La Concha, it is very close to the lesser known and quieter Zurriola beach promenade. The hotel is situated on a tree lined avenue 500 meters from the world renowned Arzak restaurant. The hotel is housed in a 19th century villa with hardwood flooring, antique furniture and high ceilings. The grand stairway that greets you at the entrance is majestic and the overall look of the hotel is royal. After a smooth check-in process at the small reception area, we were shown to our room on the top floor of the main building. The room was luxurious with a king size bed and oak writing table atop which sat a bottled of chilled Cava as our welcome drink. Non-alcoholic drinks in the mini-bar are complimentary which is a nice touch I'd say. As with most Spanish hotels, storage space is an issue here as well what with only one cupboard provided. The bathroom is large with a separate shower area. Overall, the room is very spacious and the top floor offers lot of privacy as there are only 3 rooms here. Do note that none of the rooms in Villa Soro offer sea views.
The hotel does not have a restaurant but does have a small menu which is catered to from outside the hotel. This is not a concern really as anyone going to San Sebastian is going there primarily for the food and you are much better off trying the numerous award winning stand alone restaurants in this gastronomic heaven than eating at your hotel. The winter garden has been converted into a small and bright dining area where daily breakfast is served. The breakfast is decent and could do with more variety of eggs, juices and breads. What it lacks in variety is made up by the gracious service. Two smiling matronly women hustle about in the mornings making sure you are looked after. The Champagne bar is a small cozy set-up and adjacent to it is a den where you can kick off your shoes after a long day of sunbathing and pintxo hopping and relax in the company of magazines and newspapers. We ordered Sangria at the den and surprise of surprises, were told the drink is not on the menu but will be prepared on our order. Well, I have to say it was the worst Sangria of our entire trip!
The concierge service is very helpful and we made full use of it by booking airport transfers, making restaurant reservations and seeking advice on best pintxo bars. Tapas in Basque country are known as pintxos and I highly recommend you dedicate one entire day to downing Sangria with finger licking and beautifully decorated pintxos at Calle 31 and surrounding lanes in Old Town. Couple of bars we found top notch were 'Gandarias' and 'A Fuego Negro'. Useful tip for first-timers : help yourself to pintxos and after eating, go up to the cashier and honestly declare how many items you had. The entire food culture in Spain runs on trust and you don't want to earn the wrath of bar owners trying to 'save' a few euros.
Villa Soro offers complimentary parking of cars which is a rarity in space starved San Sebastian. Another interesting feature is that the hotel offers complimentary use of bicycles along with beach towels as well. San Sebastian is famed for its cycling culture and it really is a breeze cycling around the city on its dedicated cycle paths. For tourists planning to book Villa Soro, a word of caution though. The hotel has two buildings : the main villa and a newly constructed annex. Going by some rants on travel websites and our own sneak peak into the annex while there, I highly recommend you stay away from the annex and opt for rooms in the main villa only. The annex rooms can be smaller and noisier due to proximity to the road and that explains why rooms in the main villa are more expensive. Considering one will be in San Sebastian for 3-4 days only, I reckon the additional euros spent for main villa rooms are worth it to enjoy this fabulous property. Go ahead and check-in.
A Spanish friend recommended Hotel Villa Soro in Gros. With a wee bit of apprehension about staying some distance away from the city centre, we took the plunge. Whilst the hotel is about 30 minutes walk from La Concha, it is very close to the lesser known and quieter Zurriola beach promenade. The hotel is situated on a tree lined avenue 500 meters from the world renowned Arzak restaurant. The hotel is housed in a 19th century villa with hardwood flooring, antique furniture and high ceilings. The grand stairway that greets you at the entrance is majestic and the overall look of the hotel is royal. After a smooth check-in process at the small reception area, we were shown to our room on the top floor of the main building. The room was luxurious with a king size bed and oak writing table atop which sat a bottled of chilled Cava as our welcome drink. Non-alcoholic drinks in the mini-bar are complimentary which is a nice touch I'd say. As with most Spanish hotels, storage space is an issue here as well what with only one cupboard provided. The bathroom is large with a separate shower area. Overall, the room is very spacious and the top floor offers lot of privacy as there are only 3 rooms here. Do note that none of the rooms in Villa Soro offer sea views.
The hotel does not have a restaurant but does have a small menu which is catered to from outside the hotel. This is not a concern really as anyone going to San Sebastian is going there primarily for the food and you are much better off trying the numerous award winning stand alone restaurants in this gastronomic heaven than eating at your hotel. The winter garden has been converted into a small and bright dining area where daily breakfast is served. The breakfast is decent and could do with more variety of eggs, juices and breads. What it lacks in variety is made up by the gracious service. Two smiling matronly women hustle about in the mornings making sure you are looked after. The Champagne bar is a small cozy set-up and adjacent to it is a den where you can kick off your shoes after a long day of sunbathing and pintxo hopping and relax in the company of magazines and newspapers. We ordered Sangria at the den and surprise of surprises, were told the drink is not on the menu but will be prepared on our order. Well, I have to say it was the worst Sangria of our entire trip!
The concierge service is very helpful and we made full use of it by booking airport transfers, making restaurant reservations and seeking advice on best pintxo bars. Tapas in Basque country are known as pintxos and I highly recommend you dedicate one entire day to downing Sangria with finger licking and beautifully decorated pintxos at Calle 31 and surrounding lanes in Old Town. Couple of bars we found top notch were 'Gandarias' and 'A Fuego Negro'. Useful tip for first-timers : help yourself to pintxos and after eating, go up to the cashier and honestly declare how many items you had. The entire food culture in Spain runs on trust and you don't want to earn the wrath of bar owners trying to 'save' a few euros.
Villa Soro offers complimentary parking of cars which is a rarity in space starved San Sebastian. Another interesting feature is that the hotel offers complimentary use of bicycles along with beach towels as well. San Sebastian is famed for its cycling culture and it really is a breeze cycling around the city on its dedicated cycle paths. For tourists planning to book Villa Soro, a word of caution though. The hotel has two buildings : the main villa and a newly constructed annex. Going by some rants on travel websites and our own sneak peak into the annex while there, I highly recommend you stay away from the annex and opt for rooms in the main villa only. The annex rooms can be smaller and noisier due to proximity to the road and that explains why rooms in the main villa are more expensive. Considering one will be in San Sebastian for 3-4 days only, I reckon the additional euros spent for main villa rooms are worth it to enjoy this fabulous property. Go ahead and check-in.
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