With its grand, straight-out-of-a-period-drama staircases, hyper-attentive staff and gold-fringed everything, Hotel Maria Cristina is the very picture of old-school splendour. The perfect place to mark a big anniversary or any other occasion that calls for a splash of glamour, this palatial, riverside hotel offers the most luxe lodgings in all of northern Spain’s gastro capital.
Why stay at Hotel Maria Cristina?
San Sebastian is a city that’s best experienced on the move. Between the packed pintxos (Basque tapas) bars of the Parte Viejo – the old town – where wide-eyed foodies savour photogenic morsels at standing tables, and the city’s 6km of irresistibly strollable sandy beaches, there’s rarely an opportunity to sit down, let alone put your feet up.
That’s why it makes sense to set up camp somewhere that’s big on comfort – somewhere you can brush the sand out from between your toes or cradle a distended belly without the risk of anything impeding on your momentary peace. Hotel Maria Cristina delivers exactly this – and has been doing so since 1912. Rooms are plush and palatial, and the staff are ultra-eager to save guests any unnecessary exertion. The location is unbeatable, too: five minutes on foot from the old town and a couple more from two different beaches.
What are the rooms like at Hotel Maria Cristina?
The hotel is named after Queen Maria Cristina – Queen Consort of Spain in the late 19th and early 20th century – who apparently loved to holiday in San Sebastian. Given this context, the regal, ‘more is more’ decor that extends into every corner of the hotel – including my sprawling, garden-facing suite – feels fitting rather than theme-parky. If anything, the glitz could be pushed a touch further. The hotel is part of the Marriott Bonvoy stable, and some of the furnishings and artwork felt a little standard-issue – like they could have been copied and pasted from one of the hotel’s many siblings. The bed, however – a whopping super-king monster replete with ornate, upholstered headboard, was simply flawless. If you’re prone to missing return flights, set an alarm.
What is the food like at Hotel Maria Cristina?
Perhaps wise to its location in the heart of Europe’s most drooled-over gastronomic playground, Hotel Maria Cristina’s in-house dining does things a bit differently, with Vietnamese restaurant Café Saigon the star attraction. Even the most relentless of pintxos hunters can only handle so many croquettas, after all, so a menu of south-east Asian classics feels like a progressive endeavour.
Breakfast, meanwhile – served in a high-ceilinged, ballroom-like space fringed with so much gold even Donald Trump might call it ‘a bit much’ – is a classic buffet of hot and cold staples, including local cured meats and cheeses. There’s also a short menu of cooked-to-order house specials – try the simple but elegant truffle omelette if you’re saving space for a pintxos crawl later in the day. There were stumbles here, though. An order of an Americano had to be chased and eventually arrived as jug-poured, diner-style filter coffee, while an awkward moment with a soft-boiled egg ended in disappointment after staff apologetically informed me they didn’t have any egg cups. I’ve still yet to work out how I was expected to eat it.
For cocktails, you can head to Dry Bar (don’t panic – it’s an allusion to the dry martini, its speciality, rather than alcohol-free drinks), offering a menu of classic drinks and house specials. Do mind the prices, though – forking out €24 (plus service!) for a cocktail in a city where a round for two rarely tops €5 feels borderline obscene, especially after I’d been told on check-in that the bar was ‘free for guests to use’ – an assurance contradicted by a whopping and unexpected post-checkout dent in my credit card statement.
What is the service like at Hotel Maria Cristina?
Friendly, thoughtful and generally impeccable. Cold drinks are offered at check-in – most appreciated after an hour on an under air-conditioned bus from Bilbao. Recommendations for things to do nearby are delivered with care and attention. Doorpeople steadfastly refused to let me haul my suitcase up and down the entrance steps.
One request, however, was handled in a frustratingly complicated way. Returning to the hotel after a pintxos crawl with two takeaway slices of basque cheesecake under my arm, I asked the concierge if I could take a couple of forks up to my room, and, rather than wait a moment while they were fetched, I was told they’d be sent up. I can’t be sure how long they took to arrive, but it was easily upwards of 15 minutes, and long enough that I seriously considered trying to eat the steadily sloppifying creamy mass with just my bare hands.
What are the facilities like at Hotel Maria Cristina?
Minimal, but so immersive is the general vibe of old-timey sophistication, it’s tough to imagine what more you’d need. There’s a fully-equipped gym, but frankly anyone who travels to San Sebastian and chooses to spend any time at all sweating in a windowless room ought to have a good think about their priorities – especially when there’s a picturesque river path to run along right outside. One nice touch is an on-site shop selling thoughtfully chosen Basque produce and gifts. Only my airline’s stingy baggage restrictions stopped me leaving with a €20 magnum of locally produced wine.
What’s the area like around Hotel Maria Cristina?
The hotel stands proudly on the west bank of San Sebastian’s Urumea river, its gleaming sandstone frontage impossible to miss during the 10-minute walk from the city’s main bus station. As such, it’s ideally located to explore San Sebastian’s three main districts – Parte Viejo (narrow streets, amazing food), Gros (a more modern vibe, with a surfers’ beach) and Centro (Belle Époque architecture, designer shops). San Sebastian is a small, walkable city, and with Hotel Maria Cristina a central beacon, it’ll only be a few hours before you ditch your maps app altogether and go with the flow.
Why you should book a stay at Hotel Maria Cristina
Given its proximity to what could well be the buzziest, most exciting food scene in the world right now, the classic approach to everything Hotel Maria Cristina does goes a long way to adding a bit of luxe texture to a trip to San Sebastian. Sure, there are more affordable options in the city, but if you’re overdue a blowout, this grand old dame of European hospitality is well worth a spot on your shortlist.
Address: República Argentina K., 4, 20004 Donostia / San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain
Price per night: From around €320 per night
Closest transport: San Sebastian’s central bus station is a 10-minute walk