Hotel Maria Cristina, San Sebastián

It didn’t really surprise us when we discovered that the 5* Hotel Maria Cristina Hotel in San Sebastián had been designed by the French architect Charles Mewès in 1912.  His portfolio includes the Ritz in Paris, London and Madrid and one of the best clubs in London (known for its stupendous pool) The Royal Automobile Club in London’s Pall Mall.

From the moment you hand over the keys to your car and step on the red carpet of this Starwood Group Hotel leading to the beautiful entrance hall and reception area you feel like a VIP.

Our bedroom had a premium river view room on the third floor, Room 312 with 40 square metres of a space with a bed big enough for a family of four, luckily there were just two of us and what at first appeared to be one, was in fact two.

A chaise lounge to recline and read or watch world news on the flat screen TV and an iPod dock/alarm.

A bath with beautiful striped curtains and a separate power shower with a Romeo and Juliet sink and the softest fluffiest robes.

There’s an in-room safe, obviously, to lock up your 5* baubles, holiday cash and travel documents.

The receptionist who checked us in noted it was my birthday, before we had time to have our bags taken to our room, a bottle of Prosecco was left chilling in a bucket.

Talking of which, it looks more like an entrance to a museum than it does somewhere to check-in, check out or arrange concierge services. A recent refurbishment has been carried out to an exceptional standard and this hotel oozes style and class.

The bar is beautiful.

And there’s a terrace on which to take drinks and admire the view.

And, a hotel where flowers are key makes it feel like a home-from-home.

The ‘business centre’ has large macs and free printer, great for boarding pass print-offs pre-flight and super-fast broadband.  Even the glass-cabinets showcasing local shops have fabulous things to buy within them. Or, was it only me who loved this gold gingerbread man necklace?

There’s also free wi-fi which works well and consistently throughout the Hotel.

The breakfast is buffet style, although a chef stands patiently making eggs any way you like them and omelettes, to order. If the weather’s sunny, take your breakfast out on the balcony.

The hotel has a gourmet shop stuffed with delicatessen products from the region.  There’s food and wine tastings each day and the staff all speak excellent English (as do most all front-of-house staff).

For more information on the Hotel, including book rooms and prices, visit their website.