Villa Favorita

We arrived in San Sebastián – as everyone should – hungry. With more Michelin stars per capita than anywhere else on earth, plus the countless pintxos bars packed into the atmospheric Old Town, San Sebastián has become a foodie haven for travelling gluttons. I’m sure there must be other things to do in this famed culinary city, but if anyone comes here with any serious plans other than to eat themselves silly for as long as they can stand it, I’d be surprised. 

Quick, action-packed weekend breaks in European cities require a hotel with a prime central location (nobody wants to be messing about with taxis or buses when there’s eating to be done) and in San Sebastián, Villa Favorita (our home for the next two nights) has secured itself a top spot. The grand 19th-century mansion house sits on La Concha promenade, directly facing directly the sandy beach and crescent-shaped bay, in the heart of the city. It’s not only a beautiful setting, it’s also right by shops, restaurants and the Old Town – almost everything you’ll want to do is no more than a 15-minute walk away. Which is a very good thing indeed, as even if you arrive late at night like us (made even later by Mr Smith not being able to turn the lights on in the hire car), you can be propped up at a bar with a Basque cider and pintxo in a jiffy. 

After finally pulling up in front of Villa Favorita, staff were immediately on hand to take our luggage and the car keys (thank goodness) so they could whisk our vehicle off to their private carpark for us. The slick service continued with a quick check-in and being escorted upstairs for a show round of our room and its various quirks, including two sets of electric blinds, a shower that required Crystal Maze-level puzzle-solving abilities to turn on, and some switches with ambiguous graphics. Pointing to a switch with a drawing of a lamp we were told: ‘pressing this does not mean we will bring you wine’; then – drawing our attention to a switch picturing a spotlight with rays emanating from its beam – ‘and this one will not turn the shower on’. As much as I love the idea of a ‘press for wine’ button in every hotel room, I wondered if guests had really made this mistake before. ‘All the time!’, we were assured.    

Our room was luxuriously cosy, leaning into the chintz end of the spectrum with lots of pastel-blue velvet, gold and black accents, and a bathroom covered wall to wall with glimmering mirrors. It’s a theme that’s continued throughout the rest of the hotel, from the patterned wallpaper in the lift to the antique furniture, which all played up the old-school glamour of the building (which was built back in 1866 after all). It may not be to everyone’s taste, but there can be no qualms about the incredible sea views from the floor-to-ceiling windows that opened onto our room’s outdoor terrace. Of the 23 rooms at Villa Favorita, 18 look out to the ocean, so we can highly recommend making the extra investment to get one. It’s a magnificent view to wake up to (and with those electric blinds, you don’t even need to get out of bed).

Before heading out for our first pinxtos crawl, there was just time to avail ourselves of the welcome drink offered to all guests in the smart ground-floor bar, which has a lovely outdoor terrace right by the promenade. Keeping it local, I had a glass of crisp Txakoli (the crisp white wine produced in the region), and for Mr Smith, a beer from hipster outfit Basqueland Brewing made in collaboration with chef Paulo Airaudo (who happens to run a two-Michelin-starred spot, Amelia, on the lower ground floor of Villa Favorita). There really are Michelin stars hiding everywhere in San Sebastián, and although we didn’t get a chance to eat there, we can attest to the excellence of Paulo’s breakfast menu, with piles of fresh local cheeses and jamón, fresh fruit and juices, and superb eggs among the many highlights. 

Exiting the bar, which leads directly on to the promenade, we were in the Old Town in five minutes (it might take you longer – we were near enough running), quickly discovering that San Sebastián is indeed heaven for hungry travellers. It’s hard to go far wrong in any of the bars, but, for our money, La Cepa de Bernardo, Bar Narrika, Jose Mari, and Bar Néstor – where we ended the night with their famous steak and tomato salad – should be at the top of your hit list. Woozy from overeating, plus a fair few ciders, it was a relief to be able to just follow the coastline and the fresh November breeze and wander along the boardwalk back to Villa Favorita – but on this occasion, taking our time.