We had an incredible experience with Nadege, she was an amazing tour guide of the Basque Country…read more She spent a whole day, she took us to the small Basque towns on the France side and then we crossed over the border to San Sebastián. This town was exquisite and we enjoyed such a wonderful day. Nadege explained the history of both the French Basque Country as well as the Spanish side of the region. It was spectacular to see the view of the beach from above, an amazing view from the Hotel Londres , up on the mountain. We sampled Pintxos, fabulous Foie Gras that melted in our mouth. Also Cheese Cake that was smooth and delicate and delicious!

FIRST WORD, ELI! Second WORD DELICIOUS FOOD TOUR-PINTXOS!…read more We were fortunate enough to experience Mimo in multiple locations and they all had their super stars, but ELI was and is FANTASTIC! THIS WAS THE BEST TOUR AND EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!! I will absolutely book them again. There are not enough words to express my happiness and appreciation of the MIMO SAN SEBASTIAN EXPERIENCE. I am looking to bring my family back to experience this! THANK YOU ELI

MIMO Bites Experience is the most amazing culinary academy. My husband and I have been going every…read moreyear twice a year since 2020. The school has experienced lots of changes and all for the better. If you love to do something amazing and love to cook or eat this is definitely for you. The team is composed of very experienced chefs, who love to teach and go out of their way to create an unforgettable experience for you. Lara, the office manager goes out of her way to make you and your guests happy. While the classes are awesome, there is another side to the school, you can book the entire place for team building or team rewards, rehearsal dinner party, birthday celebrations, etc. If you go to San Sebastian, one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, make MIMO a stop on your journey. Enjoy your stay

I spent the first morning with Julen in a fishing village where their annual festival was kicking…read moreoff. You had to get there by boat and then had a blast with the locals running with the Bulls. Not as chaotic as Pamplona but it was crazy non the less. From there were had the pleasure to visit the preservation project of an early whaling ship from Basque Country, the San Juan at Albola. Day 2 was a drive to Basque Country and the wine region of Rioja. We stopped at 2 great wineries, Julen tried to arrange tour guides who spoke a little English which helped me a great deal. See some of the amazing pictures below. It truly was a fantastic time and without Julen I would have never even known of the options available to you while visiting San Sebastián. Aupa Hi is a great guide, someone raised in the area who is kind and outgoing so has many friends in the area and can customize your experience to exactly what you want to do in Basque Country. I highly recommend Julen and will point all of my friends his way if they were to pass through the area. Aupa Hi!!!

Fantastic Day and a Great Way to see the True Basque Country…read more Our family of 4 (including two teenagers) had an incredible day with Julen from Aupa Hi! Julen is a dedicated, caring, passionate and excellent tour operator. This was apparent to us from the start when Julen wanted to meet my entire family, over pintxos, the day before to go over our entire itinerary. We chose the Coast, Wine & Fish tour which allowed us surf at a remote beach, visit a vineyard/cider house and cook as a family two types of paella and grilled tuna with Julen (who is also an impressive chef). We had to prepare two different types of paella as my son is allergic to shellfish - this was never an issue with Julen. From the prompt morning pickup at our apartment, Julen drove us out of San Sebastian and along the coast providing us with incredible views of Basque Country. From our drive, we arrived at a fishing port where we experienced an "old world" fish market (including auction house). At the fish market, we picked up all the seafood we would need for one of our paellas (clams, prawns, calamari, etc.) as well as fresh tuna to grill. After the fish market, we headed to the vegetable and bread markets to get the remaining ingredients for both our paellas (the other was a chorizo and chicken paella). Since we were outside of San Sebastian and in true Basque Country, it was incredible to just stroll along the cobblestone streets going from store to store. A real "old world" experience that you don't see too often. My teenagers were really impressed. Once we were done shopping, we headed to a local and remote beach to do some surfing. Julen was great with his instructions and was totally confident that everyone would be successful surfing. My teenagers did great and took a ton a video to prove it. After surfing, we headed to a family owned Txakoli vineyard and cider house. We were greeted by the owner, Antonio who welcomed us in just like we were family. We learned the art of pouring and drinking cider. We also toured his vineyard and bottling operation and drank plenty of Txakoli before, during and after dinner. At the vineyard is where we prepared our paellas and tuna with Julen. Everyone in our family had a job in preparing the meal. It was a real fun experience for our family. After a long day, it was nice to sit down and eat with Julen and Antonio and learn about life in the Basque Country. We had a lot of laughs and at the end we really felt like family. At the conclusion of the meal, we toured more of the property, including a really neat cave that Julen says goes on for miles. We just went in about 200 yards. As you can tell, we had a great day with Aupa Hi! and Julen was fantastic! I really recommend spending a day or several days outside of San Sebastian to really enjoy the true Basque Country! This tour was the overwhelming favorite by our entire family during our 11-day trip to Spain!

Fun old school ride up and/or down the mountain. Cheaper to go down than up, lol. Great views at…read morethe top with an old school amusement park that was unfortunately closed when I went.

This is the best view of San Sebastian! Our group enjoyed a walk to the funicular on a hot summer…read moreday. There was a bit of a line to get in but everything moved fairly quickly. We didn't all fit in one car so it was some what of a rickety solo experience for most of our group. There's an amusement park with a bar at the top and we enjoyed the view over cocktails. The price of admission is well worth the view of the city.

Came by as I was walking towards the beach. Had a glass of moscato along with the lobster empanada…read morewhich was so delicious, it was hot and flavourful. Perfect for a hot summer day. Over looking the beach, this was a perfect snack! Definitely recommend :)

Best hotel in San Sebastián. Attention to detail, great location, food and drink delicious. The…read morescramble eggs were so good. Had the terrace room and did not need to leave much. The technology is new and again too service. Definitely staying here again.

Stay here and pay for a room with a water view. A friend and I stayed in a Junior Suite with one of…read moreus on the sofa bed and the other in the bedroom. It was a perfect set up! We both had closets and we could shut the door between the two areas when we needed privacy. We stayed in Room 111 which had a balcony with chairs and a fantastic view of the water and the promenade. The windows were also fantastic. When they were open, we could hear the lively noise of the promenade but when they were closed we couldn't hear a thing. The bathroom was also very nice with a bidet attachment to the toilet. The toilet even had a motion-activated night light. The shower was a little difficult to use without flooding the bathroom. The breakfast buffet was outstanding with lots of pinxtos, fruit, hot food, cold food, and pastries. My friend is a vegetarian and she found plenty to eat. One night we ordered room service and the food arrived within 20 minutes and was very good. The front desk people were also very helpful answering questions we had. The only negative was that we couldn't get the coffee maker in our room to work.

Awful. Rooms on non-seaside, street side noisy with construction going on across the street. If…read moreyou wish to use pools or workout room they charge extra. Avoid.

Formidable, great. I consulted them about facilities in advance of my visit and they were…read moreresponsive and informative. We stopped in to the office on square near the center of town and got maps and help. The best?! Even after we had returned home they took the time to assist in a correction with a local merchant. Professional, knowledgeable, courteous. A reason to visit Biarritz by itself. (But don't miss the walk along the beach and the cliffs, rocher de la vierge.)

Unparalleled Service at One of the Most Beautiful Hotels in the World…read more While every review of Akelarre already highlights the breathtaking beauty of the resort--the striking architecture, stunning views of the Bay of Biscay, and the intimate luxury of a small number of suites--I want to echo that this property is truly exceptional in every way. But what really sets Akelarre apart is the level of personalized, world-class service that goes far beyond even five-star expectations. From the moment we arrived, the concierge team was always available, incredibly responsive, and genuinely warm. Every staff member seemed to know us by name and made us feel completely at home. It's rare to find service this intuitive and consistent. A standout moment came on the first day of our stay, during what turned out to be one of the worst power outages in Spain and Portugal's history. Remarkably, we didn't even notice--the hotel's private backup generator kept everything running smoothly. But when the staff tried to confirm our lunch reservation and taxi, they couldn't get through to any vendors due to the blackout. Without missing a beat, Lucie graciously offered to drive us to the restaurant in her own car. She walked us in, explained the situation to the staff, and didn't leave until we were seated with wine and appetizers. That level of care and thoughtfulness is rare and deeply appreciated. It turned an unexpected hiccup into a memory we'll treasure. We came here for a special occasion--our 40th birthdays and our anniversary--and left feeling like we'd been guests in someone's home. Akelarre is more than just a luxury hotel; it's a place where every detail is intentional, and every guest is treated like family. Could not recommend more highly. We can't wait to return.

This hotel is unparallelled in both its views, service and facilities. The rooms have the finest…read morelinens,mattresses, furniture,fixtures and appliances. The finishes are flawless, i simply could not suggest any improvements. I was loathe to leave the hotel, or my room, during our 3-night deluxe room stay. Yet we did and staff made arrangements. The breakfast featured local basque favorites as well as international standards served with refinement. Every staff member was top notch. Quiet, serene and breathtakingly beautiful.