Hotel Arbaso

Most of my Google reviews are about food, but I just couldn’t skip writing about this hotel. I absolutely love it. I stayed here last year and completely fell in love. The location is perfect — close enough to everything and just a short walk from the bus stop. The staff are all wonderful, and both the sauna and steam room are available to use with a quick reservation (though there was one time when there wasn’t any water). What really stands out is how beautiful the rooms are. And my favorite part of all is that they use Eight & Bob products. They don’t usually keep the hair treatment in the room, but if you ask at the front desk, they’ll bring it to you. Even just the shampoo somehow keeps my hair from getting too dry. The fridge water is restocked every day, and the room is cleaned daily, kept spotless and comfortable throughout the stay. I really hope I can stay here again next year.

Amazing experience, staff is great, super profesional, rooms are very nice, amenities, eight&bob wich is a great parfums brand. Clean, good location, super central, warm rooms, wich is important especially in the winter, we also tried their Michelin restaurant Narru, wich is expensive but it s worth it. Recomend the sole fish. Per total you need to stay here when you are in San Sebastian

I have mixed opinions on this hotel. Positive aspects: room was large with balcony, bathroom was big, excellent shower pressure, mini bar was complementary. The hotel itself is beautiful inside. The location is great, next to cathedral and a short walk to old town. Breakfast was decent. They also have an optional valet service if you arrive by car (we did). Negative aspects: the room a/c didn't appear to work, the staff had to continuously make adjustments on their end. There was no dedicated concierge, which surprised me for a hotel at this price point. No spa or amenities except a gym and a steam room (which was closed for maintenance). Staff were somewhat helpful if asked, but made no offer or suggestions as to what to see or do. While our stay was pleasant, I'm not sure we'd stay here again. We really expect much better service and amenities at this price point (~$750/night).

I understand that this is a boutique hotel, but for its not so low price point and the fact that it is still 4 stars, I expect some level of good service. During our stay, I noticed that the reception staff was not so hospitable, as you would expect from a hotel of their caliber and reputation. We had an incident wherein all the utensils and feeding gear of our baby went missing. We are 100% sure it was in our room because we don’t take it outside, and we left it in a specific spot in the bathroom for us to wash later in the day. We asked the hotel about it and for 2 days all they did was give us the same answer - housekeeping doesn’t know. We weren’t even deserving of a face to face explanation from any manager. We were bounced back and forth with the reception staff, which told us that they can’t give us any more information besides “the housekeeping looked but nothing”. It was about 100eu worth of things for our baby. We were only half way through our trip and our baby is below 1, so we very much needed our own things. No sign of hospitality. No apology even. Just a - we don’t know where it went and that’s it. I loved San Sebastián but will definitely not stay here again, nor will I recommend this place to anyone else I know.

From two people who travel quite frequently, although it was our first trip to San Sebastian. Words cannot express how incredibly impressed and blown away we were this hotel from our first steps in the door, to painfully, leaving at the end of our trip. The majority of our interactions were with the front desk staff, giving incredible reviews specifically for both Nora and Linda. They truly tailored every day and night with what we were hoping to experience, honest reviews, and exceptional awareness of our taste and interests. The hotel room was thought out with every inch in mind, a shower beyond compare, technology and lighting that I would’ve designed, and just amazing amenities that almost every other hotel forgets about. We are telling the world about this one of a kind hotel, and know that anyone who goes there will experience the same. We literally spoke last night about going back to Spain on another trip and starting in San Sebastian just to stay there again.… Nora and Linda… You were exceptional.

Great hotel in a perfect central location. Our Junior Suite was spacious, comfortable, and beautifully designed. Service was excellent and very attentive. Breakfast at Narru was also great. We truly enjoyed our stay

This is easily the best hotel I’ve stayed at. The customer service is amazing. They have thought of everything to make your stay comfortable. All the minibar items are included in the stay and there is a Dyson blow dryer in every room. Nice balcony in every room. The coffee in the rooms are excellent. Great restaurant in the lobby and close to major attractions and the beach.

Excellent hotel, the location was perfect, close to everything. We just have walked everywhere. Very helpful staff. The room was very clean, not very big, but you had everything you need. The only complaint is about water provided in the room, which was impossible to drink because of the very strong chemical taste. The minibar is a nice gesture, however. |We haven't tried the restaurant. We wanted to have a drink on our first evening at 10:30 pm, and were very rudely and unfriendly informed that all the empty tables in the restaurant are for dinner eaters only ( it was 10:30 pm!!!) and we can have a drink at the lobby if we want. So we just have done without the restaurant. I have later seen a lot of negative reviews about the restaurant, so maybe management should pay attention to it. It will be really sad, if the good hotel impressions will be put down through unfriendly restaurant staff.

I am very surprised by the low rating ... and think it's not fair to the hotel that one of the reviews gives them one star because they could not follow the hotel's cancellation policy. We did not know where to stay in San Sebastian ... and had it between the Marriott (fancy), this hotel (not too much known) and Hotel Favorita (does not allow kids). We are glad that this is the choice we made. It is a 5 minute (if that) walk to La Concha Beach ... 10 minute straight walk to Old Town ... and it is located in a district with lots of cute little clothing shops. The location was perfect, though we hoped to stay on the beach. The only downside to the hotel is that they are completely ripping up the street/plaza the hotel is on ... so the noisy is unbearably loud in the morning. Imagine a jackhammer but 3 times as powerful. Not only was the noise horrible, everything in the room vibrated from around 7:00 a.m. through 2 p.m. I would recommend getting a room on a high floor. We were on the second floor and light shined into our windows from the street lamps, which were right outside our balcony. Even though the darkening curtains, orange light seeped in at night. There is a Juliet balcony with just enough room to step out and look out on the street and the steeple. Other than that ... our stay was so unexpectedly great! The shower and bathroom was probably the best I've had in any hotel. The shower had 2 outlets ... including an overhead shower with 2 different rainfall features and a waterfall feature. After a long day of walking around the city, it was a pleasure to return and take a shower and relax. The electric bidet toilet was equally amazing! The room we booked (junior suite) had lots of space. The ceilings were very high and made the room very open and airy. The bedroom was separated by a door, so there was a lot of privacy for those in the living room or bathroom while others were sleeping. The bathroom was bigger than most hotel rooms in NYC. We were pleased to see that the mini-bar was all free ... stocked once per stay. There were local beers, waters, soda and chips. I love when hotels do this because it is a small cost but makes a big impact on feeling at home. The decor wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but regardless felt modern and open. Light woods, wood trim and dark green walls in the bedroom. It felt very Scandinavian ... sparse and modern ... IKEA-esque but all the furniture was locally made in San Sebastian. The amount of space (closet, dresser, etc.) was fantastic. When traveling with an infant, there is SO much stuff ... we felt like even after unpacking, the room was not cluttered. There isn't really a 'hang out lobby' and the restaurant on the side is small but seemed to be packed with locals. Overall, this was a very pleasant surprise and we really enjoyed the hotel (minus the noise and lights outside) ... at half the price of the Marriott, it was a great choice and I am sure the room/bathroom and size was way better than anywhere else we would have stayed. Don't hesitate to stay here ... the upgrade to a junior suite is worth the splurge.

I completely enjoyed my stay at this fabulous hotel. First, I cant say enough about this place. The staff are AMAZING. Professional, kind, helpful and they go out of their way to assist with anything. I can't send enough praise. The lobby has a real wood-burning fireplace that we sat at and enjoyed a bottle of wine two different evenings during our stay. It was very pleasant and comfortable. The rooms are very updated and the bed was super comfortable. Everything in the room was clean. They have a Marshall brand Bluetooth speaker in the room which is a very nice touch. The Bathroom and shower are incredible. A rain drop style shower head with a hand wand that made showering fun! Now for the star of the show....the bidet toilet seat was a sweet surprise and such a nice touch. A Coffee maker, small fridge, hairdryer, and safe round out the amenities. They have a nice gym, fully appointed in the basement with a steam room, dry sauna and shower area. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they include free parking with a stay there. WOW! what a nice option. I would return here in a minute and if you are looking for a place to stay in San Sebastián, you wont go wrong staying here. I can give it my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!

Be careful when you make a reservation in this hotel. One has to pay for the entire stay up front, before getting there, which is really quite extortionate. They do not tolerate any cancellations, so if by any reason you have to cancel, you lose all the money you paid, and they have absolutely no flexibility on this matter.