Abba San Sebastián Hotel

We enjoyed our stay and would come back. The hotel was clean, and everywhere we wanted to go was within about a 15-minute walk. There’s a rooftop sunbathing area, a gym, and a bar downstairs, plus reception is open around the clock. The amenities are limited, though. There are two entrances, one on the road and another by the Urumea River, close to the Dona Katalina Zubia. Staff were friendly and smiling. I’d suggest checking the remote batteries before guests arrive: ours needed replacing, and the new ones didn’t come until the following day. We were three people but only had two water bottles and one dental kit for several days, so a few more would’ve helped.

We booked four rooms for three lovely nights, and ABBA even remembered my birthday. The staff, from reception through the restaurant, were wonderful. They also accommodated us with an early start on departure day for Sevilla, which we really appreciated. Breakfast was simple and tasty, with bread, tortillas, assorted ham and jamon, eggs, fresh juice, pastries, cakes, good cheesecake, and churros. Our rooms were beautifully furnished, though the bathroom flooded when we showered. We arrived close to 11 p.m. after a 5.5-hour HSR ride from Madrid, so we had to wait until the next day to change rooms. The replacement was a good one. We were delighted to find a bidet at a European hotel. We’re used to our TOTO at home, and despite years of travelling around Europe, I hadn’t come across one in another hotel. It was supposedly low season, but Spain never felt quiet to me. I kept finding crowds when I wanted to take photos. It was the first of three hotels at the beginning of Part Two of our Spain holiday this CNY.

The view was wonderful, and the location made it easy to get to activities and venues. The rooms also had good technology. We did have centipedes and ants in our room, and it took two days before the problem was dealt with. The hotel manager didn’t respond to what was happening. The woman working in the bar upstairs and downstairs was AWESOME and really helped us through our two-week stay. Ariel was helpful too. He was new to the property but did everything he could for us.

Our corner room had a balcony and felt airy. The hotel itself is lovely and within walking distance of the sights around San Sebastián and the bus station. Service was good, if a little transactional, but we had no problems.