Hotel Maria Cristina

Hotel María Cristina es un edificio magnífico ubicado en punto central en San Sebastián cerca de La Parte Vieja (el casco viejo) y la parte romántica con tiendas y cafeterías chulas.
Nuestra estancia en María Cristina fue una experiencia inolvidable especialmente con el servicio impecable y las vistas maravillosas desde las ventanas.
¡Definitivamente recomendable!

This place can take you back in time, a time of luxury and abundance. My cousin and I decided to have a drink after dinner. We visited the Dry bar at this 5-​star hotel and rapidly felt like in a James Bond movie. We were lucky enough that it is slow season in San Sebastián and there were not many people at the bar, so we could chat with the bartender about the hotel, the bar, anecdotes, you name it. The craftsmanship dedicated to each drink was outstanding, it was like admiring and artist working in a masterpiece. Javier took the time to explain what and why he was doing on each drink he prepared while we where there. Honestly, it was a very fine experience and I am looking forward to come back to San Sebastián and visit this bar again. The service was beyond outstanding, regardless of whether you are staying in the hotel or not, this is a visit that I highly encourage. Please feel free to chat with the bartender and he would be happy to prepare a drink that accommodate your palate, that’s how good they are.

Un auténtico lujo de hotel. Situado en una zona estupenda de San Sebastián y en un edificio de principios del s XX acorde con las edificaciones de la ciudad. La remodelación que han realizado es digna del edificio y del hotel. Siempre que pudo visitar San Sebastián no tengo duda. Este hotel es el mejor de la ciudad. Evidentemente no es barato.

If you need to splurge, you better do it here. Top notch service, rooms, location, and everything in between. We were treated like royalty during our stay in one of their standard rooms and enjoyed every second we were there. Yes, it is expensive but you understand why after you stay there. We even enjoyed doing a little shopping in their kitchen/​pantry store on the 1^st floor (we tried some wine and olive oil). We even used their car service to catch a ride to Biarritz for our train to Paris. One of the finest hotels we have stayed and it truly has earned its 5 star designation.

Pros:
— Convenient location. Walking distance to beach and old town.
— great service. Spoke English
— quiet
— art exposition was on during our stay.
— updated, clean room with beautiful terrace
— large room.
— Love the bath tub with hand shower
— love the shower as well.
— breakfast buffet had many options, international and local. Beautiful room
Cons:
— no pool
— no spa
— expensive parking
Overall probably the best hotel I’ve stayed at.

Highly recommended. Even the most basic room was huge. Top notch service from valet, doorman, front desk, bellhop, chamber maid.

L’hôtel mérite son classement dans la luxury collection.
Tout y est simplement parfait.
Les chambres, toutes neuves, sont sobres et élégantes, le bar offre une décoration subtile et la salle de petit déjeuner est sublime (A nouveau merci au bar tender qui a su nous confectionner d’excellents mojito et daiquiri et a la réceptionniste qui nous a concocte un petit circuit de bars a pintxos). Enfin, N’oubliez pas de visiter la boutique du san sebastian food intégrée à l’hôtel qui propose un choix judicieux de produits du pays basque et des cours de cuisine.

This is an excellent hotel if you can afford it. However if you can’t afford to stay here please feel free and I would say obligated to go to the bar and have a drink or even better stay for the tea service which was excellent. It also has an excellent ask food store attached to it called the San Sebastian food company. They offer everything from wine tastings to Pintxos tours and even some wonderful cooking classes which my wife took advantage of. You do not need to stay at the hotel to partake in any of these activities.

Glamorous, elegant and chic. Stellar cocktails and beyond attentive service. I could go on and on but you need to see it to believe it– world class.

Honestly perfect.
From the moment we chose the hotel, through the time we walked through the front door until the second we left.
Sure, the building is absolutely stunning… but it’s the people that really made the difference.
Their concierge team helped us obtain one of the most difficult dining reservations at a 3-​star restaurant on a Saturday night.
One night upon returning to the hotel late, Alejandro kept the bar open for us even though it was well past closing. «That is for customers, you are friends» he said.
A truly great hotel should make you feel special. This does that.
Perhaps the best place I have ever been.

Hotel Maria Cristina is overflowing with old world elegance and the location is perfect for discovering old town San Sebastian. We went here for our honeymoon, and it was perfect from the moment we walked through the revolving doors like tattered vagabonds after a long journey from North Carolina.
The women at the front desk are so incredibly warm, knowledgable, and professional. We had champagne and the best cheese and fig I’ve ever tasted in my life waiting for us in our room the first day. Service is incredibly prompt, kind, and consistent.
The rooms are airy and elegant with tall ceilings, enormous and incredibly comfy beds that deserve their own street names, bright artwork, large tubs and shower pressure that will make every other shower feel like an eclipse of that shower, plus romantic details like chandeliers, fainting couches, and casement windows fit for any wayward princess or celebrity (The menu in the hotel’s excellent Dry Bar is splashed with the last known image of Bette Davis, pensively smoking a cigarette in that very bar).
In the lobby you will also find an enchanting, small shop called San Sebastian Food, impeccably stocked in the best wines, gourmet sweets, meats, cookbooks, and Basque Country culinary goods that San Sebastian has to offer. Stop in and sign up for the Pintxo Hunting tour for the foodie experience of your life (Pintxos are Basque tapas– colorful and delicious with Mad Hatter levels of imagination and flavor). Ellie was our tour guide and I still miss her to this day.
I could get lost daydreaming in this review, so I will end by saying Hotel Maria Cristina is a poetic, impeccable, special hotel that cannot be missed if you ever find yourself in the beautiful and curious old port city of San Sebastian.

What an amazing hotel! We stayed 4 nights here in our Spain/​Italy trip and I’m so glad we chose this hotel. The concierge was so helpful before and during our stay. I requested a higher floor room, and I believe we were upgraded to a roomy suite on the top floor w/​a HUGE balcony. It was storming when we were there and the room came with an umbrella we could use. Nice touch! Service is impeccable. We requested an ironing board and forgot that we had our do not disturb sign up. A guy came to our room but had to call front desk to make sure that we were ok to be «disturbed.» That’s the level of service you will get here.
The bed was comfortable, amenities were more than sufficient, everyone was friendly. Their Pintxos map was very useful (along with the list of specialty pintxos at each place) and they made great lunch recommendations for us.
The only minor complaint is that the taxi takes a long time to arrive. Even though they call the company ahead of time, we still waited 10 minutes every time we needed a taxi. But that seems to be a problem w/​the taxi’s response rather than the hotel’s request. There’s also a taxi stand a couple of blocks away so that’s another option.
The hotel is walking distance to both beaches, pintxos restaurants, the hike to the Jesus statue. Free wifi and use of printer w/​access code — handy to print out boarding passes. We stayed for about $ 350/​night in May 2013. Well worth it and we’ll definitely stay again when we’re back!

Fabulous hotel in San Sebastián that is true elegance and made me feel like royalty!
It’s ideally located next to the old quarters so walking to the world’s best pintxos is about a 5 minute walk. The bartender will give you a little map of all the good places to eat at.
The hotel in itself is so beautiful. All the décor in the lobby from the business center to the bar area is so posh and unique. The chairs are large and regal and all different from each other. Everyting that you could possibly need is within reach. Need a pen? A pen cup full of new pens right next to you. Need to throw something out? A clean trashcan under your desk. It’s raining? No problem, an umbrella bag is right in front of you. This hotel is 5 star customer service. Can I live here? Please? Pretty Please???
Our room was amazing. Call me a Queen for a day please. We had a balcony overlooking the little San Sebastián River.
Oh, and did you know I’m a toiletry whore? Yes, it’s embarrasing but true. Caudalie anyone?
I wanted to raid the maid’s cart…
I did ask for extras though =)

It was not my intention to stay at this hotel. It wasn’t even on my radar. I paid for 3 nights at Tryp Orly via
and was shocked the first night of my stay to have no control over the room climate.
said «climate control» but Tryp Orly turns their AC off and makes no exceptions. It was 80 F outside; I was up all night.
But…I’m reviewing the Maria Cristina. In the middle of the night we called all over San Sebastian to find a hotel with AC. There were others but as soon as I looked at photos on their website I fell in love with this hotel.
They only had a suite available, I was desperate, and my pockets just emptied. But… I have to say it was a totally memorable stay. The room, the view from the terrace, the food, the service… perfection!

Excellent hotel. Service was amazing. Everyone we encountered was very friendly and helpful. All of the restaurant recommendations from the concierge were a hit. This is one of the best Starwood properties I have stayed at in Europe.
Excellent location!

Fabulous hotel — LOVE! I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone & everyone. I’m so glad it’s part of the Starwood family otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to stay here w/​points. It’s very pretty and modern in this hotel. All of the staff was friendly and the concierge is extremely helpful. They even had a map of all their recommended pintxo bars. Also, I must add that prior to arriving, I received a courtesy email general information about the town including restaurant recommendations. I loved the personal touch.
It’s a great hotel! When I was there in mid May it was rainy so it was nice to hang out in a comfortable & luxurious room. Keep in mind this town is more a foodie town so there isn’t a whole lot to do.
Lastly not sure if I lucked out or if all the rooms are like this but we got a mini suite. We had plenty of seating along with the bathroom on the other side of the entry way so it felt more like an apartment. The bathroom was very nice with a tub and waterfall shower.
Great location as well as it’s walkable to a few different areas, especially old town!

Fantastic hotel in an ideal location.
Both charming and extremely comfortable, the hotel has a great look and feel with fully modern luxuries mixed in with belle epoch architecture. Typical of Starwood luxury hotels, the service staff go out of their way to make the experience a good one.
The location is also perfect for pintxo tasting in Old Town.

Love this hotel! A great combination of old world luxury with modern touches. The staff was incredibly friendly and the location could not be better.
The concierge was ridiculously kind and helpful. At one point she even stood outside with us as we waited for the taxi to arrive.
This hotel is so close to all the great pintxos in the area so stumble on over and feast!

Newly updated and renovated!
Spent about a week here while visiting San Sebastian. Absolutely loved the hotel, the impeccable service, the hip and new décor. Somehow they managed to take a larger hotel and give it a very boutique hotel feel.
In typical Starwood Luxury Collection fashion, you are treated like royalty from the moment you arrive. The beds are amazing, the views stunning and the location… première! Close to Parte Vieja where a myriad of bars and pintxos establishments will insure you don’t eat the same thing every night.
The hotel is closest to Ondarreta beach, with La Concha about a 10 minute walk away.
Good to know: If you drive, parking is very expensive! It was close to $ 35 euro a day. If you can find street parking, save yourself some $ (and treat yourself to one of the many Michelin star restaurants in the vicinity — or at least a good night of pintxos!).

Das Starwood Hotel Maria Cristina glänzt nach Renovierung und Wiedereröffnung im Juli 2012 aus allen Winkeln. Selten habe ich ein so geschmackvoll renoviertes Hotel gesehen, dass den Spagat zwischen Tradition und Moderne schafft, ohne in den Kitsch abzugleiten.
Dabei habe ich einen tollen und freundlichen Service erlebt, gutes Essen und natürlich eine nahezu perfekte Lage in San Sebastian. Klar, es ist das erste Haus am Platz und das drückt sich auch in den Preisen aus. Aber wer bereit ist, so viel Geld für ein Hotel auszugeben, der bekommt hier auch sehr viel geboten!

Es un hotel elegante donde nunca he tenido oportunidad de hospedarme pero mi padre, que de joven trabajo me contó unas cuantas anecdotas que vivió con los famosos porque como bien sabeis casi todos los famosos cuando visitan la ciudad se hospedan allí.

Uno de los mejores hoteles de la ciudad.
No tiene vistas a la baía
Es uno de los hoteles en los que habitualmente se alojan los famosos (musicos, actores etc.)
Es uno de los más caros

uno de los hoteles mas emblematicos de la ciudad, muy conocido y de categoria, gran servicio y amabilidad, precio no muy asequible

Para empezar, y para quien no lo conozca ni de oídas, diré el Hotel María Cristina es el más emblemático de San Sebastián por tratarse del único hotel de 5 estrellas de la ciudad (por lo menos hasta ahora), albergado en un edificio de 1912 de estilo Belle Epoque inaugurado por la Reina María Cristina y famoso también por ser el hotel elegido por las personalidades que acuden al Festival de Cine de San Sebastián que se celebra anualmente en el mes de Septiembre, así como por cualquier persona de renombre que pase por la ciudad. Por si fuera poco está situado en una zona envidiable: junto a la ría del Urumea, muy cerca del Palacio de Congresos del Kursaal y de la playa de la Zurriola (llamada también playa de Gros) y justo enfrente del Teatro Victoria Eugenia (otro edificio emblemático de la ciudad).
Nosotros vamos muy a menudo a San Sebastián, conozco unos 10 hoteles y un par de pensiones pero nunca se nos ocurrió alojarnos en el Ma Cristina porque el precio se nos escapaba del presupuesto En muchas de nuestras visitas pasábamos delante del hotel suspirando en plan ‘quien pudiera’. También hemos estado algunas veces durante el festival viendo entrar y salir a actores y directores de cine vamos, que era una especie de objetivo inalcanzable. Pero estas Navidades recibí un talonario de Bancoteles como regalo y pensamos: porqué no darnos un capricho y alojarnos allí? No nos lo pensamos más e hicimos la reserva. Aquí van nuestras impresiones.
PRECIO
Normalmente el asunto monetario lo dejo para el final de mis opiniones, pero creo que dado que en este hotel el precio es el mayor impedimento para la gente de ‘a pie’ empezaré por este apartado. Nosotros pagamos 200 euros (como he dicho con Bancoteles) y solo incluía el alojamiento. El IVA (7%, o sea 14 €) hay que pagarlo a la salida. Este es un buen precio tratándose de lo que suelen cobrar en este hotel.
Desde su página web puedes encontrar habitaciones por 170,00 € en plan promoción y en temporada baja. Lo normal es pagar entre 200 y 300 euros. Por supuesto durante el festival de cine puedes llegar a pagar (si encuentras sitio, claro) entre 450 y 1000 euros por noche (has leído bien: mil euros). Vamos, que precios hay muchos pero ninguno barato.
EDIFICIO, SITUACION Y ESPACIOS COMUNES
Como ya he dicho el edificio es muy bonito. La fachada es de piedra de arena muy típica también en otras construcciones de esta ciudad. Como veréis en las fotos las esquinas están compuestas por una especie de torres (no se como llamarlas, perdonad mi incultura arquitectónica) que albergan las suites (o algunas de ellas por lo menos).
El hotel ocupa toda una manzana y dispone de 130 habitaciones. La construcción hace forma de U y tiene entrada por dos de las calles principales: Calle Oquendo y Calle Argentina (que es la que linda con la ría).
Oficialmente la entrada es por la calle Oquendo que sería como meterse por el hueco de la U (queda muy mal explicado?) pero pareciera más principal la entrada que hay en la Calle Argentina, porque tras subir la escalinata te encuentras de frente con la recepción y porque suele haber un portero ayudándote a abrir la puerta o haciéndose cargo de tu maleta si lo requieres. Por la entrada de la calle Oquendo no hay portero (o no lo hubo ninguna de las 3 veces que entramos y salimos por allí) y nada más entrar te encuentras con un pasillo que lleva a mano izquierda al comedor y al bar y a mano derecha a la recepción, con lo cual de momento te quedas un poco despistado. Aunque quizás sea también la suntuosidad que ya se respira lo que deja a una pueblerina como yo un poco bloqueada.
La recepción es muy grande, con techos muy altos y columnas de marmol rosa anaranjado será imitación? No sabría decirlo, en cualquier caso dan una apariencia regia. El mostrador es a su vez muy largo de manera que pueden tratar a varios huéspedes sin incomodidades. De esta misma estancia parte una escalera majestuosa hacia los pisos superiores, con su moqueta roja con grandes flores muy visible y que le da un aire de sofisticación. (tranquilos también hay 3 ascensores para el mismo fin).
En la sala de recepción hay varias vitrinas de aspecto antiguo con productos de lo más sofisticados: productos de marca ‘La Mer’, ‘Hugo Boss’ y una lencería para mi gusto anticuada (mucha puntilla y mucha seda) pero que seguro que cualquier prendita vale más que todo mi vestuario junto. También hay unos aparadores con periódicos (algunos en inglés) y varias banquetas. Todo gira en torno a un ambiente principesco, muy ‘Belle Epoque’.
Como he dicho si te sitúas mirando a la recepción, a mano derecha hay un pasillo donde encontramos más vitrinas y más mesitas con sus correspondientes sillones y butacones que llevan al comedor Easo (donde se sirven los desayunos, no entramos y no puedo opinar), al restaurante Shaigon (no entramos pero fuera había una carta que no nos pareció excesivamente cara visto el resto de precios del hotel) y al Bar Gritti que tiene una apariencia muy