With all the deep-pocketed gourmands descending on gastronomic hotspot San Sebastian, it’s odd that the city has not had, until now, a bona fide five-star boutique hotel. Happily, Pedro Subijana, the chef and owner of the much-lauded Akelaŕe has taken matters into his own hands and opened a 22-room retreat right next door, overlooking the Cantabrian Sea.
Madrid practice Mecanismo Estudio has lined the public spaces with slatted timber screens, white-veined black stone, and low-slung broad-backed armchairs. The bright spacious rooms – furnished in cool pastel tones, marble and oak – feature a private balcony, while the ground floor suites are anchored by plunge pools. Dragging yourself from the hotel’s stone-lined indoor pool and spa is a struggle, but you won’t regret heading next door for Subijana’s inventive menu incorporating local fish and Iberian meats.
ADDRESS
Padre Orcolaga, 56
Igeldo
-
The Nomos Worldtimer watch keeps the design-conscious traveller in the zoneNomos Glashütte enters the world of worldtimers in style – discover the watch
-
London calling! Artists celebrate the city at Saatchi YatesLondon has long been an inspiration for both superstar artists and newer talent. Saatchi Yates gathers some of the best
-
Mark Ronson and Raye team up on jazzy summer anthem, 'Suzanne'The collaboration came about to mark 150 years of Audemars Piguet
-
At the Palace Madrid, an old soul gets new sparkleOnce a haunt for intellectuals and artists, Madrid’s grand dame navigates a new era of luxury following a four-year-long renovation by Lázaro Rosa-Violán Studio. Here's what to know
-
Sun-soaked European destinations to visit in springDreaming of Florentine palazzos and Greek islands now that the weather is starting to turn? Check into one of these beautiful European hotels and holiday homes
-
Esperit Roca is a restaurant of delicious brutalism and six-course dessertsIn Girona, the Roca brothers dish up daring, sensory cuisine amid a 19th-century fortress reimagined by Andreu Carulla Studio
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designThere’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
‘I explored Benidorm with an open mind’: the famous Spanish seaside town is captured in a new photo bookFrom neon lights to pink sunburns, photographer Rob Ball turns his lens on Benidorm to see what remains of a ‘pan-European holiday utopia’
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Brach Madrid: a hotel of love and passionBrach Madrid, part of Evok Collection, is a charming city-centre bolthole designed by Philippe Starck
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
The most whimsical hotel Christmas trees around the worldWe round up the best hotel Christmas tree collaborations of the year, from an abstract take in Madrid to a heritage-rooted installation in Amsterdam
