Hotel Maria Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Sebastian

Hotel Maria Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Sebastian

Hotel Maria Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Sebastian opened in 1912 on the bank of the river, designed by Charles Mewes, the architect behind the Ritz hotels in Paris and Madrid. That combination of river setting and sea views made it the choice of international high society from the start, and the 139-room hotel has kept its city-center position ever since, a short walk from Plaza de la Constitucion, San Vicente Church and San Sebastian City Hall. Rooms are individually decorated, with pillowtop beds, down comforters, minibars and LED televisions; some look over the garden, others over the river. Downstairs there's The Gallery restaurant, a bar, and 24-hour room service, plus a spa, sauna, gym and diving club for anyone who wants to do more than sit still, and a library and mini golf course for anyone who doesn't. Bikes are available to rent, and pets are welcome for a fee. Staff speak English, Spanish, Italian and French. Business travelers get a 597-square-meter conference hall and dedicated meeting rooms. The hotel holds Green Key certification, a detail that separates it from most grand hotels of its era, which rarely bother. This suits people who want the formality of an old grand hotel, doormen, concierge, bathrobes and slippers, and don't mind paying extra for parking, airport transfer or a second breakfast. It will read as stiff to anyone chasing a stripped-back boutique stay. What no other hotel in San Sebastian can claim is Mewes himself: the same architect who built the Ritz in Paris and Madrid built this one, on this riverbank, in 1912, and it has not moved. Built in 1912 by the architect who designed the Ritz in Paris and Madrid, this 139-room hotel sits on the river in central San Sebastian, near Plaza de la Constitucion. Expect pillowtop beds, a spa, a diving club and Green Key certification, not a stripped-back boutique feel.