The service
Friendly and assertive without being at all overbearing. We asked for a plug adapter and five different styles of the same type were brought to our room for us to choose from. The local staff are happy to chat as much or as little as you like about the city and its history and unique ways.
For families
While the vibe when we stayed was quiet and rather chic, we’re sure that the warm staff would bend over backwards to welcome babies, toddlers and little ones ( and the walls between rooms are very thick!). There are no interconnecting rooms in the hotel, however rollaway beds and cots are available.
Bathroom at Villa Soro, San Sebastian
Eco effort
Shower gel bottles and the like are kept in the more hardwearing ‘pet plastic’ bottles so they can be reused, hot water is partly generated by solar panels and most food served at breakfast and supper is locally sourced.
Accessibility for those with mobility impairments
All rooms are wheelchair accessible and there is one room with no architectural barriers. The restaurant, bar and lounge are on the ground floor, while the gym and spa are accessible via lifts.
Upstairs at Villa Soro, San Sebastian
Anything left to mention?
While a little road noise can be made out from the roomiest rooms at the front during the day (your first-world sacrifice for having the biggest windows and terraces), it is sleepy quiet come nightfall, and the drive and long front garden create a sizable safe space between the mansion and the road below. Frankly, considering this is a city hotel, it’s amazing that the sounds of the streets are not more audible. (And you can always take one of the rooms in the converted stables, even further back.)
A meeting room in its former life, there is now a very sleek and even quite inviting small gym on the lower-ground floor, with cool white walls rather than traditional steamy glass. There’s also talk of personal trainers and maybe a running club kicking off in 2023.
Hotel address: Villa Soro, Ategorrieta Hiribidea, 61, 20013 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, San Sebastián, Spain
Prices from: £126 per night
