Hotel SANSEbay

Lovely boutique hotel in a brilliant location on the edge of the Old Town in San Sebastian. Walk 30 seconds and you're right in the heart of the action. Lovely helpful staff who all speak excellent English and go out of their way to help you. In our case that meant helping us make dinner reservations on both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. We paid for a slightly bigger room, which was very clean, well maintained, and comfortable. The bed was great and the vathro was a joy to use. The shower was one of the best I have used in Europe. There is a small breakfast/bar area that we only used a couple of times, but the food was great. My only criticism, and it's a minor one, was that we were staying in winter and the room was a little hot. I have no idea how they were hearing the room but I could've done with it set a couple of degrees cooler. Despite that I would have no hesitation in staying here again and would be happy to recommend it to anyone visiting San Sebastian.

Our experience at this hotel was appalling.

The rooms were extremely uncomfortable, and the noise levels each night were unbearable. Even with earplugs, it was impossible to get any sleep. When we raised this with the hotel, they refused to switch our room.

Eventually, we agreed with management that we would move to a different hotel altogether, on the clear understanding that the three-night stay (£1,300) would be refunded. However, once home, the hotel lied and denied that these conversations ever took place. They even misled Expedia with this claim. We have written confirmation from the new hotel, who confirmed these discussions, as well as receipts for our stay there.

The service we received was atrocious—dishonest, dismissive, and entirely unprofessional. The rooms were uninhabitable, and the hotel’s conduct afterwards has been completely unacceptable. I would strongly advise against staying here. To date, the hotel has completely ignored me and only partially responded to Expedia. Unfortunately, we are now having to action S75 card protection to obtain our money back. I would advise anybody not to book this hotel.

EDIT – Response to the Hotel’s Reply:

It is disappointing that the hotel seeks to deflect by alleging damage. The lamp in question was already damaged and reported shortly after check-in. It was not £350 in value; the issue was a minor securing fixture that could be replaced for a few pounds. Attempting to charge us for this was unethical and not our responsibility.

Instead of addressing the genuine concerns raised, the hotel has chosen to criticise my review history. This is irrelevant and only demonstrates the poor level of customer service I experienced. Most people post reviews when service is either exceptionally good or exceptionally poor – unfortunately, in this case, it was the latter.

The suggestion that booking via a third party justifies poor treatment is also unacceptable. Expedia has confirmed the hotel’s refusal to honour the refund that was promised in person. That is not defamatory; it is a factual account of what occurred.

To be clear: we were forced to leave after two nights because the hotel was so noisy that sleep was impossible. The hotel declined to move us and instead agreed, at their expense, that we could relocate elsewhere. That promise was not honoured, and instead an unfounded damage allegation was made to avoid a refund.

As a Platinum Expedia member who has never before encountered this kind of conduct, I find the hotel’s stance highly unprofessional. Expedia has already compensated £250 for the inconvenience and confirmed their support. My bank is now processing a Section 75 claim, meaning a full refund will be recovered with or without the hotel’s cooperation.

This entire situation could have been avoided if the hotel had kept its promises and responded transparently. Instead, the approach taken has left a very poor impression. Based on my experience, I would strongly advise others to avoid this establishment. It is of note, their response to this review, is the first communications since leaving.

The hotel location is very strategic, easy to navigate the san sebastian old town, whether for a pintxo tour or hiking the monte urgull for the beautiful sunset

Very accessible to old town San Sebastian. The redeeming factor is it’s too close toLa Concha beach and the pintxo bars that are a must to go. Clean hotel. But noise level is quite challenging especially at night. And I’m curious about the “welcome drink” that was mentioned when we did the booking… it nevwr happened. Staff could be “friendlier” Everytime we pass the reception area, no gesture of “hello”.

Cute boutique hotel in San Sebastián. It’s right on the edge of old town so you can get to all the fabulous pintxo bars and restaurants in minutes. It’s also right by the marina and our room had a nice view of the ocean.

The room is good sized with a desk, chaise, open closet, bed with plugs on each side, and a balcony. The bathroom was also roomy and the shower is wonderful. Great water pressure and love the full size toiletries.
The front desk team was friendly and helpful. They stored the luggage for us (check in is at 3pm). And you get a welcome drink! WiFi is included and worked well. The elevator was quick and we never had to wait. Taxi was able to pull right up to the door of the hotel. I was skeptical with the hotel being listed as 2star but was pleasantly surprised.

Overall cute hotel with a great location.

Just after a 3 night solo stay and this hotel was perfect. I paid €70 a night. I don’t know if that was because it was November (although the hotel was full). But I would have expected it to be 2 times that price going by the quality. Staff were really nice also which always makes a difference.

This hotel is in a fabulous location with access to everything you need
The complimentary drink on arrival was very pleasant and the reception staff were all very welcoming and eager to assist
The rooms are modern we had rooms on the ground floor which were both quiet and comfortable
Bathroom great
A pity no tea/coffee in the room
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you stay here

Enjoyed our stay here, the staff were lovely. The location is ideal on the edge of the old town. If we were to stay again we would however prefer a different room. We had an apartment which was on the top floor (an attic room), the velux windows let in natural light but we missed actual windows where we could look outside. Also this room was warm and would be hopeless during the summer months as it wasn’t air conditioned like the sitting area. The bed was very comfortable and there was a decent shower. The car parking was a bit of a carry on, the staff needed to move your car in or out of the garage which took time and wasn’t particularly handy especially if you wanted to come and go more than once a day. We didn’t try the breakfast.

Great location for exploring the old town
We were upgraded to a sea-view room.
Service was good and staff helpful
The rooms and common areas were clean and well maintained .

Great location. Very clean. Quiet. On the edge of Old Town and the waterfront. Walking distance to restaurants, shopping, bakeries, etc. 10 minutes to Plaza Cervantes.

Stayed in the Sansebay for 2 nights in October and was absolutely delighted with it. We were upgraded to an apartment which was magic. Beautiful view of the sea. The place was sparkling and very well run. Would definitely stay again.

I booked this hotel on a whim with almost no expectations, and it completely exceeded them. The property is beautiful, calm, stylish, and full of thoughtful touches. The staff were amazing: warm, attentive, and genuinely caring.

A special thank you to Iker at the front desk, who went above and beyond to help us find the hotel when nearby construction made the route confusing, especially for a couple of exhausted travelers. His kindness set the tone for our entire stay.

The location is perfect, close to everything yet peaceful, and the babysitting service was a huge bonus. It allowed us to enjoy a rare night out on the town knowing our child was in great hands.

I would recommend this hotel wholeheartedly, and if I return to San Sebastián, I will stay here again in a heartbeat.

This hotel is in a good location at the end of the bay, close to the sea , shops and restaurants.
I would only recommend if you have a sea view otherwise the non sea view rooms overlook a walkway.

We booked a standard room which was a mistake and the staff upgraded us at a sensible cost to an apartment.

The apartment was clean, spacious and ideal for a short stay, but again I would recommend asking for a sea view.

The staff are very friendly and helpful and all spoke good English which made everything that bit easier.

Lovely hotel/apartment in excellent location! The staff was hospitable and helpful. Would have loved a room with a view, but since we were out and about most of the time it was aok.

Great location alongside the old town, with views to the beach. Rooms were quiet and well appointed. Staff were very helpful. Would definietely recommend.

Great location in the old town & lovely view of the bay. Clean modern room & friendly staff. Cafe located on site for coffee and breakfast although didn’t use it. Would recommend & use this hotel again.

Rooms and common areas were clean, the location was right in the main area as well. Other listings mentioned noisiness, but we slept with the windows open and weren't bothered, however we live in an apartment and are used to city noise.

Great Hotel, great location. Really friendly and helpful staff.
Very much enjoyed our stay and are planning to book again for next year.
Really convenient for the Old Town and the Harbour and not too noisy.

Fantastic boutique hotel right in the heart of the old town. A little hard to find in the car so the hotel sent a useful video on how to navigate through the narrow streets. Very warm welcome and the room was immaculate and very comfortable. 2 minute walk to the old town for pintxos, or to the seafront and marina or to the start of the climb to the old fort overlooking the bay. Fantastic views!

Fantastic boutique hotel right in the heart of the old town. A little hard to find in the car so the hotel sent a useful video on how to navigate through the narrow streets. Very warm welcome and the room was immaculate and very comfortable. 2 minute walk to the old town for pintxos, or to the seafront and marina or to the start of the climb to the old fort overlooking the bay. Fantastic views!