Akelarre
San Sebastián, Spain
★ Verified by our editors · October 2026
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The verdict
Pedro Subijana's restaurant on the slope of Monte Igueldo has held three MICHELIN Stars since 2007; in 2017 it gained a hotel of 22 rooms, set in five stone volumes stepping down towards the Cantabrian Sea, all of them facing the water. The architecture and interiors are by Mecanismo, and the spa runs to 800 m². It holds two MICHELIN Keys, and it is the best reason to stay outside the city rather than in it.
A dinner worth the trip and a morning with nothing but the sea in the window.
You want to walk out to the pintxo bars: the old town is about ten minutes away by car, not on foot.
Check the calendar before anything else: the restaurant closes every year from 19 December to 26 February, the hotel takes no guests from the night of 20 December to 25 February, and outside the summer the restaurant rests on Sunday evening, Monday and Tuesday.
The rooms
Twenty-two rooms and suites in three types — Superior Horizonte, Junior Suite Panorámica and Suite Océano — all with the sea in front. The suites add a small heated pool, indoor and outdoor, for private use.
The setting
On the Igueldo road west of San Sebastián, above the open sea, about ten minutes by car from the centre and five from La Concha. The cliffs below and the horizon are the view from every room.
The food
Restaurante Akelaŕe, with three MICHELIN Stars, is the reason the house exists: Pedro Subijana has cooked here since 1975. A second restaurant, Espazio Oteiza, is more informal.
Getting there
San Sebastián airport is about 25 minutes away; Bilbao, Biarritz and Pamplona are about an hour. A car or a taxi is needed to reach the city.
Good to know
The spa is for adults and has treatment rooms, a sauna, a steam bath and a heated hydrotherapy pool. Book the restaurant at the same time as the room.
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Akelarre
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