Akelarre

Style

Delectable design

Setting

Basque-ing beauty

Straddling the coastal hills just outside San Sebastián, design hotel Akelarre is a perfect storm of head-turning interiors, dining worthy of three Michelin stars and a location overlooking the Bay of Biscay. Built alongside Pedro Subijana’s iconic restaurant of the same name, this hotel pushes all the right buttons to delight gourmands, wine lovers and design devotees alike. Envisioned by Madrid-based architects Mecanismo, the modernist design scheme is the perfect counterpart to Subijana’s cutting-edge cuisine; like his cooking, everything here begins with the best raw ingredients (such as black marble, pale oak and filitia stone), which have been prepared, combined and finished with the panache of a star chef at the top of his game.

Facilities

Rooms

22, including two suites.

Checkout

Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

More Details

Rates include à la carte breakfast at Oteiza, and transfers to the city centre and beaches (subject to availability).

Also

All of the hotel’s common areas – including the spa – are wheelchair accessible. One of the Deluxe Rooms has been specially adapted.

Hotel Closed

The hotel will be closed from 13 December 2025 to 20 February 2026.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Spa, gym, free WiFi throughout, laundry. In rooms: 40” TV with a Bang and Olufsen sound system and Apple TV, minibar and organic bath products by Per Purr.

Our Favourite Rooms

There are no bad rooms here – the smallest are 45sq m and they all have a regal sea view. If you’re after something really special, go for one of the Akelarre Suites, which have private stone-lined plunge pools next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. From your vantage point in the water, it almost looks like surface of the pool merges with the Cantabrian Sea on the horizon.

Poolside

There’s a stone pool with hydrotherapy jets in the spa.

Spa

Modern and minimalist, the over-18s spa is clad in textured stone on three sides, and has a wall of curving glass on the fourth. There’s a relaxation area with a sweeping sea view, a marble hammam, a sauna and three treatment rooms, one of them for couples.

Packing Tips

Bring an appetite for minimalist design and avant garde cuisine.

Children

This grown-up stay is only for guests over 13. The fine-dining and general feel make the hotel better suited to adults. Extra beds and cots are available on request, but numbers are limited.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Ask for one right by the floor-to-ceiling windows. The views present a strong case for booking in for lunch instead of dinner.

Dress Code

Smart Scandi threads will chime well with the minimalist decor.

Hotel Restaurant

Helmed by chef Pedro Subijana since the day it opened in 1974, Akelarre's legendary restaurant (with its three Michelin stars) remains one of the brightest lights burning on San Sebastián’s gastronomy scene. Subijana had originally planned to study medicine before he was drawn into cheffing, and you have to wonder if those early dreams resurfaced in the near-surgical precision that he brings to his cooking. Or perhaps his culinary wizardry is down to something else entirely: Akelarre translates as ‘witches coven’, after all. Whatever his secret, people come from all over the world to sample his dishes, which are served in a pared-back room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Bay of Biscay. Diners select from three tasting menus, all of which use local ingredients and play with traditional Basque cuisine. His other restaurant at the hotel is Oteiza, named after Basque sculptor Jorge Oteiza, a friend of Subijana’s. Both the à la carte and set menu showcase more simple dishes with strong Basque roots, but it’s still very much a fine dining experience. If it's a snack you're after, order a few of their delectable tapas. In March, April, May, October, November and December, Akelarre restaurant is closed for dinner on Sunday, and all day Monday and Tuesday. In June, July, August and September, it’s closed for dinner on Sunday and all day Monday. Oteiza is open all year-round.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served at Oteiza from 7am to 10.30am. Both restaurants are open for lunch from 1pm to 3pm and dinner from 8pm to 10pm. Akelarre restaurant is closed for dinner on Sunday and all day Monday. In low season, it's closed on Tuesday too.

Room Service

Available round the clock. Everything comes from the same kitchens that prepare the food in the restaurants, making this fine dining on your own terms. The menu includes smoked fish, an Iberian sirloin sandwich, and cod toast with olives and alioli.

Planes

If you’re coming from outside Spain, fly into Bilbao, which can be reached direct from larger UK airports. From Bilbao, it’s a 70-minute drive to the hotel. The Smith24 team can arrange your flights and transfers; call anytime, day or night.

Automobiles

The hotel’s a few kilometres from the city centre, so having your own set of wheels will come in handy if you'd rather not rely on taxis. If you do want to hire, the Smith24 team can arrange it.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

It goes without saying that the restaurant is one of the greatest pulling points at the hotel – diners come from around the world to sample Pedro Subijana’s wildly inventive take on Basque cuisine. Of course, fine dining means fine drinking, too, and the hotel's cellar is a veritable goldmine, holding at least 650 wines. If you can’t get enough of their offerings at dinner, arrange a private tour and tasting. In San Sebastián itself, continue your Basque culinary tour with a pintxos crawl. The city’s bars turn out a huge range of these traditional Basque snacks, which are usually layered over bread and skewered with a cocktail stick; locals wash them down with plenty of txakoli, the local white wine. If you wake the next morning feeling like you need to work off last night’s excess, hike up to the top of Mount Urgull at the far end of La Concha Bay. The paths leading to the summit are pleasantly shady and lined with exotic vegetation, and once you reach the castle at the top, you’ll have a 360-degree view over the city, coast and hills. There’s another viewpoint, Monte Igueldo, on the opposite side of the bay, reached by a wooden funicular running since 1912. If you’ve got time for a day trip, head to Bilbao, around an hour's drive from the city centre. A visit to the iconic Guggenheim more than warrants the time spent on the road.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .