Food and restaurants are some of the first things I look for when planning a trip, before I even settle on a vacation destination. Luckily for me, I have a friend group that’s very much on the same page, so when we were deciding where to go for our annual October group trip (arguably the best month to travel in much of Europe, in my opinion) it was pretty much a unanimous decision that San Sebastián was the place for us. Regularly named as one of the top cities for food in the world, we knew a long weekend bar hopping and tucking into plates of pintxos in a beachside setting would be ideal.
When looking for somewhere to stay, we ideally wanted to be close to the beach but within walking distance of the town for lunch and dinner. We are three couples, so we needed a three-bedroom place with enough space to cater to us all. Affordability was also a key factor, as we weren’t looking to splash out on hotel rooms, which is why we were sold when we found this modern, spacious apartment in an ideal location; just two minutes from the beach, and an easy 15 minutes to old town.
In truth, this is a place we booked almost entirely for the location and price, so I didn’t really think much about what it would be like until we actually got there, and were pleasantly surprised by the sheer size of the apartment; three decent sized bedrooms (one with an en suite bathroom), a spacious open-plan kitchen and living room and—my personal highlight—a small balcony overlooking the busy street below. I love to imagine what it must be like to live like a local when I travel, and this apartment in a residential street afforded me that opportunity. Having a morning coffee on the balcony and watching the world go by was a real highlight of the stay.
The property is managed by a group, rather than owned by an individual. In all honesty, this would usually deter me from booking, but unfortunately we left it a little late to book and given San Sebastián’s incredible popularity, we were left with few options. But there were certainly benefits to using a larger company: speedy responses, a professional manner throughout booking, and even a tailored list of things to do and restaurants delivered to my Airbnb inbox before we arrived. While I was a little frustrated to find that I needed to download an app to access the apartment (who needs another app?), I was pleasantly surprised to find that it did feel like there were some personal touches in the apartment: a welcome note and a magazine with local tips left on the dining table.
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