Akelarre

In 1970, nestled on the hillside of Monte Igueldo in San Sebastián, Akelarre Pedro Subijana was born. Just three years after arriving, the chef received his first Michelin star in 1978, followed by the National Gastronomy Award for Best Chef in 1979. A second Michelin star came in 1982, and finally the third in 2007 after 25 years with two stars. In the 1970s, Pedro Subijana and Juan Mari Arzak were the main driving forces behind the New Basque Cuisine movement, Spain's first gastronomic avant-garde. In 2017, the restaurant expanded with the opening of the 22-room hotel, spa and a new bar-restaurant with expansive terraces.

The modern architecture and fresh interiors are the work of Marta Urtasun and Pedro Rica from Mecanismo Estudio, a Madrid-based architecture firm. The hotel construction was completed in 2017, and its modern architecture is immediately evident. Upon arrival, guests encounter floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to the Bay of Biscay and a singular single-piece metal spiral staircase that goes up one floor and down three. The modernist design scheme features materials like black marble, light oak and phylite stone. The 22 rooms span two floors built into the hillside beneath the restaurant, all with a front glass wall offering spectacular sea views.

Akelarre stands on the hillside of Monte Igueldo, just west of the iconic mountain that crowns San Sebastián. The infinite views span the entire Bay of Biscay and the Cantabrian Sea. San Sebastián is Spain's gastronomic capital: within a 25-kilometer radius there are 19 Michelin stars. Of Spain's 16 three-Michelin-star restaurants, three are in San Sebastián and surroundings: Akelarre, Arzak and Martín Berasategui. The city also offers the iconic La Concha beach, the old town with its legendary pintxos and a vibrant cultural life.