Hotel María Cristina

When the Hotel María Cristina opened its doors on July 9, 1912, it was Queen Regent María Cristina who first crossed the threshold. The prestigious five-star hotel was designed by French architect Charles Mewes, creator of the Ritz hotels in Paris and Madrid. The hotel's prosperous beginnings, during which it hosted fashion shows by Coco Chanel and many elegant celebrations, were followed by the difficult years of the Spanish Civil War, when it even became a military barracks. But it was in 1953, with the arrival of the San Sebastian International Film Festival, that the hotel went from being a renowned lodging to a universal icon. In June 1985, as part of the CIGA hotel group, a complete renovation organized by architect José Miguel Martín Herrera began, and the hotel reached its current five-star category. On July 5, 1987, it reopened with a glittering program that included a concert by tenor José Carreras. A $25 million renovation in 2012 cemented its status as the city's most luxurious hotel.

The classic six-story structure of carved stone is the calling card of an interior with all the luxury of the Belle Époque. The hotel is located a few meters from the beach, overlooking the Cantabrian Sea and the Urumea River, surrounded by gardens. The 29 luxury suites are designed in Belle Époque architecture that provides guests with maximum comfort. The Hotel María Cristina is an extraordinary juxtaposition of complementary elements: design and heritage, tradition and modernity, all these attributes coexist and define the spaces and services of one of the emblematic five-star hotels in Europe.

The hotel is located on the banks of the Urumea River, a few meters from La Concha beach, considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. San Sebastian's Old Town, with its famous pintxos, is just a short walk away. The Kursaal, an auditorium designed by Rafael Moneo and home to many Film Festival events, is across the bridge. San Sebastian is the city with the most Michelin stars per square meter in the world.