The Gentleman whisked me away for a surprise birthday weekend for the second year in a row. Feeling like the luckiest girl in the world, the destination remained secret even until we landed! (Think standing backwards at the gate with earphones on blast!) I only found out when we landed next to a giant Bilbao sign! So fun. The next stop was to rent a car and drive the hour to San Sebastian, which was the number one place on my Euro travel list I had not yet been. Turns out the Gentleman had his own mucky adventure there so we were anxious to start fresh, massive Atlantic storm Darraugh that raged outside be damned.

He’d booked the Catalonia Donosti hotel which had a simple, but elegant lobby with large bistro just to the side. Not pictured, a floor below, was their incredible gym and spa. While not included in the room rates, it is definitely worth the price of admission and hands down the best hotel spa I’ve been able to enjoy. The whole thing was modern and pristine in cleanliness. Sauna, steam, cold plunge, hot/cold showers, and jacuzzi pool with lots of fun water features made for several cozy afternoons that helped warm us from being beaten by the hurricane strength wind and rains. One day we even went twice!

We had an ocean view room and I guess with a squint and not on such a stormy weekend you could see it better, but the glimpse of the town below was nearly as charming.

The room was fairly large and featured a comfy bed with lots of lighting settings.

There was a well stocked, well placed coffee and mini bar that got plenty of use.

And of course the bathroom was bright and spacious including a huge rainfall shower that rivaled that of the spa’s sans light and scent shows.

Overall, I was really impressed with this hotel. The attention to detail with the cleaning was top notch and it all felt very fresh and new. It’s about a twenty minute walk to the center of old town but the neighborhood was quiet with a great vantage point. I’d definitely stay there again, if just for the spa!