Hotel Arima & Spa

“Perfect stay in San Sebastian”

Perfect stay with the most friendly and helpful staff. We loved the hotel, very good vibe. We definitely come back if we are in San Sebastián.

“Corporate serenity not really worth it”

We were looking to stay outside the fray of old town San Sebastián while attending the jazz festival and Arima seem to be a good bet. It’s located in a leafy, quiet suburban area of research parks and a hospital complex. Be advised there are a few dining options in the area. There is free parking a… more

We were looking to stay outside the fray of old town San Sebastián while attending the jazz festival and Arima seem to be a good bet. It’s located in a leafy, quiet suburban area of research parks and a hospital complex. Be advised there are a few dining options in the area. There is free parking along the street in addition to an underground paid parking. There is a bus (1.95€) to old town that runs every 20-30 minutes even on weekends. We arrived a half hour before 3 o’clock check in. Everyone in line ahead of us was told politely but firmly no check in until 3. We were provided a key card to operate the elevator to the cafeteria/bar 2 levels down. Okay fine no biggie. The food at the cafetería is fine and the outside terrace is quite nice, shaded by awnings and trees. The service though is a little lackadaisical. Check in was efficient and polite enough if a little perfunctory. Overall decor is contemporary, modern, lots of wood. Vibe is pleasant enough for a large hotel, they seem to be aiming for eco-serenity. My spouse and I dubbed it “corporate serenity.” We had a standard room and it had just enough room for two. Room was perfectly clean and towels nice and large. Several issues though: 1) mattress was really worn out; you could see the sags. I could feel each coil spring as it squeaked. Yes I could’ve asked about another room, my bad, but at 400€/night you expect a decent mattress, not one pounded down like at the local no-tell motel. 2) The “night” light in the bathroom is regular lighting on a motion sensor. If you turn it off per the instructions, all the lights in the room are turned off. 3) The room took over a day to reach 22° from 23° (outside high temperature was 24-25°) and the fan set on high moved very little air around. And yes we had the window firmly latched closed. Lastly at check in we were given a voucher for a 90 minute spa experience, but the 2 times I checked on Monday it was unattended. Overall I can’t say I found much value. Even if we had changed rooms, still nothing really added up to justify the price.

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“Poor sound proofing, not comfortable bed”

Bad soundproofing - we can hear loud walking and stomping sound from above floor as well as chairs moving and shower sound next room, zero sound insulation and the wall feels appear thin. Room - average. We initially got assigned a room which the wall is dirty and the bed is two twin size mattres… more

Bad soundproofing - we can hear loud walking and stomping sound from above floor as well as chairs moving and shower sound next room, zero sound insulation and the wall feels appear thin. Room - average. We initially got assigned a room which the wall is dirty and the bed is two twin size mattresses put side by side which is very uncomfortable. We booked a king size room so was very frustrated that it is not a proper king size bed as promised. Breakfast - ok. Lack vegetable options, and no variety changes during our five day stay. Only redeeming side is after complaining about the noise, the front desk lady is super nice and moved us to a second floor room which is much quieter and also with a true king size bed. We are happy about the second room.

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