Akelarre Hotel: a contemporary palace where one can dream and eat with the stars

There are few things as exciting as seeing great masters transfer their knowledge in one field to a complementary one. And that is precisely what Pedro Subijana, one of the fathers of new Basque cuisine, has done by elevating the experience of his iconic restaurant Akelarre to a luxury hotel.

This hotel’s contemporary architecture –the work of the Mecanismo architecture studio– it is the first thing that draws attention upon entering the lobby. A sculptural staircase made in weathering steel acts as the backbone of harmony for the ubiquitous wood that can be found stretched far and wide over the building’s four floors and on the outside.

As is to be expected, the hotel’s cuisine is its strong point. The culinary offerings of its iconic restaurant, which has had three Michelin Stars since 2006, are topped off with the newly opened Oteiza – a space with a restaurant and a spectacular terrace with a cocktail bar. There is also a new cellar with a tasting room where guests can enjoy the more than 700 international wine varieties which include some of the best labels of the world.

Subijana’s five-star hotel is not just an exclusive place where you can spend the night in San Sebastián; instead, the owner has been able to create with his hotel a destination in and of itself – a contemporary palace where one can dream and eat with the stars.