Hotel Gudamendi in San Sebastian

For a four star hotel we expected more. The room smelled like cheap room spray, it smelled awfully. In the morning people were constantly moving chairs, we could hear everything, it was extremely loud.

We wouldn’t go again.

The property itself was stunning. Amazing views, well manicured gardens, spacious pool and very clean dining area. All about 20 mins from the heart of San Sebastian. But, the rooms and the service we experienced were incredibly disappointing - especially for a hotel with a 4* rating.

The rooms were bare with no amenities. We had to pay 2€ for a kettle and source our own tea/coffee and cups. The mini fridge was empty and there were no robes, slippers or set of soaps in the bathroom (just one standard soup from a dispenser). The rooms themselves were old, but comfortable enough.

The service was the most disappointing part. At the cafe/bar they did not offer table service. We had to order our food at the bar, pick it up and clean it up ourselves. We found that they would mark tables as reserved to dissuade guests from taking tables - which is just awful. I saw the staff reject guests who wanted a simple sandwich, because the food service was closed for another 1.5 hours (despite there being 3 staff hanging out and talking by the bar with literally nothing to do). I find this odd because the location is quite isolated and could be the only source of food for guests if they didn’t want to drive to find a proper restaurant. I also believe it’s unacceptable for a 4* hotel to not offer complimentary water or coffee/tea to their guests for this reason as well. There was also no service at the pool or access to drinking water there. They charge 13€ extra for breakfast which didn’t offer any hot or freshly cooked food. Only pastries, fruits and cold cuts - again all self serve and self clean.

I wouldn’t mind these things if I chose a simple hotel. But we chose this one because of its 4* rating. I honestly can’t understand how it can hold this rating while offering what they’re currently offering. Later on our trip we stayed at a 2* hotel down in Vitoria and the services offered made us feel like royalty.