Set on the north coast of Spain, San Sebastian has made its mark on the Spanish map for a variety of reasons. Crowds flock here for the international San Sebastian Film Festival, for its designer shopping – and for its wonderful food: the city has more Michelin stars per capita than anywhere in the world, set against a very local pintxos scene – their own take on tapas, pronounced pin-chos. Pintxos is the ultimate bar food: small and delicious, accompanied by a glass or two of Txakoli (cha-ko-li), a signature sparkling white wine.
Built on the footprint of the former Astoria Cinema, Astoria7 combines gastronomy with its film heritage. Each room is named in honour of a film star or movie director who has visited the city for the annual international San Sebastian Film Festival. Guests will find 1950s style movie memorabilia throughout the hotel – old cinema posters, a line of cinema seats in the lobby – used to great effect, to create a fun but subtle interior.
Astoria7′s new three night Basque Culinary Escape combines the best of the local pintxos with a gastronomy walking tour of San Sebastian, a visit to the town of Hondarribia – with impressive foodie credentials of its own – and the vineyards of the Hiruzta Txakoli Winery.
A guided pintxos tour through the Old Town is essential to get a feel for this city. Ordering pintxos is an art in itself. Some bars have a selection of pintxos on the counters to pick and choose, while others cook to order. Most bars are busy with locals, with menus scribbled in Basque Spanish on chalkboards behind the counter. With a local expert on hand, guests can get the inside track through some of the best pintxos bars in town, eating alongside the locals in San Sebastian’s Old Town.
Set just outside San Sebastian, east along the coast, is Hondarribia, at the mouth of the river Bidasoa. The town has a long sea-faring tradition and has been declared a Historic Artistic Site – and is on a par with San Sebastian for food. Guests will enjoy a guided tour, with lunch at La Hermandad de Pescadores, a famous fish restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere, rows of tables, unpretentious service and cuisine based on fish cooked the traditional way, in its own sauce: fish soup, hake (fried or in parsley sauce), and squid in its own ink.
The Hiruzta Txakoli Winery on the way back to San Sebastian. The winery is one of the region’s key producers of this traditional white sparkling wine, over ten hectares of lush vineyards producing 100,000 bottles a year. Guests will finish the visit with a wine tasting, accompanied by local produce.
Finishing this three day experience is a walking tour through the markets of San Sebastian, learning about the flavours of food which define San Sebastian. The tour will finish with lunch at a local restaurant to sample signature dishes and pintxos.
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