This was a nice quiet, private place in a small quiet town. Alice and Igor were very nice and really left us on our own, but had provided plenty of information prior to our stay and in the apartment. They were helpful when my partner was sick by providing something to help her.
There were many items on hand so it was really a matter of us showing up with our personal stuff and food and enjoying the area. There is a small store in town, but only open limited hours so groceries must be purchased in Gernika, about 20 minutes away.
Enjoy the solitude and the beautiful nature around Ibarranguela, but you can also get to Bilbao to enjoy a large city and museums if you'd like. There are lots of places to hike and ride bikes in the area and the beach is a short drive from the apartment. San Sebastian seemed a bit tougher get to and longer drive.
We all have different expectations and saying this is "by the sea" is probably correct for most people since it's only a couple of kilometers, but I actually live on the sea so for me this seemed to be a little bit further than I thought it would be. If you need to stay connected to the internet this may not be the best place for you since internet access was spotty.
We had a nice time in this beautifully appointed, quiet private apartment with great hosts.