5-star stay all the way.
Location:
* The location is perfect. Just south of the Cathedral of the Good Shepard with a great neighborhood restaurant/bar shopping area right outside your door.
* We stayed at Maria Jesus’s place for a month - caught the Regatta, Film Festival, and Gastronomika events. All locations for these events (LaConcha Beach, Old Town, and Kursaal) are within a 15 minute walk or less.
* Many neighborhood markets are a 5 minute walk and Mercado San Martin (one of two iconic markets in Donostia) is a 10 minute walk for the best fresh fish and meat you will find anywhere.
* Car rental is available - and simple - at Kursaal which we took advantage of for trips to Bordeaux (easy 2.5 hour drive - but you will want to stop at French Basque towns like Biarritz, Bayonne, and Saint Jean de Luz along the way), Getaria (20 minute drive), and Haro/Rioja (1.5 hour drive)
* Bus stop is a 3 minute walk away for trips to nearby towns like Astigarraga (don’t miss a lunch at a sagardotegia) or a quick trip to Mont Igeldo (if you don’t want to make the beautiful 25 minute walk along LaConcha and Ondarreta beaches).
Apartment:
* Extremely clean and very spacious for 6 adults.
* The kitchen is large enough to to cook large meals and has all of the appropriate appliances and utensils.
* The apartment can be configured a variety of ways with glass sliding doors and solid doors for added privacy. For example, the 2 secondary rooms and be configured as a suite with privacy doors from the rest of the apartment. The study can be closed entirely or opened for access from the secondary room “suite” and/or the living room. The kitchen can be completely closed (one privacy door and two sliding glass doors) for morning coffee without bothering the rest of the household.
* The terrace is spectacular - the biggest on the block - with an awning that covers a loveseat and two chairs in the event of a light rain. We spent most of our time during warmer days/nights on the terrace.
The Host:
* Maria Jesus was perfect - very communicative leading up to our stay and very responsive during our stay (although there was absolutely nothing we needed in the apartment other than her advice on the best Txakolina wineries!).