Now this is a FABULOUS hotel. The Hotel Maria Christina exceeded every expectation I had. It is one of the best hotels I have ever stayed at, and I have stayed at SO many over the years for both business and personal travel. While its beauty is beyond compare and the comfort of the room was top notch, it's the staff that really is the lifeblood of the property.

It opened in 1912 and is named after Queen Maria Christina. It evokes memories for me of the Ritz in Paris; the French architect and designer Charles Mewès was involved in both. It hosts celebrities who attend the annual film festival held in San Sebastián. In fact, there is a suite completely devoted to one if his occupants - Bette Davis.

We were lucky to secure our booking using points at this Starwood Luxury Collection property. Our beautiful, spacious room had a balcony that overlooked Playa de Gros, a gorgeous half moon-shaped beach popular with sunbathers and surfers. I loved opening the double doors in the morning and letting the sea air in!

Even better than the views was the service. This hotel is one where you want to spend time even if you are not a reserved guest; have tea in the lobby bar, eat dinner at one of the restaurants or drink lots of txakoli on one of the outdoor porches. We were determined to take full advantage of the beautiful property .

One of the best experiences we had was when we stopped at the inside bar, Dry San Sebastián, for a nightcap. We weren't sure what we wanted so asked Alex, the bartender, to surprise us. His take on a frozen gin fizz was just perfect and his knowledge of the hotel was without measure. What a wonderful capstone to a great day.

While Alex was outstanding, so was everyone else. Beatrix at the front desk managed to track down a mobile phone left in a taxi, seemingly effortlessly. The concierge booked us a table on a Monday night (when most places are closed) at Asador Portuetxe, which we loved. Ms. Balenciaga at the terrace lounge was just lovely. And Ned, the general manager, set the perfect tone of service.

As we sadly departed, the staff had hot coffee, cold bottles of water and fresh fruit for us to take to the airport. Even with the farewell, not a detail was missed.