Here the interview:

How did you become chef of the hotel? 

I started working as assistant cook 15 years ago and I grew of level until I was asked to be head chef of the “Hotel de Londres”. I did not hesitate one second to take the job: it’s a big honor, especially for person born in San Sebastian, to work for this hotel.

Who is your idol or inspiration? Do you have any influence by other chefs?

In this type of job you have influences from many chefs, you can learn something from everyone, can be a small detail but important. Including an assistant can teach you any details that can then be applied in the day to day work. This aspect is also what I like about working in a kitchen. It's amazing the amount of knowledge you gain every day you spend working in this environment.

Can you describe the type of cuisine menu at La Brasserie Marie Galant?

We have a fundamental rule: always use fresh products if possible. This is the starting point for developing our kitchen that I would define seasonal with touches of other cuisines such as French and Mediterranean. We love to prepare vegetables for example. A good stew with seasonal vegetables is something that we serve a lot.

Which is the house specialty dish?

The stew with seasonal vegetables, I guess.

Which is your favorite restaurant or bar in San Sebastian that you would recommend to our customers?

Well there are many in San Sebastian, so this is a very difficult question. I can tell you: for traditional cuisine, I love the Aratz restaurant and for and haute cuisine Arzak. For what concerns bars is even more complicated, there is one at every corner and many of them are fantastic. If I have to choose I’d say the Rojo y Negro bar for special pintxos, and the Paco Bueno in the old town for the traditional ones. And of course the La Brasserie Mari Galant.

Well, the interview ends here, thank you very much for your time.

Thank you. And best regards to our customers.

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If you want to discover all the sights of this wonderful city just spend one week in here.

We would be very happy to welcome you in our hotel in San Sebastián.

So in the 70’s, a Basque cookers group gave birth to a new culinary style based on creativity, investigation and experimentation. This “author cuisine” increased the Basque recipe book and incorporated new ingredients and preparation methods. It’s from there when the gastronomy was changed and became an art and a hallmark in the city. Their cookers have given reputation and actually are recognized for this gastronomy quality by majority of the world.

In fact, three of five Michelin three stars restaurants of Spain are into the city, complemented with another great selection of restaurants with an amount of 16 Michelin stars, signal of the good daily work of these artists. This fact makes San Sebastian the city with more Michelin stars for square meter in the world.

If you are in the hotel and you want feel live and have a gastronomy experience in some of these prizewinner restaurants, here you can check the list with these 16 Michelin stars giving out in the following restaurants:

We hope you to enjoy of this culinary city and take the opportunity of live a unique experience in one of these prizewinner restaurants!

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We'd like to show you the 5 most interesting museums in the city:

There are many villages that have a special charm in the Basque country, formed by many valleys with short rivers. We give you a little summary with for us the most interesting villages around San Sebastian.

Hondarribia

Is a small coast village situated into a protected natural Txinguidi area. The principal attractions are the old part of the town, the Carlos V castle and the fishing neighborhood where you can find the most beautiful decorated houses.

Zarautz

Wonderful old town where you can visit many things like Narros Palace, Lucea tower and Santa Maria church. Near the center you will find beaches, cafes, terraces, pubs and many surfer places. It is this village that has the honor to provide you with one of the most famous restaurants of Karlos Arguiñano.

Getaria

Getaria is situated 30 km of Donostia San Sebastian, the town is located on a beautiful peninsula in between the San Anton Mountains. The great landscape and many monuments make this city definitely worth a visit.  

Zumaia

Is one of the most visited villages around San Sebastian, because of its quality beaches and the Zuloaga Museum. The beach of San Telmo and its respective cliff is a curious geological phenomenon. Other interesting places to visit are the amazing palaces, the Laia Museum, the temple and the famous San Pedro church. 

Azpeitia

Is also called the noble and loyal town, because of all its religious monuments and places. The Loyola’a Basilica is its most known monument and definitely worth a visit.

Mutriku

Mutriku has a great port built in the XIII century. The centre of the town is one of the older in the Basque country and therefore has all the charm of the Basque. Great gastronomy, nice beaches and a fantastic monument dedicated to a mariner died on Trafalgar are just a few highlights this town has to offer.

Zumarraga

This village has many interesting venues to visit related to culture, religion and gastronomy. At the highest peak of the village, you can enjoy fantastic views of the town and its area.

Oñati

Located in the south-west of Guipuzcoa, situated in the natural park of Aizkorri-Aratz, in the heart of Euskal Herria one of the most beautiful areas in the Basque country. It is the home of numerous of monuments from the Medieval era and century old chapels to visit.

Enjoy these lovely villages and the particularity of the Basque Country.

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Christmas is originally one of the most anticipated festivals of Christianity. Nowadays Christmas is a mix of religion and the tradition of the whole family coming together, have dinner and handing out presents. This year you can also celebrate Christmas completely different with all the beauty Donostia has to offer you!

During Christmas San Sebastian is full of festivals, activities and other events. We highlight some activities to do during your stay here:

The decorated streets of Donosita San Sebastian. The principal streets of the city are completely decorated with all kind of Christmas gadgets (lights, music, objects, etc.).

San Tomas festival, the 21st of December, the whole city turns in one big market where the chistorra (a typical Basque sausage) becomes the main product. The city will be filled with the smell of this delicious sausage during the day. You can also find other typical Basque products at the market, such as Basque cheese, honey, vegetables and many more.  Furthermore there is a large line up of acts and contests:

• The protagonist of this event, a pig, in the centre of the Constitution square.
• Chistorra contest.
• Scarecrow contest.
• Honey contest.
• Fruits and vegetables contest
  
  

The Olentzero, the Santa Claus of San Sebastian comes every 24th of December. He will be handing out presents to the children and fulfill all their wishes. He visits the principal avenues of San Sebastian and will listen to all the children that come to see him.  

The Cavalcade of Magi is the large parade in San Sebastian. The three Kings Melchior, Gaspar and Baltasar come together with torches, animals and music. They hand out gladness in the city. The Magi rides through the streets during the whole month of January (every day from 17.00). It is one of the principal New Year attractions for families. 

Enjoy the magic San Sebastian has to offer you during the Holidays and Merry Christmas to all of you!

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Back to the beginning of the 19th century Txakoli was a homemade wine and mostly drunk by farmers. The Basque name ‘Txakoli’ also means ‘farmhouse wine’. Txakoli nowadays knows about 90 official producers that produce around the 2.2 million bottles per year.

The wine is linked to the Basque Country, because almost 80% of the grapes of the wine consist of Hondarribi Zuri grapes that grow in the Basque Country. There are three Txakoli areas that all produce a different Txakoli wine, the Txakoli Vizcaya, Txakoli Getaria and Txakoli of Alava.

It is a slightly sparkling and very young wine that makes the alcohol percentage lower than other wines, about 10 to 12%. The colour of the wine is pale yellow and it has the intensive taste of a bouquet of herbs and flowers.

The three Txakoli areas are easy to visit from Donostia - San Sebastian and ideal for a daytrip. One of the most visited daytrips is the ‘Txakoli Tour’. This route takes visitors around several vineyards, takes you into the wineries that produce Txakoli, and offers the chance to discover and purchase the wine. The tour starts at the office of Getariako Txakolina in the village Getaria what is only 25kms from San Sebastian.

After the visitation you might become hungry, well pintxos and any other snacks are ideal with the taste of Txakoli and they serve the wine in almost every pintxos bars in San Sebastian. Be sure you drink your Txakoli in the typical small vase it belongs to and fully enjoy it!

Can’t get enough of it?

Txakoli itself also has different dates on the calendar that you can’t miss. The Vendimia day (Zarautz) in September, Txakoli Eguna (Chacoli’s day) that is celebrated 17th of January in Getaria and finally the Txakoli’s day in Aia (April) are three wonderful events that tell you everything about this amazing wine.

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Monte Urgell

The Mountain with the giant statue of Christ, the most amazing views over the beaches of San Sebastian and the old British cemetery.

You can climb this mountain yourself to follow one of the different trails there are leading to the top. When you reached the top of the Monte Urgell there is a bar to buy a refreshing drink, believe me you need it. After your drink, you can explore the ruins of castles that once standing upon the Monte Urgell and see the statue of Christ, who is looking over and protecting San Sebastian, from close by.

The Aquarium on the Monte Urgell is a great museum and an international benchmark in the field of research of marine life. You can see many different fishes, sharks and rays in the acrylic tunnel from close by.

Along the way you will find the Military cemetery, opened in 1924 as a memory for the British soldiers who died on the Monte Urgell in 1813.

Then there is also the free museum who tells you the story of the Basques at the top, but when you are not that into history there are benches to relax before you are going back down, make sure you take another route down to see the different panoramic views of the beaches though.

Monte Igueldo

On this mountain you will find an amazing amusement park, a lighthouse built of wood in the eighteenth century and again panoramic views of San Sebastian.

There are three ways to come on top of the mountain, you can drive by car or cab, you can hike and you can go with one of the oldest trains in the country (Almost 100 years old).
The little cable train will bring you to the top and back between 10.00 and 21.00 and leaves from the La Concha Beach.

Arrived at the top you will find the Parque Attracciones Monte Igueldo. This amusement park has the most exciting way to explore the panoramic views of the city San Sebastian. Namely the Montaña Suiza rollercoaster ride. It also has Carousels, bumper cars and many more.
If you prefer to have a quiet and amazing look over the beaches, cliffs and city San Sebastian you can also watch it from the lighthouse tower.

Monte Ulia

The mountain located in the east of San Sebastian, which offers you a gorgeous view from the other side of the city and beaches. One of the most romantic mountains with all the old ruins of the past.

At the top of the mountain there are centuries old whale watchers points, where they used to watch out for whales passing off the Basque. Nearby you will find the old steps of a tram used back in the beginning of the 20th century, stone skeleton of the rural house and some walls of the hotel restaurant once standing there. By walking along all these beautiful ruins, you really go back to the beginning of the 20th century.

After visiting one or of course all of these mountains, you will know more about the Basques, you will have the most amazing views of the beaches of San Sebastian on your camera and you had the most excited trips by train or rollercoaster up and down the mountain.

What are you waiting for…the train to Monte Igueldo is only a few minutes away from Hotel de Londres!

The fall weather will be kicking in any time now, so sunbathing on the beach will become something for next year. Not to worry just like you we love to spend a whole day in stores. But where do we go? We will show you the best places to shop.

In the Avenida de la Libertad, the main shopping avenue, you will find all major international and Spanish brands. Stroll down this beautifully decorated avenue full of impressive historical buildings.  In the Calle San Martín you will find shops selling brands like Chanel. In this same area you will also find shops from the popular Spanish brands like Zara, Adolfo Domingo, Mango, etc.

Donostia San Sebastian is known for its beautiful luxury boutiques. The boutiques are filled with high fashion elite items. The main street of San Sebastian, ‘La Avenida’ , starts at the Playa de la Concha and runs through almost the whole city. In the side streets of the Askatasunaren Hinbidea, you will find the most exclusive boutiques and elegant shops.

One of the first side streets is the Calle San Marcial. Here you will find one of the most popular stores of San Sebastian, Bonnie and Clyde. The store is specialized in young looking modern fashion for men and women.

When you walk a little bit further trough ‘La Avenida’ and go to the left at the Txurruka you will find one of the most popular boutiques of San Sebastian, Arbelaitz.  This boutique will provide you with many stylish accessories of famous brands as Gucci, Moschino, Armani and Moncler.

For the diehards there are also several big shopping malls in San Sebastian. They have almost everything you can imagine.

• At Plaza Irún 6 there is the Arcco Amara. A modern shopping centre that offers many stores with the latest fashion, restaurants, electronic stores and bookshops.
• On the outskirts of San Sebastian there is the biggest shopping centre of the city, Garbera, it more than 80 shops with all kinds of products.
• In Calle Urbieta stands a big shopping centre, San Martin. At the ground floor you will find the fruit stands, butcher and wine shops and the rest of the building is filled with the popular Spanish and international fashion brands.

So, from elegant shops, giant shopping malls or small but extravert boutiques… San Sebastian has it all.

I think this will keep you busy for quite a time. But beware of not taking too much home or you would also have to buy a new suitcase for the flight back.

Enjoy my favorite hobby!

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The International Film Festival of San Sebastian offers wide ranges of movie themes, including romantic, culinary, dramatic and thriller movies and also documentaries. This year there will be some amazing highlights.

Glenn Close will be at the San Sebastian Film festival to present her latest film "Albert Nobbs" directed by Rodrigo Garcia. In the film Glenn will be a woman passing as a man trying to get work in 19th-century Dublin. The San Sebastian Film Festival will be the European premiere of the movie.  We know Glenn from her roles as Femme fatale, Cruela de Vil and for her Emmy winning role in the series Damages.  And now she will receive the San Sebastian Film Festival's Donostia lifetime award for career achievement. The ceremony will be on September 18th at 21:30 in the Kursaal Auditorium.  Previous recipients of this award were American actors Meryl Streep and Richard Gere, Spanish actor Antonio Banderas and the Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann among a large list.

Many people were planning their schedules for all the fall film festivals, hoping to see the documentary of George Harrison from the producer Martin Scorsese. But not one of the big film festivals had the premiere of the documentary, San Sebastian will have it!

The documentary has been co-produced with Olivia, the widow of Harrison and will feature home movies and interviews with surviving members of the Beatles. The title is the name of the second produced solo album by Harrison after the break up with the Beatles.  This album was a revelation to his continuing mission to explore spiritual themes.

With a big wink to the Basque world there is the Culinary Zinema (Basque for cinema). What shows seven films, seven themes, seven restaurants and seven chefs.  It will collaborate on a number of gastronomy-related activities. On 18 September, the restaurant of the Hotel de Londres will be one of the priviliged to host an event, the screening of the documentary "Wine Road" with the sommelier Charlie Arthur, accompanied by specilities prepared by chef Roberto Ruiz, a delight for all.

So where can you watch the films?

There are 10 cinemas, theatres and culture stages that are showing the different categories:

• Velódromo de Anoeta the arena normally used for motor cross and concerts is now turned into an enormous cinema.
• The 3 cinemas: Cines Antiguo Berri, Cenes Principe y Cine Trueba.
• Sala de Cultura kutxa Arrasate; a popular event venue in San Sebastián.
• Salón de Actos kuxa Andia; a hall normally used for seminars, lectures and presentations will now show a lot of great films during the International Film Festival.
• Teatro Principal; the oldest theatre in San Sebastian opened in 1843.
• Teatro Victoria Eugenia, located in the most central zone of the city. The Victoria Eugenia Theatre is one of the most amazing buildings in San Sebastian.
• Centro Kursaal 1 & 2; the convention center in the middle of San Sebastian designed by Rafael Moneo.

After you watched a few movies or culinary documentaries you might have become hungry. There will be a lot of stands on the streets with plenty of food and drinks. But if you want to sit, relax and talk about the film you just saw, you should try our recommendations of Top 10 Pintxos places in San Sebastián.

Enjoy the movies!

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