Mercure San Sebastián Monte Igueldo — Hotel in San Sebastián

Stayed in a premium room 2.17||Pre-arrival: total radio silence|We had emailed the hotel several times over the course of two months with questions and requests. Not once did they reply. No confirmation, no clarification, nothing. That lack of communication turned out to be a perfect preview of what was to come.||Check-in: robotic and inflexible|We arrived just after 13:00 and hoped to access a room early or at least use the facilities. That was wishful thinking. The woman at the front desk said no to everything. No early check-in, no use of the gym, no access to the pool. We were told to sit and wait in the lobby until exactly 15:00. No empathy, no alternatives, just policy.||Gym: aged and in unacceptable condition|When we finally got access after check-in, we found a tiny, hot room with no air conditioning and no water available. The equipment is around 18 to 20 years old, poorly maintained, and everything squeaks, wobbles or feels unstable. Most machines were so filthy that we had to use a towel on every surface just to feel comfortable touching them. While we were there, two maintenance workers were rewiring the room. Cables were spread across the floor with no warning. “Come back in 10 minutes,” they said, as if that solved anything. The next day, the same cables had already snapped again and the machine they had worked on was broken once more. At this point, repairs are a waste of time and money. Full replacement is long overdue.||Room: a confused blend of cheap upgrades and 1980s leftovers|Our “premium room with bay view” (room 2.17) had clearly been updated in places, but those efforts are undermined by what remains. The glass nightstands are crooked and feel like they belong in a nursing home. Lamp shades are tilted, cables are scattered across the floor, and the room feels cluttered and cheap. Nothing about it felt premium.||Bathroom: straight out of the past|The bathroom reminded us of something you’d find in a house that hasn’t been touched in decades. The showerhead looks like a plastic one from a discount store. The tub is tiny, the shower hangs so low you have to crouch, and we found hair in the bath when we arrived. It’s dated, impractical, and far from clean.||Minibar: empty|Just an empty fridge. No drinks, no snacks. Again, this is something you expect in a budget hotel, not at this price point.||Bed: outdated and uncomfortable|Instead of a proper duvet, we were given old-school woollen blankets. This is 2025. No one wants to sleep like this in a four-star hotel.||Balcony: crumbling and misleading|Yes, the room technically has a view of the bay — but only if you step to the edge and lean around the corner. The stucco on the walls is falling off. Cracks and water stains are clearly visible. It looks neglected and uncared for.||Wi-Fi: non-functional|We couldn’t even get the login page to load. In-room or lobby, it didn’t matter. The Wi-Fi simply didn’t work at all.||Pool: great location, terrible everything else|The pool is beautifully located with a spectacular view over the bay. But the condition of the facilities is appalling. Parasol bases are rusted and broken, many parasols lean or no longer function. Several loungers are broken or sagging, making it impossible to sit upright. The so-called wellness features — like the broad stainless steel water jets — were initially off but later started working. Still, the general feel was one of decay.||Pool hours: bafflingly short|In Spain, where dinner starts at 9pm and life begins late, this pool closes at 20:00 sharp. Why? No explanation. Just another rule with no room for reason.||Pool staff: more enforcement than hospitality|Need a second towel because the first is soaked? Forget it. The staff at the pool are cold and rule-driven, not guest-focused. Everything is rigid. Nothing is possible.||Bar service by the pool: clunky and outdated|You can’t charge drinks to your room. You must pay by card. When I went back to get my card, the payment terminal didn’t work. It took several tries, multiple errors, and a growing line of waiting guests before the machine finally processed the transaction. The woman behind me joked, “Maybe we have to wash dishes to pay here.” Honestly, it didn’t feel far off.||Breakfast: chaotic and poorly managed|At first glance, the buffet seems generous. But the staff simply can’t keep up. Guests are left searching for cutlery, grabbing plates from a rolling cart, or standing in line for bread that never gets restocked. Tables are not reset after use. Instead, they’re clumsily patched together one by one with placemats and silverware, only when a guest asks. It’s inefficient, awkward, and creates a feeling of constant disarray.|||Conclusion:|This hotel may look impressive in photos, but the reality is something else entirely. Poor communication, zero flexibility, outdated rooms, broken facilities, uninterested staff and a deeply unwelcoming atmosphere. There’s nothing four-star about this experience apart from the view — and you’ll need to lean over your balcony to enjoy even that.||We left feeling frustrated, misled, and honestly a bit sad that this level of service is what Mercure and Accor are apparently willing to put...

Lack of training / leadership with no viability of management. Frustrating hotel with such potential.

Positive & more neutral observations initially:

The views (positive) Upon arriving at the hotel you’re taken aback by the views, both onto the bay of San Sebastián & to the sea. I would imagine this is the best view in the city - other tourists arrive at the top of Monte Igueldo for the view itself.

As well as the hotel at the top of Monte Igueldo there is a family mini theme park (opens 11am) which had lots of fun activities & would be a pleasant addition to many.

First impression of the hotel is impressive. You enter a large lobby with stunning views looking out to the sea.

The Room (neutral) We had a Privilege Room with Balcony & Sea View. The view was 10/10. Facilities were basic with no mini bar, although you could order. The hotel is clean with rooms changed daily. However, the aesthetics of the hotel make it noisy with other guests easily heard.

Location (neutral) The flip side of the views - in order to have these, you are scarifying the location to some extent. There are a few options to travel down to the bay.

Taxis - you can order a taxi at reception, wait time of 10 to 25 minutes (the longest we waited). Costs between €12 & €15 to get down to the bay. You could order a taxi and then have a quick drink in the lobby, taking in the view whilst you wait!

Funicular - runs every 5 minutes. Costs €5 per couple for a return trip (more expensive if you don’t stay at the hotel). The funicular stops operating at 9:30pm and it takes around 5 minutes to ride up or down. If you took this option and still wanted to get to Old Town, you would have another 25 minutes walk via the beach when you got off the funicular.

The Pool (neutral / positive) The pool is big with plenty sun beds. Opens at 10am, so not ideal if you like an early swim before you head out for the day. The pool was the main reason we selected the hotel as others in the city were either very small or lack of hotels with pools.

Now some of the less favourable parts. In insolation they may not seem too bad, however they compounded throughout our week and have a common theme (see title of the review!)

Check In / Reception (negative) I read previous reviews of the poor check in experience and must admit ours wasn’t fantastic. It was slow, didn’t seem to know what they were doing or how the check-in system worked. We were not explained anything about the hotel, where the pool was (it’s the 4th floor btw), the gym (rubbish), the breakfast or restaurants… we weren’t even told where the lifts were. Off you pop, go figure everything yourself….! Fine - we were just happy to be there. (Training of staff?)

When we got to our room, we opened the door and 2 housekeeping staff were still cleaning the room (it was 4:30pm). No big deal - we waited around for a few minutes in the corridor to allow them to quickly finish up. (Communication between reception & housekeeping?)

Throughout our trip, reception interaction was always frustrating. Most times someone wasn’t there / visible.

The Pool Bar (shocking) After check in, we ran to the pool to get the last few hours of sun after travelling. There was one person working; taking orders, pouring drinks, making food, handling payment, cleaning up… A slush puppy machine plugged into a socket on one side of a poorly equipped/stocked/maintained kitchen with the wire stretched across the other side, in front of the door, at knee height! A casual pole vault needed each time they came out with food! Another guest commented ‘Faulty Towers’. And it was (Training? Basic management oversight?)

The Pool Bar opens at 11am. The service & quality of food throughout was so poor (and expensive!). The worst pool bar we have experienced.

We had other poor experiences with the lobby bar, and again pointed to lack of training for staff.

In our opinion, this hotel is reliant on the view and has forgotten about the customer experience &...

Updated version:

We travel often and know what to expect from a four-star hotel, especially when paying over €430 per night. Mercure Monte Igueldo did not just underdeliver, it actively frustrated us from the moment we arrived.

Pre-arrival: We emailed the hotel several times over two months. Not once did they reply. No confirmation, no clarification, nothing.

Check-in: We arrived just after 13:00 and asked for early access or use of facilities. The answer was a robotic “no” to everything. No empathy, no options, no gym access, no pool access, just rules. We were told to wait in the lobby until 15:00.

Gym: Once checked in, we entered a hot, windowless room with no air or water. The equipment is around 20 years old, wobbly and dirty. We used towels to touch anything. Two workers were rewiring the space, cables across the floor. “Come back in 10 minutes,” they said. The next day, the same machine had failed again. Repairs here are pointless.

Room: Our “premium room with bay view” (2.17) had new touches, but the rest felt like a nursing home. Crooked glass tables, tilted lamps, cables everywhere. The minibar was empty, and the balcony “view” required leaning over the edge. Not premium in any sense.

Bathroom: Dated and cramped. A plastic showerhead, low-hanging fixture, and a tub so small you couldn’t stand properly. We found hair in it on arrival. A sad setup.

Bed: No duvet, just old itchy blankets. This is not what you expect in 2025 at this price point.

Balcony: Stucco falling off, visible cracks and water damage. Clearly neglected.

Wi-Fi: Useless. The login page didn’t even load.

Pool: Gorgeous view, poor everything else. Parasols rusted and broken, loungers collapsing. The water jets eventually worked, but initially didn’t. The entire space feels forgotten.

Hours: The pool closes at 20:00 sharp. In Spain, where life begins late, this makes no sense.

Service: Pool staff are rigid and uninterested. Asking for a second towel? Denied. Want to charge a drink to your room? Not possible. The card terminal failed multiple times. A guest behind me joked we’d have to wash dishes to pay. It wasn’t far off.

Breakfast: The buffet looks decent, but the execution is chaotic. Staff can’t keep up. Guests grab plates from carts, cutlery is missing, bread runs out and doesn’t return. Tables stay unset unless asked. It feels understaffed and unorganised.

Conclusion: The view is spectacular, but that’s where the magic ends. The hotel is inflexible, outdated and poorly maintained. It hides behind four stars it no longer deserves. We left disappointed, misled, and wondering how Mercure or Accor are still attaching their...