27 July 2022

The Beautiful San Sebastián

I recently worked with the wonderful Sammy Daniels, the Operations Manager at Connect Ventures on a trip to San Sebastián for 16 people. It was an utter pleasure to partner with Sammy and she has kindly talked to me about why San Sebastián is so special and why it’s the perfect location for a company event.

Did you know San Sebastián beforehand?

I’d actually never been physically, but I had co-ordinated an event there from the UK before, so I knew how special it is.

What was the remit for the 10-year anniversary event? 

We wanted good food, wine, activities in a beautiful location in an exceptional venue and San Sebastián was the first place I thought of. It offers so much, and you can enjoy it in so many different ways.

Can you tell us about the trip and why it was such a success? 

Absolutely – I can take you through some of the highlights of our itinerary and hopefully this can help other people who are looking to go!

We landed and had a very relaxed first evening. We easily found a table for 16 of us and we enjoyed pintxos and wine. They are so affordable and delicious, and it gives you a real sense of the authenticity of San Sebastián and what it’s all about.

The next day, we went surfing on Zurriola Beach with Pukas Surf School. There were two instructors for 9 of us and they were fantastic – they took us to a safe place away from the big waves where we could learn and practice. After that, we did a pintxos tour of the Old Town. This is something I curated from research online. I built a list of the best places and what their signature dish was, and we split into two groups and went around and enjoyed the delicacies! We met up at La Vina for their famous cheesecake which was just delicious and a great way to spend a few hours!

We then enjoyed a bit of down time and in the evening headed to the incredible Kokotxa, a beautiful Michelin star restaurant where we enjoyed a 15-course tasting menu which was incredible. We were in there for hours, but everyone loved it and it wasn’t crazy money either – 120euros plus drinks each.

The next day was fab – we hiked for two hours from San Sebastián to the lovely fisherman’s village, Pasajes, and enjoyed a fish lunch and got a taxi back. This is a great thing to do if staying in San Sebastián as the mountain walk was beautiful and it’s great you’re only a 10-minute taxi ride away to get back so you can enjoy some wine with lunch! Then we enjoyed a steak dinner that evening!

Sounds incredible – lots of food!

So much food but that is what San Sebastián is about and all of it is so delicious. It is also so varied, and you can really do as much or as little as you like.

How did you find organising it all?

Well, you were a great help! You saved us so much time with your venue sourcing, answering all our questions and being so professional with all your contacts. The hotel we stayed at (Hotel Villa Favorita) were so brilliant too – especially their concierge team as really nothing was too much trouble.

Would you go back to San Sebastián?

Absolutely. It is such a hidden gem and perfect for company events or just a fabulous holiday! And we went in May which was so great as just out of peak season. People are really craving experiences and it is the most brilliant setting.