When the question arose as to where to go for my birthday this year i had no hesitation in responding ‘San Sebastian’. Damned if i knew why i thought the weather would be temperate and the beaches were great. Sam saw it a mile away though… Anthony Bourdain, foodie blogs, shows, travel articles and stuff I consume have left quite a subconscious mark. Gourmands paradise, highest number of michelin stars per capita in the world… we (mostly i) ate pretty damned well.

Whilst it wasn’t very warm, the coastline is beautiful and the beaches would be lovely in summer and there were plenty of surfers braving the cold swells. We drove in from Biarritz and as usual got lost looking for the centre of town when the Spanish signs were replaced by Basque ones, luckily chanced across our hotel by way of a sign for restaurant we’d read was up the road. Villa Soro is a cosy and beautifully converted villa though a good 20 minute walk from La Parte Vieja (the old town).

The city has elegantly tree lined (or stumps at this time of year) streets and the old buildings have been beautifully maintained. We took a long leisurely stroll along the sea front from ‘Punta del Castillo’, past all the beaches around to the ‘El Peine de los Vientos’ sculptures on the west side of the bay. It felt like all the locals spent the afternoon walking along the coast with a beatiful walk like that why not? or maybe working off the food and wine?

La Parte Vieja is the hub and where the glut of pintxos bars are. The narrow lanes around Plaza de la Constittucion are dotted with bars filled with locals stopping in for one (and never more) glass of something (cider and a slightly bubbly rose wine were popular) and a snack before moving on to the next place. EUR 1.50 for a nice glass of local wine and barely more for a pintxos make it a fantastic way to get your fill.

At the other end of the scale we were lucky to get last minute reservations (yay for travelling off season) at Arzac and Akelare. The meals were both fantastic and there’s no way you could eat such quality at a similar price in London. They were both without the stuffiness you expect at michelin starred restaurants (loads of the diners were in jeans! but still smart of course) though we often felt like the youngest people in the restaurant. The wine lists were had great choices and prices for local drops, all the suggestions from the sommeliers were spot on and didn’t break the bank.

I enjoyed the food at Arzak, which was quite restrained but incredibly refined just a little more than Akelare which was incredibly playful and probably more memorable. It was the other way round for Sam and her vego menu at Akelare was much better i think (except for the massive bowl of pintxos beans and rather stodgy rice with seasonal vegetables). Both had touches of molecular gastronomy, the wild mushrooms and ‘Egg Pasta’ at Akelare was a wonderful with the egg yolk and whites separated into spaghetti like strands. My venison at Arzak was beautifully cooked and tender possibly the favourite i’d eaten during the trip. If you’re lucky enough to get a window side table for lunch its worth the long into the hills to visit, not that we could see much at night and from where we were but i’m sure the views would be breathtaking (they told me you’d want to book 3-4 weeks ahead to secure one of those).

We thought with sunday being siesta time all the time a visit to the Bilbao Guggenheim was in order, what a wonderful building! There was a great Surrealist exhibition (curated by the V&A though!) showcasing its influence in fashion, theatre and advertising. Also an exhibition of art from the USA through the ages with some cool modern pieces. Didn’t see much else of Bilbao though it seems like a nice little city.

It was a belt busting little trip, a beautiful city and a must if you like to eat.