Hello Outpost friends, it’s your token American expat here! I just took a week long trip to the Basque Coast, which straddles the border of northern Spain and southwestern France along the Atlantic coast, and man did it rock.
The Basque coast still feels slightly undiscovered and, in a word, cool. San Sebastian’s raw beauty and exquisite gastronomy and Biarritz’s world class waves make for a fantastic mix of nature and culture. Below, I included my entire itinerary along with some of film photos of my time. Enjoy.
Madrid
I had not been to Madrid since I was studying abroad where my priorities consisted of going to the club, eating cheap food, doing tourist sightseeing, and hitting club. Wash, rinse, repeat. It was really nice to rediscover the city at the age of thirty. I always associated Madrid as “mid”, and lo and behold, it’s exactly the opposite. There’s fabulous boutique shopping, cozy hidden bars, and incredible restaurants. I wish I had more than one night but I truly got enough steps in to claim a longer stay.
I started my trip with an amazing solo lunch at Casa Clavel, ordering a glass of natural orange and the best tapenade I’ve ever had.
Stay: Hotel Unico - featured on the Michelin Guide and in the heart of the Salamanca neighborhood. 11/10 location, staff, rooms, boutique gym, and garden breakfast. I will be staying here next time I’m in Madrid.
Salamanca has some of the best boutique shopping I’ve ever seen, selling unique, high fashion clothing. I could have spent two full days wandering the streets and popping into shops.
Mercado Central Salamanca is a must, filled with produce stations and small restaurants. The most amazing mortadella sandwich loading….
Dinner: De Mil Amores. Also in the Salamanca neighborhood.
La Rioja
We rented a car in Madrid and drove three hours to the small town of Briones. If you have an AmEx Platinum, I highly recommend booking through them for the insurance benefits. We then stopped at the Burgos Cathedral along the way, which is a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, and famously the only cathedral in Spain that’s designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Stay: Santa Maria Briones
This boutique hotel was next level. This is on the Michelin Guide and exceeded any expectations we had. It’s sixteen rooms and tucked inside a 16th century manor in a stunning medieval hilltop town. Think high end contemporary luxury meets original stone walls with ancient defensive architecture.
Dinner: Allegar. Super nice restaurant within the hotel with a great wine list. Make reservations in advance, it’s a bit on the fancier side.
We ended up eating at the hotel both nights because the heat wave was so intense (up to 42 degrees celsius) it was hard to even walk around. We sat in the courtyard and enjoyed snacks off the menu, which was perfect.
Wineries: Bodegas Muga
La Rioja is one of the most renowned wine regions in the world, famous for its Tempranillo and Garnacha varietals. There are plenty of wineries you can tour within Rioja, but Muga stood out to me because their winemaking processes are very traditional and it’s family owned. We enjoyed the experience but it’s certainly not the most commercial or highest end. Although, their wines and cheese bites were delectable.
Bodega Ysios - Such beautiful architecture and the most commercial experience and vineyard. While, we never did a tour here, we stopped to see the wine shop and building. You will find other Americans here.
After visiting both wineries we did a half day in LaGuardia, a stunning medieval town less than thirty minutes from Briones. LaGuardia is pedestrian only because the ground beneath the cobblestone streets is apparently like Swiss cheese. It is packed with over two-hundred ancient underground wine tunnels and cellars built in the Middle Ages, many of which you can still tour and taste wine in. We were there on St. John’s Eve which is a nationwide summer solstice celebration in Spain. It was really cool to experience but we quickly parked ourselves indoors for one of the best lunches of the trip, Gastro Bar Dona Blanca (the photos don’t do it justice).
Gastro Bar Dona Blanca
San Sebastián
The drive from Briones to San Sebastian was seamless, and only an hour and a half. We had some beautiful sneak peeks of the Pyrenees mountains as well.
Stay: Villa Soro is a dreamy boutique hotel tucked away in a quiet, residential neighborhood just a short walk from downtown. It’s set inside a restored 19th century villa surrounded by private gardens, which makes it feel like a peaceful hideaway from busy downtown. Think sophisticated residential with historic architectural details, contemporary decor and a ton of natural light.
The outdoor patio and breakfast/china deserve a gallery of its own
Gros neighborhood
We had our first pintxo and dinner out in the Gros neighborhood, which is the local area of San Sebastian. The photo on the left below are two pintxo’s from Bar Zabaleta, a tortilla (Spanish omelette) and shrimp dish, the photo on the right is our dessert from Lua Bistro, where we went to dinner. Lua Bistro felt very local yet slightly high end.
(L-R) Bar Zabaleta & Lua Bistro
Downtown San Sebastian
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Pintxo Bar Crawl
Pintxo’s are the heart and soul of San Sebastian’s food scene. For those that have never heard of them, a pintxo is a small plate home to Basque Country. The play is to bar hop and order 1-2 pintxo’s per bar, a glass of cider, stand at a high top table, eat, chat with whoever is next to you and move on. While the pintxo bar options are overwhelming, Substack author Charlie Brown from The Sauce summed it up perfectly here: A Field Guide to San Sebastian’s Pintxo Bars.
My mom and I hit these three pintxo bars: Sirimiri Gastroleku, Borda Berri and Bar Sport, and they did not disappoint. Borda Berri was my favorite (get the meat pintxo). Here are some photos of what we ordered:
(L-R) Bar Sport, Borda Berri
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Dinner
We ate at Portuetxe one night which was recommended by the staff at Villa Soro. Sophisticated wine line and perfectly cooked steak but a bit touristy.
I’d be shocked if this is the first time you read this but San Sebastian has the second-highest density of Michelin stars per capita in the world, narrowly trailing behind Kyoto, Japan. Some of the famous Michelin spots include: Elkano, Kokotxa & Akelarre.
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Beaches
I spent one afternoon at Beach of La Concha which is directly next to downtown, literally a five or ten minute walk from your pintxo bar crawl. It’ll be busy but it’s so stunning and convenient.
Natural Winery: Ameztoi Txakolin
The highlight of San Sebastian, no doubt. If you go to the Basque Country you must stop here for a drink. The tour was below par lol but the view and scenery were breathtaking. I could not recommend this more. We were beside ourselves during the twenty minute coastal drive from downtown San Sebastian, so stunning.
Michelin Star Lunch: Restaurante Itzuli
We had to visit at least one Michelin star restaurant while we were in town. Unfortunately, our top choices were closed due to the time of year / summer holiday. Make sure you look into restaurant availability before you plan your trip if your goal is to eat at Michelin restaurants.
The service and food at Itzuli were terrific but the setting was nothing to rave over.
Shopping: There is fun boutique shopping here as well, the highlight was Nomada, a rug store which is directly downtown.
Saint-Jean-De-Luz
After getting rear ended by a Swiss-German couple at the toll booth minutes before entering France we spent a half day in Saint-Jean-De-Luz, a pit stop on our one hour drive from from San Sebastian to Biarritz. I spent a whole week in Saint-Jean-De-Luz two summers ago and it’s incredible. Think quaint, zero Americans, and pristine white sand beaches. Similar to San Sebastian, there is a beach directly next to downtown. You can also hike and climb to several remote albeit ~rocky~ beaches in the area. I took a bunch of film here which will give you a visual understanding of the town vibe. I recommend spending at least one night in Saint-Jean-De-Luz, if not more. I’ll be back!
Lunch: We grabbed a quick lunch at Alcalde, just a three minute walk from the beach, which offered amazing olives, white flaky fish and grilled artichokes. Don’t skip the gelato place just across the street!
Artists in the street on film:
Biarritz, Biarritz, Biarritz!
One of the top surfing destinations in the world. I love this city. We unfortunately only had twenty-four hours here but we made the most of it. I was given the reins on our destinations so obviously we ended up in a bar crawl in hopes of discovering locals. First things first, though: our hotel, Hotel Beaumanoir, was amazing.
Stay: Hotel Beaumanoir
The owner, Fred, bought the boutique hotel in the early 2000s and decorated it himself. We spent so much of our time chatting with Fred, understanding where he sourced all of the decor and furniture, it’s top notch. The photos speak volumes!
The Hotel Beaumanoir details
Bars: Le Carlos, Etxola Bibi Biarritz, Olatua
Le Carlos left, Olatua center and right
Les Halles de Biarritz / Morning market:
You must stop by Les Halles de Biarritz (open every day 7:30-14:00). They have all sorts of farmers market type booths and brick and mortar retail shops just outside. The produce and food inside is to die for too. A must see!
Biarritz film highlights by yours truly!
Adios and au revoir!
