Meraki #11 EN - Maria Cristina Hotel

MERAKI

Hotels & Fine Dining HOTEL MARIA CRISTINA

FOUR SEASONS RITZ SPA

Viagem exclusiva entre Ocidente e Oriente

In the 19th century, Spanish court doctors advised bathing seawater against Queen Elizabeth II's skin diseases. The destination chosen to spend the summer was San Sebastián. From then on, the city became a fashionable place for the aristocracy. After the death of King Afonso XII, Queen Maria Cristina continued this tradition and, summer after summer, transferred all the royalty glamor to the beaches of the city that gradually became a place visited by the wealthiest classes of society. At the forefront of innovation and industrialization, San Sebastián began to modernize its infrastructures and to build large and beautiful buildings such as the Teatro Victoria Eugenia, the Casino or the most important hotel in the city and in the North of Spain.

Estamos no spa de um dos mais emblemáticos espaços de Lisboa, o Hotel Ritz, um compromisso entre a modernidade e a tradição. Fomos conhecer um dos seus tratamentos de assinatura - “Sete Colinas de Lisboa” - um luxo clássico de puro prazer, inspirado pelos ingredientes portugueses mais naturais e tradicionais.

HOUSE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL

On 9 July 1912, Queen Regent Maria Cristina of Austria inaugurated this hotel in the capital Donostia that bears her name and whose building is the work of French architect Charles Newes, also author of the Ritz hotels in Madrid and Paris. Unintentionally, Queen Maria Cristina ran a major international promotion campaign for both the city of San Sebastián and the hotel. Royal houses, aristocrats and courtiers from all over the world were taken to an elegant and beautiful city that, meanwhile, also offered health benefits thanks to the iodized properties of the Cantabrian sea water, as well as succulent cuisine.

The presence of so many royalties also attracted businessmen, politicians, millionaires and artists from different fields. At the Hotel Maria Cristina these personalities found the Belle Époque refuge for their stays, gatherings and pompous parties. Inside we can still hear the echo of Sara Bernhardt's love affairs and the comings and goings of León Trotsky, Mata Hari, Toulouse-Lautrec or the Emperor of Japan... However, the world of cinema has contributed the most to the endless list of world celebrities who have stayed in this space thanks to the International Film Festival in San Sebastián.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

It was in 1953 that the city held its first Film Festival and, since then, it has been taking place year after year. The hotel's proximity to the Reina Victoria Theater, stage of the event, allowed for a long time that the red carpet extended from the hotel - where actors and protagonists of the cinematographic world traditionally stayeduntil the entrance of the theater, a grand media walkway that contributed to take the hotel's image to every corner of the planet. Anthony Queen, Elizabeth Taylor, Charlton Heston, So fi a Loren, Orson Welles, Al Pacino, Lauren Bacall, Richard Burton, Audrey Hepburn, Francis Ford Coppola, Glenn Close, Brad Pitt, Jack Lemmon, Gloria Swanson, Robert Mitchum, Michael Fassbender, Pedro Almodóvar, Susan Sarandon, Mickey Rooney, Julia Roberts, Steven Spielberg, Catherine Deneuve or Antonio Banderas are just some of the characters in the seventh art that we can name, but the list is endless. Many of them left interesting stories after their stay, and some even managed to get one of the hotel's suites to get its name.

THE BETTE DAVIS SUITE

In 1989, Bette Davis was the guest of honor at the San Sebastián Film Festival and, of course, stayed at the Maria Cristina, which she imposed several conditions on, one of which was that no one should tell her when to leave. The actress, who would receive the honorary Donostia award, spent five days without leaving her room. She, at the age of 81, would explain in that mythical group interview - involved in the smoke of her cigarettes - that she was eating, sleeping, preparing for the intervention at the gala and working on her autobiography The Lonely Life. When the festival ended, she decided to extend her stay but it didn't take long for her to feel bad and was taken on a special flight to the American Hospital in Paris, where she died a few days later. Without anyone being suspicious, the San Sebastian Festival was the last performance of one of the divas of the classic Hollywood. Today her suite shines with its elegant classic - contemporary style. Its many details include the beautiful four-poster bed, the grand living room with the original parquet and panoramic views from the upper fl oor balconies. Each room in the suite features a very personal collection of black and white portraits that honor the divine Miss D.

SPACE AS A LUXURY ELEMENT

The hotel's 139 rooms and suites are elegant and spacious, along with the grandeur of the building. A subtle palette of gray and white, with purple and green accents, transform these privileged spaces into true havens of calm and luxury. Many offer spectacular views of the river and the ocean.

Exquisite taste, first-class amenities, cutting -edge technology and a wide range of services make your stay at Maria Cristina a truly unforgettable experience. We can choose between different categories: Classic, Deluxe or Premium with a view of the garden or the river. It is also possible to book one of the hotel's fabulous suites, including the Royal Suites with stunning views or, of course, the legendary Bette Davis Suite.

EPICUREAN EXPERIENCES

In addition to the breakfast that is served in a majestic lounge, the hotel has two high gastronomic spaces. The DRY San Sebastián bar, that in addition to its delicious cocktails, serves gourmet pinchos and tapas in a glamorous setting. Summer is the ideal time to sit on its pleasant outdoor terrace.

As a complement, Café Saigón o ff ers a magni fi cent Asian menu. A corner for exoticism located in a classic room that blends perfectly with the rest of the building. Despite being a classic hotel, Maria Cristina is not far behind and houses Mimo San Sebastián, a gastronomic center of 500 square meters that offers cooking courses, a tasting club and a spectacular private wine cellar. In its gourmet shop, it o ff ers selected products from the Basque Country to take home part of the gastronomic culture of this city.

THE HOTEL THAT DEFINES A DESTINATION

Hotel Maria Cristina and the city of San Sebastián are inextricably linked. The concept of refinement is part of both and since 2016 when Marriott, the world's largest operator of luxury accommodation and select service levels, took over the hotel, it was guaranteed that Maria Cristina's new course would undergo a renovation and adaptation to the new trends in the world of luxury without separating from its alter ego, the wonderful city of San Sebastián.

MERAKI

Hotels & Fine Dining

CEO/Editor CARLA BRANCO

Photos HOTEL MARIA CRISTINA

Story #11 October 2020

www.hotel-mariacristina.com