San Sebastian - it's the little things

And this time, I don't mean the little things that make San Sebastian different and special. I haven't been here long enough to observe the peculiarities of this beautiful city. We only arrived here yesterday (Wednesday), and are leaving tomorrow (Friday). Pity. Had I done my homework, maybe we'd have stayed one more day. By the time I begin to get the feel of a city, it's time to pack and move on. Unlike our stay in Tbilisi, say, Rome, or Catania, where I began to feel at home.

"Are you packing your slippers?" asked my trusty travel planner.
"Nah, not necessary," I answered, having packed so much stuff, that I really didn't feel like agonizing over which slippers or flip-flops to take with, and where exactly in the suitcase or backpack I'd put them.
Humph :-(
Had I really forgotten what hotel floors were like in Spain?
I was fine during the TLV-Madrid flight. I could be comfortable with simply loosening the shoelaces of my sneakers. The flight was just over 4 hours long. And the connecting flight to Bilbao took about an hour. But here at the hotel...

Amara Plaza hotel, San Sebastian

The Amara Plaza, part of the Silken chain, is fine, really. No complaints. Or at least, no serious complaints. The room is tasteful, in a no-frills, minimalist style. Nothing to distinguish it from its brethren at other 4-star hotels. Not a single picture on the bedroom walls (but plenty of beautiful art  in the public areas); nothing noteworthy or unique re drapes, bedspread, desk, etc. And the floor tiles are lovely -- grey ceramic, with a wood-like texture, exactly like the ones I chose for our bathroom floor, when we did renovations some six years ago.
What can I say? I suffer from cold feet. Literally.

What I'd really like while jotting down these persnickety notes is a cup of latte, or cappuccino. Neither appear in the Room Service pages, and the room has no electric kettle, so even had I brought my fave black coffee ("botz", in Hebrew), it wouldn't have done me any good :-(
We noticed this morning, at breakfast, that the coffee machine was out of order. The ready-made coffee in the pitchers was very strong. Not sure about the flavor. But surely in the Piano Bar they serve decent coffee?...

Gosh, don't I sound like a spoiled brat!

Listen, hotel staff and owners: It's a good hotel. The staff are friendly, capable and helpful. Young Yuliya, for example, is a gem; I hope you appreciate her and nurture her. Your range of artwork is diverse and admirable. I love your choice of complimentary green-tea toiletries -- good quality and a delicate scent. Please add shower cap to said toiletries.  Oh - I couldn't help wondering: why isn't there a toilet-brush in the bathroom?... [I thought it might be just a glitch, but later noticed that there simply are no toilet brushes in hotel or restaurant or other public toilets. A deliberate policy?]

Anyway -- San Sebastian is beautiful. It has a river with several bridges, including a French-style one with ornate statues.

Urumea river, San Sebastian

It has tree-lined boulevards with colorful flowerbeds. It has interesting architecture, beautiful, renovated old buildings, a bay and a beach, museums and a huge public library; and scores upon scores of bars, cafes and restaurants.

Items from Amara Plaza's private art collection

San Sebastian beach

San Sebastian Old City

Recommended bar, a short walk from the hotel:

The delightful Azul

delicious tapas, or pinxtos in Basque

P.S.
It's bad enough that I hadn't brushed up on my university-days Spanish before the trip; but not understanding a word in Basque makes things even more complicated...