Basque Countryside
 

Has anyone used the Nekatur website to book rural housing near San Sebastian?
I'm planning to book an agriturismo through Nekatur for 7 days for adults and kids.
It looks fine but is a pretty basic no-frills farmhouse and still not cheap. Looks like it is somewhat of a working farm near the village of Aia. I'm hoping that Nekatur has some minimum standards for their lodging as I'm not sure what to expect. Never done agriturismo before but lodging for a large group near SS seems pricey.

Agriturismo is a working farm. Most of Spain does not use the term but I do see it used more in the Basque area.
The term is usually used is Casa Rural.
However in Spain each region has it's own standards.
Nekatur; here is more about the website. http://www.nekatur.net/Historia.aspx?lang=en-US
But if this is a registered business (and I can only assume from the website you found it in it is) then you will certainly be a guaranteed a minimum standard. But without going into the laws covering the Basque is is going to be hard for me to define what they are.
Can I ask what are you uncertain about?

I have not used Nekatur, but the region you are going is beautiful and I am almost certain the setting will be beatiful. That said, let me just make a quick observation: if you are booking an agriturismo (casa rural) because of lodging cost, make sure it will still be a place and activities you will enjoy. It doesn't make a lot of sense to travel all the way to Spain with a large group and save in lodging, to then end up with a bunch of bored adults & kids and driving an hour RT to SS everyday. Aia looks like a lovely village; that whole area is breathtaking, but I suspect you will be spending a lot of time away from your agroturism....

The Nekatur website includes both working farmhouses (Agriturismo) and Rural guesthouses. There are 13 properties listed in the Aia area, 3 farmhouses and 10 rural guesthouses. Farmhouses like Segotegi Etxea (the closest property to Zarautz) are quite nice, updated and modern, and yes, all have to meet the requirements of Nekatur to be listed.

The Basque government provides a supplement to working farmhouses, but they can be as simple as having three milk cows or a few dozen egg laying chickens and a garden.

If you have any questions, you can always email the owner.

Nekatur consists of rural housings that have to comply with certain minimum standards. I´ve used it very often in the past years and the experience has always been very good (I´m a local Basque).

Thanks so much. All the comments are quite helpful.
I had no idea before researching for this trip, that this region was so beautiful. I can't believe I have never been to Spain before, it seems to be an incredible country.

It is good to have confirmation that Nekatur is a reputable website with some minimum standards. We probably will spend a lot of time away from our lodging as we love to explore the area. My worry was that the farmhouse looks very simple and basic which can be fine but sometimes it is hard to get a complete sense from pictures. As long as basic does not translate into uncomfortable or grungy, I guess we should be ok. Thanks!

Which property are you referring to?

Nekatur would translate in Basque as Rural Tourism. All properties are well kept, clean and, depending on the level of pricing, with more or less amenities and level of comfort. And yes, you´re coming to the Basque Country, a very special corner in Europe, a land of proud men and women, where we have our own language, customs, sports and way of being---not corresponding to what you may have as an idea of "Spain".

>>...a very special corner in Europe, a land of proud men and women, where we have our own language, customs, sports and way of being---not corresponding to what you may have as an idea of "Spain".<<

This is exactly the idea that I have of SPAIN, whether North, south, East or West. VIVA ESPAñA!!

...and where there´s a large percentage of the local population that don´t consider themselves Spanish...