Hotel Abando

I stayed one night in a single room in this hotel. It was exactly as advertised on the hotel website. The room was very clean and perfectly adequate. Hotel staff at reception were helpful and efficient. The rate was good value for the standard of accommodation on offer. The standout for me of the hotel was the location - it’s a perfect base for everything Bilbao has to offer. It’s in a lovely part of town with very nice bars and restaurants on the doorstep. It’s also very close to public transport stops… but to be honest Bilbao is very walkable from this location. I would stay here again without hesitation.

I was a solo traveller. I cannot say enough positive things about two of the girls on reception. I apologise for not asking their names I should have. I stayed in the hotel two nights early in April and another two nights at the end of the month. I was travelling on the boat. They contacted the taxi for me for the Sunday morning and made sure I knew where I was going. I had to get the metro first. They told me how to get to the subway and which direction to travel. I am a pensioner and they insisted that I got the lift down for the metro as I had heavy luggage. They wrote out in point form the order I was to do these things. They will never know how much I appreciated their help. I hadn't Spanish but that wasn't a problem for them. I am not a well travelled person so this was all a new experience for me.

Pros- great location Pros-room service was cheap and good. Had “mixed salad” and was an amazing tuna salad for only €12 Cons- Visiting in April meant the heating was on & stiflingly hot. The controls in the room were either on/off without ability to control the heat. Incredibly noisy and very little air movement. Location meant that if you opened your window it sounded like you were above a lorry losing park or bar 24/7. Constant noise from cars beeping and people shouting. It was a hellish few nights. Cons- breakfast like a noisy cafeteria Cons- minimal toiletries & supplies in room. We got 1 sachet of coffee and 1 sachet of decaf coffee in a double room! And 1 milk. When I asked for more I was given 1 additional sachet and 1 milk and still no teaspoon. Cons- room 516 was a “nice room” I was told. Turns out it’s next to the lifts, at the top of an open lobby to the stairs. You heard everyone and everything. Tip- bring own tea coffee toiletries supplies Tip- if you like sleeping w your window open don’t book this place

We were pleased with the location of our hotel in the Abando/Kalea district of central Bilbao, a stone's throw from the Gran Vía and an easy walk over the bridge to the Casco Viejo. The rooms are very compact, but well designed. We arrived to grey skies and rain, but the following day the sun came out, the temperature climbed and it was a glorious day. Unfortunately like most hotels the rooms do not allow you to individually control your heat/cool air con so my room was like a furnace as the hotel was on 'winter' settings. I opened the window, but it would not stay open beyond a crack. The bed was comfortable, and the black out curtains extremely efficient at excluding all light thus aiding much needed restful sleep for someone who was up at 2am to prepare for the outbound flight!! The bathrooms are again small but well designed. Not enough room on the vanity for toiletries and make up though, and the hairdryer is one of the wired-in ones where you have to hold the button to get it to work. An individual plug-in hairdryer with variable heat/speed settings would be better and more '4* hotel' worthy. Negatives: the advertised mini bar contained nothing more than two small bottles of mineral water. Also although there is a Nespresso machine and a kettle the hospitality tray is poor. There were four coffee pods (not labelled to say what they were), some sugar, UHT milk pods and a couple of tea bags, camomile and something else pretty forgettable. No cookies and strangely no spoons with which to stir your sugary brew if you are into sugary brews (I'm not). I had brought some herbal teabags from home so I was okay, but I will admit to hankering after a nice biscuit to go with my cuppa. The public areas are bright, modern and comfortable. We did not use the cafe facilities, nor the on site restaurant which is 'fine dining' and features in the Michelin Guide. Overall we found the location and value for money good, and with a few small tweaks to room facilities the hotel could have earned that extra green blob to take it to 5/5.

Having frequented on numerous occasions, I find myself in a position to offer a nuanced perspective on its accommodations. The room, as always, maintained a commendable standard of cleanliness and comfort that I have come to expect. The familiarity of the space provided a sense of ease and reliability. Disliked · However, it's hard to ignore the subtle signs that the hotel is aging. While the room's foundational elements remain strong, one can discern the wear and tear that comes with the passage of time. Some fixtures appear slightly dated, and the overall aesthetic, while still pleasant, hints at an era past.