Welcome Gros is a practical, no-nonsense terrific little hotel, located on a mostly quiet street near many marvelous local restaurants. We stayed in the “Superior Double Room” (according to the website, the property has just one of these) for 5 nights. We booked upon recommendation from the Rick Steves guidebook and found the hotel to be comfortable and economical. Our room faced the street with two floor-to-ceiling doors that opened onto a nice long balcony. The bed itself was roomy and high quality. There wasn’t a separate seating area but easily room for one. They did have a small desk and mini refrigerator. That bathroom was large with double sinks and a tub shower (good water pressure, by the way). The room was cleaned to perfection every day. While there was no in-room coffee or tea, a free coffee machine was available in the lobby along with free mini muffins (not sure what they were called in Spanish). The hotel did not offer breakfast but we can easily recommend a great place just one block away called Fusión Café & Panadería (located on Trueba kalea). Fusión had a host of items, from savory to sweet, that kept us coming back every morning on our stay. Parking at Welcome Gros doesn’t exist. In front of the hotel there is a loading zone for when you arrive and depart, but for parking you’re on your own. I prepaid online at a parking lot called “Txofre”. It was cheaper than others and didn’t require I give them my vehicle license when registering in advance (very hard to do if you’re getting a rental car and don’t know the license yet). Txofre lot was difficult to find with the tiny downtown one-way streets, but once we did, it was an easy stroll and easy in-and-out. None of the above I mentioned is a complaint. I knew these things when making the reservation. My complaint is small. I did not know that the front desk would only be staffed from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Everything is handled digitally – reservation, key to building, key to room. They do state they are available by phone 24/7, but when we called one evening for help with the air-con we just couldn’t get in touch with anyone. Lastly, while Welcome Gros is on a tiny street with little traffic, that traffic is noisy scooters and motorcycles (plus train tracks at the end of the block). None of that street noise impeded my sleeping soundly though (dual-pane windows), not even the bar at the end of the block (they close early). We had young people staying in other rooms and coming back to the hotel extremely late, banging doors, etc. I suppose that’s part of the energy of staying in the heart of the city.
