BARCELO BILBAO NERVION

Very pleasant hotel ideally situated between the Guggenheim Museum Nd the old town. Rooms are compact and functional but fine for a short stay. Parking under hotel adds to the convenience. Hotel is on main road next to the river but is very quiet inside.

We visited Bilbao on a weekend short break as there is now a direct flight from Edinburgh. I can say quite happily that everything about the hotel was excellent. We had a late arrival and the hotel reception had e-mailed to confirm the late arrival was noted. At all times reception staff were efficient, helpful and friendly.

Stayed for 2 nights on a business trip in September 2016. It proved to be an excellent choice. The interior design is beautiful and the rooms are very clean. The breakfast was varied and the food was simply amazing.

PROS: Very good location in front of the river. Right beside Old Town and easy walking to Calatrava's bridge, Guggenheim and the New Town. Beds very comfortable, layout of the room we got was spacious enough for two but the bathroom has very little privacy to offer. Could be difficult if you are a not a couple. I was with my sister so there was no problem for us. CONS Wifi in the room was intermittent if any at all. We called to complain about it and they asked us to go down to the lobby so they can check our gadgets. When we get to the lobby, the front desk tinkered a bit and resolved that they cannot fix it themselves and that we would have to personally call their internet service provider (free of charge) to see what the problem is. We go back up our room(finding it a bit ridiculous that we had to be the ones to call their service provider) and called the number given to us. 15mins into the call (no one was picking up and we were informed they had 24hrs service) we were exasperated to have to go through so much hassle just to get a service which we expected included in the rates we paid for in the first place. We called back the front desk and asked for a room change instead. They obliged. We just wish they had offered this option from the very beginning. After the room change, wifi worked properly. Be sure to request a room nearer to the elevators, the further you are the weaker the signal. Aside from this incident, overall we had a very comfortable stay.

Room is quite small. New hotel is a little run down in my opinion. Staff were not overly helpful, no complimentary water in room. Breakfast was good but next time I'll probably pay a bit more for some luxury.