Arriaga Apartments

The location was hard to beat, beside the theater and Bilbao’s ria, and just a few blocks from the Abando and Casco Viejo metro stations. My room had what I needed for a few days, including a microwave and mini fridge. The bathroom and closet were spacious, and the bed was comfortable. One of the places I’ve enjoyed staying in.

The location was great, and the room itself was fine and big enough for two. But the check-in instructions didn’t say the rooms were on the first floor, so we wandered around the building trying to find them. We also couldn’t get WiFi in room 7, except right by the entrance. We told the staff, but they couldn’t fix it and suggested we use the common area instead. That was inconvenient for us.

We had an easy time getting in, and the room was roomy and comfortable. The old town location is handy for bars, restaurants and shops, and you can walk along a lovely stretch of river to the Guggenheim. The building itself is beautiful and elegant, and the renovation was well done.

The room was pleasant and the location was great, but a few things made the stay frustrating. Check-in was the biggest problem. There’s no front desk, just a door code, and my reservation didn’t explain how to get into the building, which also has other businesses and apartments. I arrived at 2pm, when check-in was supposed to be open, and had no idea what to do. Two other guests helped me out. They’d spent hours figuring it out the day before and told me the check-in office was about 50 meters down the same street. From the entrance, turn left, walk for a minute or two, and look for a “Casual Arriaga” sign on the right. Go up to the second floor to get your code. I don’t remember the exact address, but I wouldn’t have found it without those guests. The room was nice, but stuffy. Its only windows looked onto a crawl space, and the ceiling fan was wired to the light, so it stopped when I turned the light off to sleep. I even tried leaving the light on because it was so hot, but eventually chose darkness and put up with the heat. In the morning, the cleaning staff woke me up with loud talking, banging and things being rolled down the hall, just when I’d hoped to catch up on sleep. The building was quiet otherwise, and the room and cleanliness were pretty nice. This place has potential, but those annoyances make it hard for me to recommend.