Bilbao City Center by abba Suites

The studio is cute, and the bathroom has plenty of counter space. The kitchenette wasn’t as well equipped as in other apartment hotels we’ve stayed at. Check-in was quick and simple, and the staff were friendly and helpful, though the front desk is closed from 1 to 4pm, which is a bit inconvenient. Private parking is expensive, but the convenience made it worthwhile. Zubizuri bridge is just around the block. It’s a 10-minute walk to the Guggenheim and Moyúa, and 20 minutes to Casco Viejo.

The staff were warm and helpful, giving us directions and tips about places to see and secret attractions to visit. They even gave our puppy a welcome gift, which was thoughtful, and there were food and water bowls for her in the room. Great!

We stayed three nights, and both check-in and check-out went smoothly. The rooms were clean, modern and well equipped, with an easy walk to the Guggenheim and Old Town. The dryer didn’t produce any heat, but staff were accommodating: they brought us a drying rack and dried some of our clothes for us. I’d highly recommend staying here.

The location is excellent, close to Zubizuri bridge and within walking distance of everything. But this is more a group of serviced apartments than a hotel, and in our experience there was very little service. The concierge was nice, but working alone and within that business setup, they couldn’t do much when we had a problem. Our sheets and pillows smelled bad. Maybe too little detergent was used, or perhaps they hadn’t dried properly. The concierge agreed there was a smell, but said nothing could be done because cleaning was contracted out and all the sheets in the building had a similar issue. We had to sleep on them anyway.