Ekoos , Bilbao Eko Hostel

Oscar made our stay in Bilbao easy. He helped us with the accommodation, gave us useful recommendations for the old town and was incredibly hospitable. The rooms were comfortable and the linens were clean. The hostel is under ten minutes from the local train station, and the location is okay. The neighborhood isn’t the best, but it isn’t terrible either. You get a code for the building and your room, so coming and going was simple. It’s a no-curfew hostel, and a couple of guys did get up at 3am and make a lot of noise. That wasn’t the hostel’s fault, and the place was fairly quiet during our stay. I’d recommend it as an affordable option in Bilbao, especially for Oscar’s service.

The staff were friendly, but they also host school classes. One host on his own can’t really keep the noise down when groups are yelling and arguing around 02:00h am. I heard the police had to come the next morning. It could have been a one-off bad night, but choosing to host groups of adolescents does bring that kind of noise with it. The neighborhood didn’t feel like the safest, either. That may be less of a concern if you plan to be back at the hostel before midnight, but it’s something to factor in when booking.

We were charged for two nights, but when we arrived to check in, the hostel didn’t even have beds for us. The guy at reception was extremely rude and unprofessional, and we never got our money back. We felt scammed. So sad, because it looked like a nice hostel.

The hostel itself was good: the room was in good condition, staff were very helpful, and there’s a shared area to store food, eat or work. A tram stop nearby was convenient. I stayed during the Bilbao BBK Festival, and thankfully nothing bad happened to us. Still, the area wasn’t the best part of town. While we were walking around, patrolling police warned us SEVERAL times not to wander at night or use the tram. As a female tourist, that was alarming, even with a group of male friends. I saw police cars patrolling in the daytime and at night, which was comforting and terrifying at the same time. lol I’d research the neighborhood carefully before booking, wherever you’re travelling. Nothing happened to me, but I would’ve liked to walk around feeling safe.