NH Collection Villa de Bilbao

The rooms at the NH hotels I've stayed in over my two-month trip have been very inconsistent, even though they all carry a four-star label. I won't choose another one after this. Here, the location was great and the room was large, but it was far too hot. It was unusually warm outdoors, and when I asked about the thermostat, I was told the AC is switched off at this time of year. Several tour groups were also complaining. I had to open the window and use a fan, and still didn't sleep well. There are three food options: room service, the corner bar, and the restaurant. The bar meal on my first night was nice, and the restaurant breakfast was OK with plenty of choice. But only one person was making eggs, so skip them if you're in a hurry. The hard-boiled ones were green inside. I wanted to eat at the bar another night, but it was reserved for tour groups, so I ended up in the restaurant. The decor felt like an eighties college dining hall. There were only three tables occupied and one server, who was also setting up breakfast, though she was great. The food was OK, but much too expensive for what you get. It didn't feel four-star.

Service was generally friendly and fine. The room was cleaned well every day, though mine was a bit dark, probably just bad luck. It's a pretty standard business hotel, about five minutes from the metro and a 10-15 minute walk from the museums.

My dinner at the restaurant was delicious. I'd never heard of Iberian meat before, coming from the States. It was pork loin with a little fat, which kept it from being dry and made it a real pleasure to eat. The rooms were clean and roomy, and breakfast was wonderful. You can get an omelet made with the fillings you want, the yogurt bar was spectacular, and the pastries were so good I could keep raving about them. I was told someone would help bring my luggage down to reception, but nobody came. And when I went to breakfast, nobody offered to fetch my coffee.

The breakfast was fantastic and made the costly parking easier to accept. Parking nearby is hard to find, so using the hotel's lot is the comfortable option, though that's typically expensive in a big city. It's a stylish, clean NH in a handy central Bilbao location, with very friendly staff.