Poshtel Bilbao Premium Hostel

I had to book somewhere at the last minute after my trip went wrong, only a couple of hours before arriving on a Saturday night. I was hesitant about returning to a dorm after ten years, but I felt very comfortable in the women's room. The beds and linen were comfortable and I slept really well. Bring earplugs and an eye mask, though. The downstairs showers, with around eight cubicles, were empty and pleasant, while the en suite was busy all morning, so downstairs was the better choice. The area felt safe and lively, the building access code worked, and the self check-in machine was easy to use. The attached cafe does great tortilla, sandwiches, and coffee for breakfast. The downsides were the towel rental, €5 is ridiculous, and I had to wait for reception to be staffed to get one. There was also never any toilet paper in the shared hallway bathroom. This isn't a cheap hostel, so a towel should be waiting on the bed when you arrive, especially if you want to shower before sleeping.

The dorm bed was clean, and the neighbourhood is good, with the cafe near the Guggenheim and zubizuri bridge and lots of lively bars. They let me store my luggage before and after check-out, but the bags weren't guarded. The place isn't posh or premium, and it costs too much for what you get. The wifi is awful, the bunks have neither charging points nor curtains, and the luggage lockers were broken. The showers flooded and needed maintenance. The kitchen only has a microwave, so you can heat food but not cook.

At the end of a 30 km day on the camino, I just wanted to sleep. Instead, a group of young people were shouting in the corridor and on the floor above, moving things around until 4 a.m. They had reserved the downstairs lounge and were very loud there too. The room felt stuffy, the beds were uncomfortable and offered no privacy, and water from the shower curtain dripped across the bathroom whenever someone showered. Check-in was through a screen, and I wasn't given any information, which felt impersonal. The location was good. I hope this feedback helps improve things.

It has a great location, friendly service, good rooms, and a kitchen, so it's a good standard hostel. Calling it posh seems misleading to me, since nothing really sets it apart from an ordinary hostel.