Petit Palace Arana Hotel, Bilbao

The location was great. We stayed 4 nights. Our room was on the main (busy) street. Good view, but noisy. Garbage trucks and street cleaners noisy in the early, early morning hours. Our last night there, a construction worker was sawing and hammering in the room next to us from 11:00 pm until midnight. We told the desk clerk about it the next morning and she said no one was working in that room at that time. My husband opened the door and saw the worker (working in the room; the night before) and even talked to him. The desk clerk argued with us about it and did nothing about it. She just denied it completely. The faucets were leaky. The room was dirty. The room is VERY basic; wooden floors and the beds were EXTREMELY hard and uncomfortable. The only thing going for it was location.

My husband and I spent our second honeymoon in Bilbao, Spain. It was to be my first international trip... I was expecting anything from horrid outdated living facilities to uneatable meals. Well... Little ol' Bilbao, Spain and its lovely hotel Petit Palace truly SHOCKED me! I was proven COMPLETELY incorrect. The Hotel, the culture, the residents, the architecture... It was all relatively updated and modernized! Not only was it modern, but affordable! More so than if we would've stayed within the U.S. Don't get me wrong... The currency conversion within this period (Fall of 2004) really but a financial damper on things. We thought we were NOT going to be able to "live it up" :( We were wrong... This lovely little establishment (hotel) allowed us to do just that! For far less than we expected! This chain also has MANY hotels in Madrid, so don't neglect to view those as well. However; in my opinion... Between the modern european sytle bathrooms, to the romantic "cozy" balconies and spiral stair cases. This little (Petit) palace, was indeed able to live up to its name and thus warrant my respect, admiration, money and recommendation(s). With Deepest Regards MAB (Yahoo User)

I stayed at this quaint but modern hotel during the month of November 2004. It's MOST inviting feature is its geographically perfect location! Its literally a step away from the heart of the commercial district in Bilbao. Placed conveniently ajacent to a local Opera House and city plaza. The rooms are indeed quaint... Just big enough to accomodate a comfortable stay and modern enough to make you forget that you are afterall in a more traditional and less touristic area of the mystical Basque Region of Spain. My room had a LOVELY little balcony overlooking the neighborhood shops, were I awoke to the sound of European retailing shopping at its best! A vast array of shops and foods are all about. From traditional merchants and restaurants to modern day fast food chains for those too timid to take culinary risks! Bilbao's version of a "Lite Rail" transportation system stops a mere 1/2 block away and connects you to any point of interest that may be out of a feasible walking distance. All in all; it's a wonderful hotel with far more available ammenities and fringe benefits than what you pay for... Shhh!! It'll be our secret of how GREAT this little hotel is! Enjoy Bilbao... You won't want to leave her. RB