I am traveling in April to Bilbao, Lekeitio, Guetaria, and San Sabastian and am looking for some good hotels and restaurants for my husband and myself..
In Bilbao, what section of town is recommended to stay in: Old Town or near the Guggenheim Museum?
Well, many options in Bilbao, it´s a large city (354,000h). Same with Donostia-San Sebastian (190,000h). Getaria is a seafood mecca for many, my favorite is the Mayflower (yes, a funny name in a Basque town) and Astillero (by the way, Getaria is the hometown of the first person that circumnavegated the world...and it´s not Magellan as everyone thinks...). If you want Michelin, Elkano. And not Michelin but close, Kaia-Kaipe (Getaria is a very small town). In Lekeitio (7,000h), Antzarrak, Lumentza and Prim would by my first options.
Hotels in Bilbao or Donostia-San Sebastian: what´s your budget and preferences? There are many options in both cities. Getaria is small and the choice of hotels very limited, same with Lekeitio, my favorite in this town would be Palacio Uribarren, facing the beach (but take into account this is a very rainy area and beach or sunny weather is not always an option).
I am wondering if Old Town or near Bilbao is better to stay for 3 nights?
In terms of budget - prefer about $150- $200 per night for hotel in Bilbao and San Sabastian.
Thank you for the ideas for dining!
You can find very good hotels in Bilbao for that budget. In the old quarter, TAYKO or NYX, in the city center CARLTON, MELIA, DOMINE, VINCCI CONSULADO or MIRÓ are all excellent options. Distances in Bilbao are practically irrelevant, you can walk anywhere, same as Donostia-San Sebastian.
Thank you. Perfect to know! As this is likely our only vist, do you think it would be best to be in Old Town, or city center?
AS I said, before, it´s a small city and where you stay may not be that relevant. The old town is nice, of course, pedestrian and full of activit, with many shops and bars. But the rest of the city is alos very nice.
Thank you. I think we will choose Hotel Carlton.
In Gueratia I found: https://saiazgetaria.com/en . Do you know it?
In Lekeitio, I found this hotel: hotelzubieta@hotelzubieta.com. While not on the water, it looks really quaint. Thoughts about this vs.
Palacio Uribarren?
And in San Sebastian, this one: Hotel Londres.
Any thoughts?
Saiaz in Getaria is a very nice place. Getaria is tiny, so no issues on location. Zubieta hotel in Lekeitio is on the outskirts of town (7000h), but a really beautiful place. Palacio Uribarren is on top of one of the beaches (but do not expect much beach weather...). Londres (meaning "London") is a beautiful, classy hotel in the center of Donostia-San Sebastian, right in front of the main beach (La Concha). Again, beach weather may not always be an option, D-SS is a very rainy city as well.
That info is so helpful. We will stay at Salaz Gateria!
In terms of Lekeitio, since I have never been there, I don't know what it means to be on the outskirts of town. And I don't know what 7000h means!! How big is the town? Are the outskirts walkable? Is it better to stay on the beach in rainy weather? Are there restaurants near Zubieta? Is there parking at both hotels? What is there to do in the rain?
If you were coming only one time, in early April, which hotel would choose?
Zubieta hotel in Lekeitio is on the outskirts of town (7000h), but a really beautiful place. Palacio Uribarren
I do have one more question. It looks like we have one additional day more than we thought.
We had planned on spending 3 nights in Balboa, 1 night in Lekeito, one night in Guetaria and two nights in San Sabastian. If we have one extra night, do you have a recommendation on where we ought to spend it? If would be nicer if we could add one extra night to a place we are going to already, rather than moving around again. Perhaps we could do a day trip from one of the towns.
And after reviewing various places, I have determined to take your recommendation for the hotel on the beach in Leketio.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful ideas!
7000h is 7000 inhabitants, that makes it a small town and distances are not relevant in any case, we walk everywhere as towns are very compact. You can walk to any restaurant, bar or facility of any kind in town from Zubieta. If it rains, well, you can walk under the rain, not much to do, it´s a small town and there aren´t many ammenities except nice walks.
That info is so helpful. We will stay at Salaz Gateria!
In terms of Lekeitio, since I have never been there, I don't know what it means to be on the outskirts of town. And I don't know what 7000h means!! How big is the town? Are the outskirts walkable? Is it better to stay on the beach in rainy weather? Are there restaurants near Zubieta? Is there parking at both hotels? What is there to do in the rain?
If you were coming only one time, in early April, which hotel would choose?
Zubieta hotel in Lekeitio is on the outskirts of town (7000h), but a really beautiful place. Palacio Uribarren
By Balboa (which is in Panama) you probably mean the frequently misspelled Bilbao, my hometown. You may want to add a night in Donostia-San Sebastian (it´s offcial name in Basque and Spanish), so you may want to go to the French Basque Country, or Hondarribia, for a day visit.
Palacio Uribarren is a good option, based on location, price and type of hotel.
BlockquoteI do have one more question. It looks like we have one additional day more than we thought.
We had planned on spending 3 nights in Balboa, 1 night in Lekeito, one night in Guetaria and two nights in San Sabastian. If we have one extra night, do you have a recommendation on where we ought to spend it? If would be nicer if we could add one extra night to a place we are going to already, rather than moving around again. Perhaps we could do a day trip from one of the towns.
And after reviewing various places, I have determined to take your recommendation for the hotel on the beach in Leketio.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful ideas!
For a fancy meal in Lekeitio, I have fond memories of Mesón Arropain - some of the best fish I ever had. It was a long time ago, but the place is still going strong according to recent reviews.
Thank you so much for your wonderful inforamtion.
If it rains in Lekeitio, there´s a nice walk to the Santa Katalina lighthouse, flat and ending in a very nice place with great seaviews, about half hour walk from the town center. You can also climb to the Kalbario mountain, the path starts very close to your hotel, for wonderful views. And if it´s a day with wavy sea, the show is at the "Tala", the end of the port, where the waves hit very furiously and they reach high altitudes, it may even be a bit risky. But this does not happen every day and our rough sea is not always rough. Expect any kind of weather, but it´s the Atlantic coast, green and mountainous, and quite rainy. I used to spend my summer holidays as a kid on this beautiful town.
In Getaria, apart from the great grilled seafood restaurants, there´s the Balenciaga dress museum (this extraordinary dress designer was born here), and there´s a nice monument to Juan Sebastián Elcano, the first person that circumnavegated the world. Also, some "txakoli" (our distinctive Basque wine, one of them) wineries at walking distance that can be visited on appointment.
I do not think water temperature will be nice in April, it´ll be too cold yet...even in August it´s normally a bit chilly.
One of the very best hotels I stayed in in all of Spain is the Saiaz Geteria Hotel in Getaria. That little city is so interesting. I want to go back soon. The restaurants are near the waterfront and they do a lot of outdoor grilling. One of the prettiest places on earth.
We will be in Bilbao in late March 2023 and my husband is keen on the Hotel Hesperia Bilbao because of the coloured glass balconies. On the map it looks like a good location. Does anyone have "on the ground" experience of this hotel? Our plan B would be the MIRO Hotel.
Hesperia Bilbao is very well located by the riverside promenade and close to the Guggenheim and old quarter, Bilbao is a walkable city and everything is at a close walking distance. Nice hotel from a very good hotel chain. Miró is also well located, closer to the Guggenheim and a bit further away from the old quarter, but equally good.
Is the riverview worth paying more for at the Hesperia Bilbao?
I would think that Miró is more expensive than Hesperia Bilbao, based on its vicinity with the Guggenheim. Both are very good places to stay, I´d base my choice on price, between these two. Vincci Consulado is another good choice and equally well located.
I stayed at the Hotel Hesperia Bilbao when I was last visiting the city a few years ago, a great hotel with interesting colourful rooms due to unique windows. Views from the riverside facing rooms was very nice and I was able to walk everywhere I needed from the hotel, plus they had an excellent breakfast buffet
I am looking for a wonderful hotel in San Sabastian for three nights.
Hotels in Donostia-San Sebastian are more expensive than in Bilbao, and depending on the season they can be very expensive. Londres, Maria Cristina, Villa Favorita, Lasala, are the top hotels in the city. And then NH Arantzazu, at the first beach, cheaper. Or Arbaso, a boutique hotel in the city center. Sansebay, by Lasala but much cheaper, at the entrance of the old quarter. Zinema7, more affordable...Again, beach weather is not always an option and the vast majority of hotels in D-SS do not have pools as it´s not worth it most of the time.
