The first time I stayed at the Carlton it was entirely accidental. I had flown from Madrid to Bilbao with a Spanish colleague probably 10 years ago and our flight was so late that the hotel where we had bookings had given our rooms away to someone else. It was late, we were tired and grouchy ... Read review
This elegant 5-star hotel is one of the citys most emblematic buildings and dates from ... more
1926. It boasts a central position in Plaza de Federico Moyúa and an elegant restaurant.The hotel was designed in 1919 and is an architectural delight. Wander throu...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
One of the most emblematic buildings in Bilbao the Hotel Carlton was designed in 1919 and ... more
completely renovated in 1994 to adapt it to the most demanding tastes Today it is an Historic Architectural and Cultural Monument whose artistic finesse is app...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
The Hotel Carlton in Bilbao, a beautiful, mansion hotel designed with chandeliers and ... more
marble flooring in its interior, located in the city center, 400 meters from the Guggenheim. The 144 air conditioned guestrooms have modern décor with cream walls, br...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
The Hotel Carlton in Bilbao, a beautiful, mansion hotel designed with chandeliers and ... more
marble flooring in its interior, located in the city center, 400 meters from the Guggenheim. The 144 air conditioned guestrooms have modern décor with cream walls, br...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Advantages: Opulent, near the Guggenheim, best in town Disadvantages: only that there's not more reason to go more often
...time I stayed at the Carlton it was entirely accidental. I had flown from Madrid to Bilbao with a Spanish colleague probably 10 years ago and our flight was so late that the hotel where we had bookings had given our rooms away to someone else. It was late, we were tired and grouchy and they offered to find us 2 rooms somewhere else. The Carlton - being the best (and most expensive) hotel in town - had two rooms. We rolled up in the wee small hours ... .../>
HOWEVER, the Carlton was so beautiful and the rooms so lovely that I vowed that one-day I'd go back and that's exactly what I did.
Circumstance of our Visit
*********************
It was March 2004. Our wedding anniversary is the 14th and so most years we try to get away for the weekend - usually to see a big modern art museum somewhere in Europe - in this case we wanted to see the Guggenheim Museum so we'd ... more
The first time I stayed at the Carlton it was entirely accidental. I had flown from Madrid to Bilbao with a Spanish colleague probably 10 years ago and our flight was so late that the hotel where we had bookings had given our rooms away to someone else. It was late, we were tired and grouchy and they offered to find us 2 rooms somewhere else. The Carlton - being the best (and most expensive) hotel in town - had two rooms. We rolled up in the wee small hours of the morning, paid an arm, a leg and a few other body parts and spent no more than about 6 hours in our rooms before heading off in the morning.
HOWEVER, the Carlton was so beautiful and the rooms so lovely that I vowed that one-day I'd go back and that's exactly what I did.
Circumstance of our Visit ********************* It was March 2004. Our wedding anniversary is the 14th and so most years we try to get away for the weekend - usually to see a big modern art museum somewhere in Europe - in this case we wanted to see the Guggenheim Museum so we'd picked up really cheap flights with EasyJet and needed a hotel for the Saturday night. I had booked a cracking good deal for the Saturday night at approx £60 for a double room. Hotels in Bilbao in March can be got for very good prices so be sure to shop around.
If you are well up on your recent history, you might spot the significance of March 2004 for the Spanish people. Just a few days before we flew over, the Madrid train bombings rocked the country. Rumours abounded that all the national museums and galleries would close as a mark of respect and the election was to be held on the Sunday. We of course were going to be in Bilbao - heartland of the Basque territory and at that time, the President was still saying it could be ETA who had planted the bombs. Should we stay or go? It was a tricky one. We tried repeatedly with the Guggenheim website and phone numbers to find out if it would be closed and still didn't know when we left but we knew for sure that at least we had a good place to stay.
The Carlton ************ The Carlton is located on the Plaza Frederico Moyua - conveniently between the shopping and museum districts and just a ten-minute walk to the riverside and the Guggenheim. It's about 8-9 km from the airport and, Spanish taxis still being relatively cheap, it won't break the bank to take a cab. However, if we'd known where we were going, we could have taken the airport bus, which stops on the Plaza.
The Carlton was designed in 1919 and is THE place to stay for any celebs visiting Bilbao (OK, that's not quite like London-Paris-Milan but according to one website I checked, visitors have included: Federico Garcia Lorca, Albert Einstein, Luciano Pavarotti, Maria Callas, David Beckham, Pierce Brosnan and Chelsea Clinton. I can't say much for Chelsea, but if it's good enough for David Beckham, then it's good enough for me.
The Lobby ************ High ceilings, sweeping staircases, opulent furniture, fab chandeliers, big stained glass windows - it's quite a sight. The check in desk is tucked discretely to the side and we quickly checked in. No problems with our pre-booking and we were straight up to our room.
The Room *********** Unfortunately I don't think Ciao have a photo but if you are interested and fine another website you might spot a room directly above the entrance with a balcony. Amazingly, despite paying only a tiny fraction of the normal room rate, that's the room we got. It was enormous. Painted in light fresh colours with a bed the size of a football pitch, you could have had a party in the room and not seen the guests at the other end (that's maybe more to do with my eyesight but it WAS big). Nice furniture - sorry I don't recall the details - but it was all very smart and traditional. Lots of wardrobe and storage space. The bathroom was beautiful too - and as it the case with Spanish hotels of all classes, full of all the goodies and toiletries that UK hotels are too mean to give.
There's a minibar, aircon, good double glazing, safe deposit box, hairdryer, bathrobes, cable TV, internet connectivity and all the things you'd expect. It was cold outside but the heating inside was more than adequate.
Other Facilities **************** We had booked room only and I am far too mean to pay Spanish hotel breakfast prices so I can't say too much about the restaurants or service. However, I'd be really surprised if it wasn't excellent. There's a sauna and a small gym but I don't think there's a pool.
Our Little Bit of History ************************ As alluded to earlier, this was a really odd time to be in Bilbao. On the evening of our stay, the Plaza outside filled up with marching protestors - banging spoons on saucepans and walking slowly round and round in circles. Across the plaza was an important government building with lots of Guardia Civil standing outside, looking nervous. We watched for an hour or so from our balcony. Every now and then the crowd sat down and sang. It was amazingly atmospheric. Then, later in the evening they peacefully dispersed. The following day a shock landslide victory to Zapatero - largely brought about by his predecessor's response to the bombings and willingness to blame ETA - brought down the Spanish government and brought in a new left-wing leadership. What can I say - we were there, we felt like a part of it.
