Hotel Carlton

It’s just getting two stars for me I’m afraid as i was not happy with my stay here. I visited this weekend expecting more. The hotel had air conditioning and apparently whatever type of old air conditioning they have they can only set it to either Hot or Cold air settings. It’s February and it was 18-20 degrees outside. This is warm for me, and my room was far too warm also as the cold air settings were not available in February I was told. I did not sleep at all for the two nights i stayed here. People’s perception of cold or hot is totally different , having one AC system that can only operate on Hot or Cold basis is not a good idea for any hotel, I expected much better. The location of the hotel is excellent for exploring Bilbao.

Wonderful 2 night stay. Hotel is traditional, clean and well maintained. Perfect location, right in the heart of Bilbao city centre, a short walk to many shops, restaurants, cafes and the park. Just a 15 minute drive to the airport |Breakfast buffet was extensive and had something for most tastes, set in a very comfortable dining room |Staff were friendly and attentive. |No faults I could mention and would return, so can recommend

We started here on a 3 day extension of Viking River Cruise. The hotel was beautiful right in the heart of the city. So many wonderful restaurants that served Pintxos. If you’re in this region of Spain you have to explore this experience of food. The hotel is in walking distance of the famous museums of Bilbao. The staff was very helpful since I didn’t know the area and language.

What a delightful hotel! Wonderful staff could not be more helpful. The included breakfast was exceptional! A charming, classic building that has been kept up well, and very comfortable room. Centrally located in Bilbao. Easy to walk to almost any place you want to go. Many great restaurants and shopping nearby.

What a wonderful place to stay when visiting Bilbao. Location is perfect, and the rooms are inviting & comfortable. The hotel has quaint corridors and beautiful decor. The breakfast here is amazing, and not to be missed.

Fantastic hotel in Bilbao with a very good location. Easy walk to the Guggenheim and into the old town. We were only here for a short stay on the way back from San Sebastián. The hotel was beautifully appointed with excellent facilities in the rooms. The room was very pretty with a large comfortable bed and lovely decor. A large window fully opened with views of the street. We didn’t have breakfast at the hotel - we went to a cafe on the street opposite which had lovely pastries and coffee. Wish we could have stayed longer as the room was so gorgeous!

We stayed two nights and were disappointed. It’s kind of surprising fora five star hotel in the city centre to have such a bad soundproofing. Noise from other rooms was as if things were happening in ours. One night we spent sleepless listening to football fans shouting outside till 5 am, we heard them loud and clear with windows closed. Another point is bad quality of products. There’s a big variety of food for breakfast but for example vegetables were tasteless (it’s hard to find good tomatoes in Spain it seems) and some even rotting. There was also stuff like a very bad hair dryer and some furniture that should be replaced or no place on a parking lot. But two first points are more than enough to feel bad about our choice. In our experience this hotel only looks good and is well located.

One of our favorite hotels on our three week trip to northern Spain. Good location on a major plaza in Bilbao. Rooms were very well appointed with great amenities and wonderful breakfast. Front desk and service people were very friendly and welcoming. Would definitely stay here again if staying in Bilbao.

A classic hotel that hasn't aged well. Stuffy, pretentious with basic and traditional amenities. Expensive restaurants, slow Wi-Fi, no convenience store, loud banging at 6am (called the front desk with no follow-up). Great location near the subway and central to downtown.

An elegant grande dame located on the central square across from a beautiful garden. We stayed for one night in mid April in a Superiorto kick off a visit to the Basque Country. Our room on the fifth floor (512) was delightfully large with a nice balcony overlooking the square. In April the 187€ was a steal for this quality and especially given the inclusion of breakfast (23€/pp value AND two free passes to Guggenheim museum-20€ value). Like most historical properties it would be a nice upgrade to have better access to power outlets, but other than that I thought the marble bathroom was a good size and we had more than enough room in which to spread out. The hotel itself is beautiful with rich red carpets on a sweeping grand staircase and an amazing stained glass domed courtyard just off the lobby. The Belle Époque stained glass and other touches add a refined elegance to your stay. The breakfast buffet was included in our room rate and was absolutely outstanding with so many classic basque foods plus anything else you could possibly want from fresh fruit and juice, many pastries and breads and omelette s cooked to order. An amazing feast and not to be missed. Highly recommended

Will stay here again if I ever come back to Bilbao. Everything is more than I expected. The room is spacious and the breakfast buffet is very impressive. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The location is excellent. It's right outside of the metro station and only a shirt walk to the Guggenheim museum..

New favourite hotel in Bilbao. Best location wise-only a few steps away from airport bus pick-up and metro. Short walk to the Guggenheim.Very fancy rooms (old school), clean and low key cool balconies. After staying at Ercilla, this will likely be my next go to hotel in Bilbao. The staff were very helpful. Price way-reasonable!.

Best place to stay in Bilbao, hands down. Upscale hotel, professional and friendly staff! Rooms are spacious, clean and very well distributed. The view from our room overlooked the city which was amazing! I recommend you book in advance, it does get sold out a lot.

Dare I say it: I loved Bilbao, probably more than San Sebastian. Sure, even in the summertime the weather can be quite unpredictable (I had my umbrella with me at all times) and chilly, but I'm fairly used to these things after living in Galicia (and Chicago!). My stay at Hotel Carlton made my visit to Bilbao all the more enjoyable. The hotel is situated directly in the center of town and is a comfortable walk from the Guggenheim Museum, as well as the "old" part of the city. Upon checking into the hotel (and without even asking!), the concierge gave me a thorough description of the area, described highlights and key attractions in Bilbao, and advised me to take my camera on a clear day and head to the Mirador de Artxanda. I heeded his advice and after a sharp, uphill climb, was presented with one of the most beautiful views of the center of Bilbao and its prominent architecture, the surrounding mountains, and the river. Throughout my entire stay, the service was polite and friendly - I was always presented with a "Buenos Dias" when leaving for coffee in the morning and a "Buenas Noches" when finally arriving back to the hotel after an evening of pintxos bar crawling. The room itself was comfortable and clean with in-room wi-fi. I also made use of the small fitness center in the building, which surprisingly enough, had ample cardio and weight equipment. It was definitely one of the nicer hotel gyms that I've made use of in Europe. Most of the guests of the hotel appeared to be on business, judging by how many of them were in suits, speaking English, and having the front desk call for taxis to take them here-there-everywhere, but given the affordable pricing of the hotel (under 70 euro a night) and the key location, Hotel Carlton is a wonderful place for tourists and vacationers to stay as well.

Decent location but in need of a facelift. Staff were friendly but the hotel is aged. The location was very good and the airport bus literally went to the door step, right in the centre of town. The room stank of smoke and room was showing signs of age, could do with a new carpet, more paint etc. Hard to call the hotel gym a proper gym, and same goes for the steam room, pretty basic. i cant say this was a surprise however, the prices reflected this lack of renovation.