HOTEL REVIEW: Hotel Miró, Bilbao, Spain

Last month I visited the Basque Country in Northern Spain for a long weekend birthday trip. I love spending my birthday abroad, not that I need much of an excuse to travel but with my years on earth approaching the ripe old age of 30 I need something exciting to take my mind of this impending doom. Steve and I choose to visit the Basque Country for a number of reasons; it takes less than 2 hours to fly to Spain from London and the area has a reputation for producing some of the best food in the world. A foodie holiday I hear you say? I was sold instantly!

With our flights to Bilbao booked and 3 nights accommodation to consider we decided to split our time between Bilbao and San Sebastian. Only an hour apart on the bus, these two cities are super easy to visit in a long weekend as apart from all the food you'll be devouring there isn't that much to do sightseeing wise. As we were flying into Bilbao early on the Thursday we decide to spend one night there and catch the bus to San Sebastian the next afternoon where we would spend a further 2 nights. That gave us practically two full days in each city, perfect.

The next decision was deciding where to stay and my 'affordable luxury' mantra led me to find Hotel Miró in Bilbao. Situated opposite the famous Guggenheim gallery this hotel promised stylish and contemporary rooms, designed by Barcelona fashion designer Antonio Miró. Before I had even arrived at the hotel I could tell it was going to be a cool place. The website has a really chic feel to it and I was looking forward to seeing how this transitioned in real life. I wasn't disappointed.

We arrived before check in opened so we left our luggage and headed out to explore the city, returning in the evening to get ready for dinner. Our room was absolutely stunning, the bed was enormous and extremely comfortable, we had a view over the Guggenheim and the room came complete with not one, but two separate bathrooms; one with a shower and the other with a bath. Of course I had a bath and it was a blissful experience. The space was enormous and even though we were only staying for one night I managed to spread my stuff out all over the sofa. Walking into the room the air felt calm and the atmosphere relaxed, which is probably due to the stripped back décor and huge windows providing an abundance of natural light. Without a doubt this is one of the loveliest and most relaxing spaces I have ever stayed in.

In the morning we had breakfast from the buffet which included a fantastic spread of Spanish meat and cheese plus all the standard fruit, bread and cereals etc. Hot eggs and bacon were also available and I adored the drinks station that came with all the usual fruit juice AND bottles of Cava to make yourself a little breakfast cocktail!

The hotel bar also serves complimentary snacks such as sweets, popcorn and pintxos throughout the day for guests which is a really lovely touch.

My final thoughts on Hotel Miró is that is represents Bilbao perfectly; with it's cool and contemporary interiors it merges seamlessly with the fresh architecture you'll see around the city. The location is perfectly suited to visiting the cities outstanding galleries and checking out the pintxos bars at night. If like me, you enjoy staying in boutique hotels that offer something special, without having to pay over the odds then this hotel is an absolute must. Rooms start at around €126.50 which is around £90 given the current exchange rate making this hotel superb value for money when you consider the quality of design available. Thank you for providing me with a perfect haven for the night, I love Bilbao but I love Hotel Miró even more.

Disclaimer: Hotel Miró were kind enough to offer us a complimentary stay with breakfast included in exchange for review

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