euskalkultura.eus

By Marti Kilpatrick

LOCATION: 8 / 10 0

Guests step out of the door and into the waiting arms of the old town’s pintxo bars. A few blocks over sits the river Nervión, whose banks are home to La Ribera, Europe’s largest covered market, and Mina, one of Bilbao’s Michelin-star restaurant gems. The tram, with a stop three blocks away, regularly whisks off museum-goers, but the walk to the Guggenheim is only about 25 minutes.

STYLE & CHARACTER: 9 / 10 0

Basque Boutique keeps its roots front and centre, grounded without losing a sense of humour. Metal pipe tree limbs snake across the ceilings, radiating out from the reception area. Disdaining of traditional and cold guesthouse lobbies, Basque Boutique has fun, converting the area into an adult playroom with whole-log tables, board games and a rack of clothes for dress-up. Lovely exposed brick walls and wooden beams riff off of local country homes, keeping the pension’s design aspirations well rooted in local 'terroir'.

SERVICE & FACILITIES: 7 / 10 0

The service is prompt and attentive. Guests are provided with codes for entry upon booking, meaning arrivals outside of reception hours (8am-8pm) are no problem. The staff go above and beyond; while I was marvelling at the ironic Basque folkloric photo booth in the common area, a receptionist was calling a local restaurant to help find someone's lost cell phone.

Wi-Fi: YES

ROOMS: 8 / 10 0

Basque Boutique takes the rough-around-the-edges, countrified local folklore and gives it a Pottery Barn-worthy makeover in its eight rooms. Txakoli, a local white wine, is the theme of room 105, while Marijaia, the party animal of Bilbao’s summer festival Semana Grande, tones things down as the pastel ladylike inspiration for room 104. The different themes, introduced by the designers in playful, surprising ways, distract from the fact that, at its heart, this is a no-frills guesthouse.

Careful attention to design details turn even drawbacks (no closets or wardrobes) into talking points (hang your jackets on these metal tree trunks). When it comes to comfort, superlatives continue – these beds were the most comfortable I’ve ever experienced in a pensión. The bathroom and its coloured tiles bordered on garish but were well-stocked, even down to a hair straightener to combat the notoriously 'humid' Basque weather.

FOOD & DRINK

Basque Boutique has no food or drink offering, but there are numerous bars and restaurants on its doorstep (literally).

VALUE FOR MONEY: 7 / 10 0

Double rooms from €65 (£58) in low season; and from €130 (£115) in high. Just as Basque Boutique toes the line between hostel and design hotel, its prices do the same – double rooms are more expensive than other hotels of the same category. But the design factor and the lovely rooms mean a comfortable stay that, quite frankly, beats more expensive hotels with more services by far. Breakfast not included. Free Wi-Fi.

Access for guests with disabilities? Not suitable.

Family-friendly? There are no extra beds, however the triple and the quadruple rooms are spacious enough for the family, and the themed rooms will delight guests of all ages.

Dorre Kalea, 2, 48005, Bilbo, Bizkaia, Spain.
00 34 944 13 48 49
basqueboutique.es