http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/hid35388 TravelPost.com - Hotel reviews, information, and rates from thousands of websites http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r495665 The location was great. We stayed 4 nights. Our room was on the main (busy) street. Good view, but noisy. Garbage trucks and street cleaners noisy in the early, early morning hours. Our last night there, a construction worker was sawing and hammering in the room next to us from 11:00 pm until midnight. We told the desk clerk about it the next morning and she said no one was working in that room at that time. My husband opened the door and saw the worker (working in the room; the night before) and even talked to him. The desk clerk argued with us about it and did nothing about it. She just denied it completely. The faucets were leaky. The room was dirty. The room is VERY basic; wooden floors and the beds were EXTREMELY hard and uncomfortable. The only thing going for it was location. http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r495665 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r987917 Balcony on to the street.Having a glass door to the bathroom was not useful. No parking.“It might have been useful to know more about Bilbao's one way system, which meant getting to the hotel and then parking was quite difficult.” http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r987917 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r987918 pas de parking“bon” http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r987918 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r495666 My husband and I spent our second honeymoon in Bilbao, Spain. It was to be my first international trip... I was expecting anything from horrid outdated living facilities to uneatable meals. Well... Little ol' Bilbao, Spain and its lovely hotel Petit Palace truly SHOCKED me! I was proven COMPLETELY incorrect. The Hotel, the culture, the residents, the architecture... It was all relatively updated and modernized! Not only was it modern, but affordable! More so than if we would've stayed within the U.S. Don't get me wrong... The currency conversion within this period (Fall of 2004) really but a financial damper on things. We thought we were NOT going to be able to "live it up" :( We were wrong... This lovely little establishment (hotel) allowed us to do just that! For far less than we expected! This chain also has MANY hotels in Madrid, so don't neglect to view those as well. However; in my opinion... Between the modern european sytle bathrooms, to the romantic "cozy" balconies and spiral stair cases. This little (Petit) palace, was indeed able to live up to its name and thus warrant my respect, admiration, money and recommendation(s). With Deepest Regards MAB (Yahoo User) http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r495666 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r495667 I stayed at this quaint but modern hotel during the month of November 2004. It's MOST inviting feature is its geographically perfect location! Its literally a step away from the heart of the commercial district in Bilbao. Placed conveniently ajacent to a local Opera House and city plaza. The rooms are indeed quaint... Just big enough to accomodate a comfortable stay and modern enough to make you forget that you are afterall in a more traditional and less touristic area of the mystical Basque Region of Spain. My room had a LOVELY little balcony overlooking the neighborhood shops, were I awoke to the sound of European retailing shopping at its best! A vast array of shops and foods are all about. From traditional merchants and restaurants to modern day fast food chains for those too timid to take culinary risks! Bilbao's version of a "Lite Rail" transportation system stops a mere 1/2 block away and connects you to any point of interest that may be out of a feasible walking distance. All in all; it's a wonderful hotel with far more available ammenities and fringe benefits than what you pay for... Shhh!! It'll be our secret of how GREAT this little hotel is! Enjoy Bilbao... You won't want to leave her. RB http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r495667 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r987919 modern hotel, good locationsmall bathroom“We specifically asked for a high room with a view. We were put on the 1st floor with only a view of a side street. When we asked to move we were told there were no other available rooms. Our room was extremely noisey due to the fact that all guests on higher floors had to walk past our room to reach the lift. The floor in the corridor was made of wood which made every trip extremely noisey. When we specifically asked for a high room with view we were very dissapointed to be given such a poor room.” http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r987919 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r987920 I liked the layout and look of the room. Bilbao guide provided was a nice touch.I wasn't overkeen on the part-glazed door leading to the bathroom, which meant anyone standing at the bathroom door could see someone at the toilet.“The situation of the hotel was excellent but I would have liked to know more about the buffet breakfast, perhaps to have seen a picture of the restaurant and what it had to offer. I am still not sure if evening meals could have been obtained at the hotel but perhaps a list of suggestions of places to eat would be good and, more importantly, opening times of restaurants in the evenings. Each time I have visited a Spanish city I have had difficulty finding restaurants open in the evening early enough to eat it. The Spanish eat late and therefore their restaurants aren't open at times visitors might expect them to be.” http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r987920 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r987921 Lovely bathroom but felt that the selection of a glass door was inappropriate. Power shower body jets need constant unblocking to work effectinely which ours failed to do.“Thirty minutes to walk to the Guggenheim Museum. Very convenient by tram. Details of Tourists'city-travel deal from Reception,( there was an all-in deal that we discovered too late.) I would have preferred a far more secure and secluded store for luggage . Lovely breakfast ( the best we had throughout Spain, we decided to eat there it because the photographs of the food-spread in the escalator looked so inviting.)Intimate and friendly feel to the place. Good value for a superbly situated Hotel, on the edge of the old town.” http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r987921 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r495668 i stayed at this hotel and found it very good and clean, our room had a mini bar, tv, and a good power shower in bathroom, and staff helpful, good location central,opposite is the information office where you can get info and maps and book walking tours. The breakfast, was good value for money at the petit palace as well,eat as much as you wanted to. http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r495668 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r631277 They are renovating the rooms to an international luxury standard. Construction work had the place slightly topsy turvy when I was there but I was most impressed with my (renovated) room. Great location. http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Petit_Palace_Arana_Hotel/r631277