Hotel Abando ★★★★

Right in the centre of this fascinating and dynamic city, next to the lovely Gardens of Albia and the River Nervión, you’ll find your hotel – a modern four-star structure providing all the comforts you could need for a luxury city break.

Step inside and you’ll find a luminous and calming recently renovated interior. Your room – also recently renovated – is a light and contemporary space where white and light wood furniture meet giant black and white photographs of Bilbao covering entire walls. It’s the type of space that immediately helps you to feel relaxed, making your forget the stresses of the long journey you’ve just taken to get here.

Without a doubt, Bilbao’s most famous sight is the Guggenheim art museum and this will probably be your first stop – an easy walk down the river from your hotel.

The futuristic looking metal ship-like structure of the Guggenheim Museum was designed by architect Frank Gehry and changed the way people look at architecture. Its collection spans from the mid to the 20th century to the present day and displays key works from artists such as Willem de Kooning, Richard Serra, Robert Motherwell and Anslem Kiefer.

In fact, the whole city is full of famous pieces of art and design, from the sleek metro system designed by Sir Norman Foster to the airport designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and the Alhondiga community centre designed by Philippe Starck.

You could spend a whole day marvelling at these modern masterpieces, but don’t forget to explore the Old Town and the Ensanche Quarter too – located just steps from the hotel. Full of narrow winding streets, pretty plazas and bright sunset coloured buildings, the Old Town is definitely worth an afternoon of your time, while the Ensanche Quarter comprises with wide boulevards, magnificent elegant buildings and swathes of green parkland.

Those who still have plenty of energy before dinner may want to head upstairs to the hotel gym for a workout, followed by a relaxing and warming sauna. And if you’re too tired, curl up in the hotel’s library with a good book or have a drink at the Platea 9 Café.

Basque cuisine is a unique type of Spanish food, which is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. It’s a seasonal gastronomy where both the sea and the land play major roles. Think ingredients such as fresh seafood, cheese, artichokes, asparagus, lamb, sausages, black pudding, game and mushrooms. The hotel’s bright and sophisticated Epaia Restaurant is an excellent place to try some of these, where traditional delicacies are cooked in original avant-garde styles.

However you choose to spend your days in the city, you can be sure you have a sumptuous and serene haven in which to return and enjoy a restful night’s sleep.