Petit Palace Arana Bilbao - Bilbao, Spain     

For your safety and sanity avoid this hotel. My travelling companion and I booked two single rooms at the full price of $125 per night and were placed in a section of the hotel undergoing renovations. Despite the price we were not told that the air conditioning in these rooms was not working so,on a stifling hot night,we had to endure open windows looking out onto an enclosed courtyard where the loud hum of A/C units kept us awake all night. The rooms,despite having undergone renovations,were filthy and unkempt. At about midnight we complained to the front desk who said there was nothing they were prepared to do. We discovered from staff members the following day that they were deliberately instructed not to tell us that the A/C was broken. More worryingly to get to the rooms we had to reach them through an inner metal fire exit which was blocked by building and painting materials as well as stacked boxes of soft drinks,water and crisps. The fire door was also kept propped open. When we complained to the management the following day and suggested we should receive some refund we were first offered a complimentary continental breakfast,then 15% and finally 20% off our bill - all of which we refused. Their manner was offhand and rude. It's hotels like this which can make travelling such a dehumanising experience which is a shame because Bilbao is a wonderful city full of really friendly Basque people.

Coulnd't ask for a better location in Bilbao as far as we're concerned. Right at the edge of the Old City, two tram stops from the San Sebastien/Bilbao train station, two blocks (just across the bridge) from the main Renfe station, and 4 tram stops from the Guggenheim. Noise from the Old City street below didn't really bother us, and pretty-much quieted down after midnight. Friendly staff.