Novotel Bilbao Barakaldo - Barakaldo, Spain     

We stayed at the Novotel Barakaldo for a long weekend at the end of May 2008 as an economical base for a family of 4, close to Bilbao. The hotel is modern and our room was clean, but more compact than most Novotels we have stayed in before. There was limited storage space and the open hanging area (instead of a wardrobe) was very narrow. We regularly stay in Novotels as they have a kids stay free policy and in most cases have rooms that sleep 4 people, so our kids are used to sharing a sofa bed, but in this Novotel, the sofa bed was very narrow and it was a tight fit for them (they are 8 and 11). Otherwise, the room was OK, had a large double bed, a modern bathroom (with a bath and a separate shower cubicle), flat screen TV and effective double glazing so we were not aware of the motorway outside. Breakfast was fairly standard for a Novotel, but all hot food (e.g. eggs) were cooked to order, so took a little time to get 4 omelettes made. The hotel is about 15-20 minutes walk from the Ansio metro station to get into the centre of Bilbao. By metro it was about EUR1.45 for a single ticket into the city centre or EUR4.00 for a day ticket (no child reductions) but it was quick, clean and efficient. One evening, we took a taxi from the old town back to the Novotel and it cost EUR16.00 so offset against a good deal on the accommodation (GBP55.00 per night for 2 adults and 2 children including buffet breakfast) it was a cost effective solution for a family room in the Bilbao area. Although out of town, the hotel is situated on a retail park, with a supermarket (closed on Sunday) close by in the direction of the BEC exhibition centre and Ansio metro station. In the opposite direction, there are retail units (mostly outlet stores), a couple of sports stores, an IKEA and a cinema (there may have been some other shops/supermarkets, but we didn’t explore any further in that direction). We used public transport all weekend and also went to San Sebastian which was just over an hour by bus from the Termibus bus station in Bilbao which is connected to the metro. The bus from Bilbao to San Sebastian was just over EUR9.00 per person each way (plus the metro between Ansio and the city centre). We flew to Bilbao and a taxi between the airport and the hotel was about EUR25 each way. The only downside was the internet access was expensive, with a minimum charge of 30 minutes, which was more than enough time to check-in for our flights home.