Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Express Bilbao Airport

Earlier this month, I attended a conference in the Basque Country of Spain. I spent one week in San Sebastian and stayed at a very nice hotel called Zinema7 (review to be posted soon).

My flight home was from Bilbao Airport at 6 a.m., which is more than an hour from San Sebastian. Given these logistics, I booked my last night at the Holiday Inn Express Bilbao which is very close to Bilbao Airport and offers a shuttle service.

I booked the hotel using my free night certificate from my Chase IHG credit card.

I took a bus from San Sebastian to Bilbao Airport (about $15) and then connected with the hotel shuttle from the airport. I did not have to wait long, and the ride to the hotel was about 5 minutes, at most.

When I arrived at the hotel, there was only one employee and he took quite a bit of time checking in the guests before me.

I looked around the first floor. There was a bar and some sitting areas which would double as the breakfast area in the morning.

Once checked in, I went to my room.

The room was clean and adequate for my one night airport stay.

Everything was basic, but as one would expect.

I had a view of a highway from my window.

The bathroom was compact and clean. The toiletries were by Dove.

I was given a drink ticket, and had a glass of wine on the first floor before going to dinner.

There is a restaurant, Urbe, in the same building as the hotel which is owned separately. This was perfect for dinner.

I ordered the steak. It was good for what it was. The meal, including a salad and a glass or two of wine, came out to around $30.

Hotel breakfast began at 5 a.m., but I was scheduled for the 5 a.m. shuttle (the first of the day), so I only had a quick cup of coffee. I  took some photos of the breakfast, which looked nice.

The hotel was was fine for an airport stay. It was clean and the employees were helpful. The hotel served its purpose given the timing of my flight to Madrid and then onward to New York.