To celebrate my Dad's birthday and Father's Day, last summer we went to Bilbao in the Basque region of northern Spain for a long weekend, staying at the chic Hotel Miró in the centre of the city directly opposite the Guggenheim Museum. As you'd expect from a Design Hotels property, the hotel is cool and contemporary, with sleek, gender-neutral decor by Spanish fashion designer Antonio Miró.
The four star boutique hotel has fifty rooms split over ten storeys, with a diverse photography collection by the likes of famed Spanish photographers Concha Prada and Marc Viaplana lining the walls from the sunny yellow relaxed lobby area with modern tripod lamps, comfortable brown leather armchairs and Flexform chrome chairs, through to the courtesy bar with coffee machines and complimentary snacks, and up to the cosy library area where guests are invited to browse stacks of art and Spanish history books. The neutral bedrooms are decorated in white and beige, flooded with natural light from the large windows and fitted with sleek black marble bathrooms filled with Gilchrist & Soames toiletries.
Breakfast is a straightforward affair: freshly squeezed orange juice, 100% natural roasted coffee or a choice of tea and each guest is given a brown bag filled with a selection of fresh local bread with handmade organic jams, honey and butter. The service was great from start to finish, from being greeted by the friendly concierge who took our bags and called us taxis, spotless rooms stocked with large bottles of water each day and, as we were asked when checking in why we chose to come to Bilbao, a complimentary bottle of chilled cava with a birthday note for my Dad. The location is unbeatable, the decor is stylish and the service is excellent: if you're heading to Bilbao, write down the name.
Hotel Miró, Mazarredo Zumarkalea, 77, 48009 Bilbo, Bizkaia
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