For a design-minded stay in the museum quarter of Bilbao, the Miró Hotel is hard to beat. It takes its name not from the painter Joan Miró but from the Catalan fashion designer Antonio Miró, who created its interiors, and the result feels like a well-cut suit: clean lines, black and white tones, quality materials and nothing superfluous. Behind a contemporary facade of green-tinted aluminium and glass on the Alameda de Mazarredo, it has 50 rooms that are spacious, calm and highly functional, with cream and white walls, dark carpets, black marble bathrooms and city views. It is an independent boutique hotel rather than a chain hotel, and its public spaces reflect that, with a lobby bar, a small library and a collection of around forty contemporary photographs. For relaxation there is a gym and a sauna, and massages can be booked. There is no full restaurant, which keeps the hotel intimate and pushes you out to eat in the city, where the pintxo bars of the Ensanche and the old town are close at hand. Its position is ideal for art lovers: the Guggenheim is a few minutes’ walk in one direction and the reopened Bilbao Museoa a few minutes in the other, with the Doña Casilda park between them.
Location and getting around: the hotel is at Alameda de Mazarredo 77, in the Abando district, roughly halfway between the Guggenheim and the Bilbao Museoa. The riverside promenade is a few steps away, the shopping streets of the Ensanche are close, and the old town is about twenty minutes on foot or a short tram ride. Moyua metro station and the Guggenheim tram stop are both within walking distance, and the airport bus stops in the city centre.
Rooms: rooms are minimalist and practical, with good beds, generous space and marble bathrooms. Ask for a higher floor for better city views.
Who it suits: couples, design lovers and solo travellers who want a stylish, central base for the museums, as well as business visitors who appreciate the meeting rooms and quiet atmosphere.
Good to know: there is parking at the hotel, so ask about the fee, which helps if you are driving along the coast. Check whether breakfast is included in your rate, and note there is no restaurant for dinner, so plan to eat out, which in Bilbao is a pleasure. The gym and sauna are free to use, while massages are booked in advance.
Why stay here
- ✓Design interiors by Antonio Miró
- ✓Gym
- ✓Sauna
- ✓Massage treatments on request
- ✓Lobby bar
- ✓Library and contemporary photography collection
- ✓Parking
- ✓Meeting rooms
Good questions
Is the Miró Hotel named after Joan Miró?+
No, it is named after the fashion designer Antonio Miró, who designed the interiors. The hotel does display a collection of contemporary photography.
How far is the Miró Hotel from the Guggenheim?+
It is a few minutes on foot along the Alameda de Mazarredo. The Bilbao Museoa is a similar distance in the other direction.
Does the Miró Hotel have a restaurant?+
There is no restaurant for lunch or dinner, but there is a lobby bar. Bilbao’s pintxo bars and restaurants are close by.