Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao

Perfect complement to the Guggenheim

by TripAdvisor Member belweb

Here are a few comments from five women who visited Bilbao in October, 2005, regarding the Gran Hotel Domine:
Modern, artistic lobby with interesting decor, excellent service and friendly staff (they even gave us big umbrellas when it rained) convenient to museum, best breakfast buffet on whole trip, comfortable beds and modern bathrooms.
The breakfast room was on the top floor - a great place to take photos of the Guggenheim which was across the street.

A Gem

by TripAdvisor Member thetravelduo

Breezed into Bilbao on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. My wife and I drove by a few of the four & five star hotels, but chose this one because it is directly across the street from the Guggenheim and a couple of blocks from the Fine Arts Museum, our two destinations.

This is the way a hotel should be. Very quirky and a boatload of fun. Modern furniture, slat screen TVs. They put little rubber creatures on the beds at turn down, have beautiful bathrooms and large rooms. The view of the Guggenheim is breathtaking, we were in room 501 and the museum was right in front of us. The breakfast buffet (included) was very nice, served on the 7th floor overlooking the museum.

Friendly, helpful staff. Quality service. I wrote a less positive review of the Casa Camper. They should hire some staff from the Grand Hotel Domine.

A Touch of Class

by TripAdvisor Member Ozabroad

The Gran Hotel Domine turned out to be the perfect choice to entertain customers in some style. It proved to be popular for tourists wanting that special weekend as well. Located opposite the Guggenheim museum, the views and location were perfect. The standard of food presented at breakfast, on the roof terrace, and in the dining areas were first class. Drinks and cocktails were served in the casual bar areas till late, how late I didn't actually prove, in a totally relaxed environment. The hotel reflects the modern style of the Guggenheim and the foyer and reception area, are dramatic with waterful, enormous rock feature and exposed lifts. The rooms were, as would be expected, first class even down to the flat screen TV, and glass walled shower areas. Complimentary umbrellas, to deal with Bilbao's rain, were wrapped in plastic on your return to avoid getting drips on the tiles. One to savour on that special occasion.

cool business style only

by TripAdvisor Member sabinen

Having read many articles in design magazines I was surprised staying in a quite normal "business style" hotel. Best: location, just opposite the Guggenheim. Nicely & modern designed lobby area. The Café could be in any shopping mall or any other hotel - means, nothing nice, special; tables dirty and equipped with cheap tissues which are used at any tapas bars around the city. In room-design: no design, cheap materials. Breakfast room: nice view and Vitra-style chairs, buffet bad in quality. Staff at reception and breakfast was unfriendly or inefficient but this might have the reason that many of them speak very bad English and they are therefore not able to have a nice conversation with guests (e.g. upon check-in) or reply to requests in an adequate manner.

When I asked at the front desk for email access I was recommended to buy a value card in the amount of 10 Euros for 45 minutes. I told the guy that I wanted to read only ONE email and therefore I would not like to pay 10 Euros for that. He promptly came up with an alternative and described my the way to cafeteria few minutes away with free email access!! I think this was a very very bad answer from a receptionist of a Leading hotel of the World, where they charge at least € 170,-- per room! It was 9pm and I was a female traveller... Well, I replied that he should kindly cancel my table I had booked for dinner at the hotel restaurant and I would instead go the the cafeteria for dinner and read my email.. (of course I did not, but I did not eat their restaurant either).

The Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao is definitely not a Leading Hotel of the World. It is a nicely located four star hotel with no charm. Expect nothing but a nice view from your room and you will not be disappointed.

Big on Form, Short on Substance

by TripAdvisor Member marshreed

The GHDB is undoubtedly one of the most artistically, aesthetically-pleasing hotels I have ever visited. The lobby, at quick glance, could pass for a surrealist painting and Javier Mariscal's whimsical artwork adorns the walls of every hotel room. Each floor sports a different color theme and hotel room doors are uniquely painted so they fade chamelion-like into surrounding hallways. Unfortunately, that is where the hoopla ends. The rooms are cold and modern. The staff, while eager and friendly, are ultra-busy and subjected to constant interruption. For such a large hotel in a well-known chain (Silken), I was surprised to find that some staff spoke no English whatsoever. Internet access is a whopping 10 Euros for 20 minutes while it was free at other hotels I visited in Spain. Gran Domine is only feet from the Guggenheim but Bilbao is so small that it makes little difference. I'm probably being overly-critical as GHDB is ranked #1 by many. All-in-all the hotel is entirely satisfactory and the price reasonable.

Highly Recommended

by A TripAdvisor Member

Nothing but compliments to the management and staff . This is a very ,very nice hotel and the Silken chain of hotels seems to be successfull in other Spanish towns as well ( Sevilla , Malaga) . Very good value for money . I am definitely a fan of the Domine .

GHDB

by A TripAdvisor Member

I arrived at 9.30pm having driven from Alicante (and very tired) to be told by the ice maiden on reception that I could not park in the hotel car park. I protested and threatned to cancel my reservation. At this point, a more user friendly person smoothed it all out and arranged to park my car later that night when the car park was less busy. From then on it was a real pleasure to stay here. The bed is one of the most comfortable I have known and although the minimilistic approach to furnishings is evident it was still very comfortable. I would also like to say the staff were excellent and with one exception, could not do enough to help. I would definitely stay here again.

great hotel+amazing dining out experience

by TripAdvisor Member garbine

The hotel has a great location,exactly in front of Guggenheim Museum.Rooms are spacious with huge beds and with great views when they face the street.We asked to staff about dining out in Bilbao and they were very helpful despite their English wasn´t very good.There recommend us to take the tram to the Old Quarter, we had some tapas in Victor Montes(superb)and then we went to have dinner to the other side of the river to a basque-french resto called a table(one of the best dining out experience in my life).We´ll be back soon.

Bilbao, Spain

by karen15

" GRAN HOTEL DOMINE"

A five star, resort hotel which is located at the front of Guggenheim Museum. Its hotel chain was Hoteles Silken. The exterior is a polished stone with a concept of colorist microcosmos from a nautilus shell-shaped lobby to the attractive range of reds in its public lounge carpeting. It has 145 rooms with 10 suite rooms distributed each floor of the hotel. The sixth floor is the most comfortable one, because of the beautiful scenery of the outstanding structure of the Guggenheim Museum. Though, in the seventh floor, it has a wooden deck that opens onto the panoramic view of the said museum at the same time, the entire city of Bilbao. Each room is by personalized requests interior with an interactive furnishings. There’s a transparent glass plate links with bedroom with bathroom, and a latter bathtub designed by Philippe Starck.

World-Class service amenities:
• 24 hour room service
• 24 hour front desks
• Laundry/dry cleaning
• Room service
• Ironing and ticket service
• Internet services
• Shoe shine
• Car rental
• Tour desks
• Gay friendly staff
• Currency exchange
• Newspaper
• Safety deposit box
• Luggage storage
• WiFi/Wireless LAN
• Valet parking

Rates:
• Private parking costs €16.05 (Php 1,284) per day
• Double units ranges from €140-275 ($182-358 or Php 11,200-22,000)
• Junior suite ranges from €290 ($377 or Php 23,200)
• Suite ranges from €400 ($520 or Php 32,000)
• Grand Suite ranges from €900 ($1, 170 or Php 72,000)

Facilities:
• Restaurants
• Cafeterias
• Bar
• Fitness centers
• Non smoking rooms
• Rooms/facilities for Disable
• Sauana
• Solarium
• Massage center
• VIP room
• Meeting/Banquet facilities
• Business center
• Gifts/Souvenir Shops
• Library
• Turkish/steam bath
• Soundproof rooms

" HOTEL ABANDO"

A four star, commercial hotel, which offering an array of well-furnished rooms and comfortable beds. It has 143 rooms with a roomy tiled bathroom with tub/ shower combos. If you want to have a dinner date with someone, you might enjoy top Basque and international cuisine at the restaurant. Their room is air-conditioned, with television sets, mini bar, and hair dryer. It also has so many different activities you could enjoy for. And, their location is near for some railway transportation and different bazzars.

World-Class service amenities:
• 24 hour room service
• Babysitting
• Laundry/dry cleaning
• Newspaper
• Internet access
• 24 hour front desks
• Luggage storage
• Safety deposit box
• Bicycle rentals
• Car rentals
• Packed lunches
• Iron service
• Room service
• Tour desk
• Currency exchange
• Valet parking

Rates:
• Internet access is available at the entire hotel it costs €6.42 (Php 513.60) per hour
• Private parking ranges from €14.98 (Php 1,198.00) per day
• Double units ranges from €80-140 ($109-182 or Php 6,400-11,200)
• Suite units ranges from €180 ($234 or Php 14,400)

Facilities:
• Restaurants
• Gym
• Bar
• Non smoking rooms
• Rooms/facilities for Disabled
• Elevator
• Sauna
• Fitness center
• Golf course
• Library
• Biking
• Hammam
• VIP room
• Meeting/Banquet facilities
• Business center
• Bridal suite
• Gifts and souvenirs shops