10 Best Hotels in Bilbao and the Basque Country, Spain

Built in the mid-19th century for Empress Eugenia de Montijo, wife of Napoléon III, this neo-Gothic limestone castle-cum-hotel with rooms in the watchtowers and defensive walls is one of the most extraordinary lodgings in the area (and Relais & Châteaux agrees). Overlooking the Urdaibai Nature Reserve wetlands 30 minutes north of Bilbao, near Gernika, it's a favorite home base for bird-watchers, with excursions by canoe available for exploring the marshes. The excellent restaurant focuses on local products, from seafood to Txakolí, making this a culinary destination as well.

Rioja's renowned "gastro hotel," Echaurren is a food lover's paradise with two envelope-pushing restaurants and Relais & Châteaux--certified digs. The crown jewel of the property is El Portal, a two-Michelin-star temple to Riojan cuisine with surprising offal preparations, but there's also casual bistro dining in El Cuartito. Rooms are minimal and modern with blond wood, large windows, and—in upgraded rooms—uncommon perks like double showers and wine-based bath products.

The oldest hotel in Pamplona, where Ernest Hemingway conceived of his first novel, The Sun Also Rises, is a comfortable and conservative hotel with some early-20th-century accents such as velvet bergères and ornate headboards. Hemingway watched the running of the bulls from room 201 in 1924. 

Arbaso means "ancestor" in Euskera, and though this three-year-old hotel is awash with modern comforts (e.g., Marshall speakers, gym and sauna, smart bidet toilets, Apivita cosmetics), it exudes Basqueness in its staff uniforms, inspired by traditional jai alai uniforms; cuisine at Narru restaurant, hinging on local meats and seafood; and design elements, drawing on the Basque Country's raw materials like wood and natural stone. Entry-level rooms peer out over a "zen" courtyard, while the best digs afford vistas of the bay and add fireplaces and living rooms. Keep an eye out for low-season steals. 

Belle Époque grace and opulence are embodied here, in San Sebastián's most legendary hotel looming over the Urumea. It has hosted countless movie stars and dignitaries since opening in 1912, and its salons are appointed with Oriental rugs, potted palms, and Carrara marble columns. The newly renovated guest rooms—many with river views—feature elegant (if perhaps gaudy to some) design accents like tufted headboards and fuchsia wall art. Marble bathrooms add more pampering with deep-soak tubs and separate showers. A piano player teases out an eclectic medley of tunes nightly at the bar.

Frank Gehry's post-Guggenheim hotel looks like an extraterrestrial colony in the middle of one of La Rioja's oldest vineyards. The jumble of pink-and-gold titanium sheets curves around rectilinear sandstone surfaces; inside, guest rooms are streamlined and appointed with designer furniture. Amenities include the winery visitor center, historic cellars, and horseback riding, and golf. There's also a spa featuring grape-based emollients and two award-winning restaurants.

This quirky, cozy hotel occupies a traditional town house in the Casco Viejo. The beamed ceilings, stone floors, and ethnographical and historical objects (including a portable Spanish Civil War combat confessional) convey a sense of place—a welcome trait in a city where bland name-brand hotels dominate the market.

Brightly lit, with clean Scandi-minimal design, this adorable B&B is steps from Plaza de España. Rooms are open and airy, and the continental breakfast, served in the cozy upstairs lounge, is fresh and varied.

With its stone floors and rough-hewn ceiling beams, this 17th-century palace hotel transports you back in time, but it features thoroughly modern comforts: a terrific on-site tavern and winery (try the smoky, garlicky Riojana potatoes), cushy beds, framed prints, and flower-fringed wrought-iron balconies. 

You can live like a medieval lord in this 10th-century bastion, home in the 16th century to Spain's founding emperor, Carlos V—hence its alternative name: Parador El Emperador. Replete with suits of armor and other chivalric bric-a-brac, the place feels like a movie set (and has occasionally been used as one). Many rooms have views of the Bidasoa estuary; upgraded digs add canopy beds and baronial appointments and are worth the moderate extra expense.