Hotel Ripa

Hotel Ripa is a one-star budget hotel at Calle Ripa 3, on the Ripa quay along the Nervión river at the edge of the Casco Viejo in Bilbao, Biscay, Spain. The riverside address is close to the Ayuntamiento, the Puente del Arenal and the Teatro Arriaga, and Plaza Moyúa is about 0.8 kilometres away. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao can be reached by a pleasant riverside walk or a short tram ride, and the Casco Viejo's Siete Calles, Plaza Nueva and Mercado de la Ribera are all within a few minutes on foot. The hotel is a small, traditional guesthouse-style property rather than a design or luxury address, with simple double and twin rooms, private bathrooms and basic amenities consistent with a one-star classification. Its strengths are the position by the river and the low price, which allow guests to be in the centre of the old town without paying boutique rates. Breakfast may be offered at the hotel, but most guests eat out in the surrounding streets, where pintxo bars, cafés and restaurants line the nearby squares and lanes. No spa or pool is listed. Service is personal and informal, with reception staff able to give directions and local tips, and the hotel suits budget travellers, couples and solo visitors who plan to spend most of the day outdoors. Nightly rates of roughly €30–€95 vary by season, with the highest prices during the August Aste Nagusia festival when the old town is crowded. The old town can be noisy on weekend nights, so light sleepers may prefer rooms on higher floors or facing away from the quay. Guests with luggage should note that some streets nearby are pedestrianised.