Restaurant Ibaizabal @ the Barcelo Bilbao Nervion

During our stay at the Barcelo Bilbao Nervion (Please see also review) in May 2016 we had two meals at the Ibaizabal Restaurant.

The restaurant has an open plan concept and gives a choice of an a la carte or Prix fixe menu. There are international and regional dishes available.

The Prix fixe menu offers outstanding value, but the cost varies. Our Saturday meal for example was around 18 Euro per person / ca. 19.70 USD, while Sunday's was a bit more elaborate and cost 20 Euro per person / ca. 21.90 USD.

The quality of the dishes was of a high standard and the cuisine simple and light.

When we arrived at ca. 20.00 hours the restaurant was not that busy and only a few patrons were there. Some where Spanish and our neighbor were a group of French ladies. The later it got the more guests arrived.

The staff brought us to our table and gave us the menus. We ordered a bottle of still Font Valle water. Studying the drinks menu we realized the wine was very affordable and a glass of Rioja cost just 2 Euro (ca. 2.20 USD), so he had one.

It was a young one and good in his opinion.

Next we could choose from different types of bread.

We received welcome starters, which were stuffed pepper with cheese and salad. It was delicious.

Our appetizers were endive salads with smoked salmon. The salmon was smooth and the endive salad crunchy, so the contrast between the textures was good. While the leaves were bitter the salmon was salty and the dressing a bit sweet, so an umami effect was created.

The main course was cod with Ratatouille. The dish was colorful and beautifully presented.

He had a Crème Bruelee as dessert, while I had an almond cake with vanilla sauce. Both were very good and the cake fragrant.

Staff was attentive and friendly.

The dinner cost 40 Euro (ca. 43.80 USD).

Breakfast had been included in our overnight rate. When we arrived the restaurant was already full.

Thank goodness we were brought to our table and didn't have to search for a free one by ourselves like at some other hotels. It's a pet peeve of mine to have to look for myself.

Tea, coffee and juice was self-service.

The buffet was large and included a wide choice of hot and cold items, including egg dishes, bread, pastries, muesli, cereals, gluten free items, ham, cheese, yogurts including low fat, vegetables and much more.

We had the bad luck to sit near a couple, who made a big mess on their table and had a huge amount of food waste too.

Having to look at it wasn't very appetizing. The other patrons were better in this regards and left their space as clean as possible and with as good as no left overs.

We enjoyed both meals and would return, even if the breakfast service can be busy, because the staff is friendly and the quality of the food/choices and value are good.

©2016

Barcelo Nervion Bilbao, Spain

Having not stayed before at a Barcelo hotel, but having very good experiences during a visit of the Barcelo complex in Caleta de Fuste in Fuerteventura we decided to book the Barcelo Nervion Bilbao during a one night weekend break in May 2016.

Checking the hotel out online we liked the modern design, colorful lobby and fascinating artwork.

After an eventless flight with Aer Lingus we took a taxi from Bilbao Airport to the hotel. It cost 26.50 Euro / ca. 29 USD and travel time was ca. 20 minutes.

The Barcelo Nervion was very well integrated with the surroundings.
 
The entrance was to the left, while to the right was the hotel's parking garage. The hotel's logo included the Nervion Estuary.

The open plan lobby was bright and had lots of seating space, a colorful wooden art piece on one wall, a beautifully decorated cow, which had been part of "Cow Parade", and a small gym to the right.

There was also a modern fire place and a post box.

The reception was straight ahead and when turning left there was the bar and cafe, the restaurant Ibaizabal and the vinoteca.

We had our dinner and breakfast - the latter was included in our overnight rate - at Ibaizabal. Review will follow.

Check in was done quick and friendly. We were given a map of Bilbao and the receptionist explained where all the important sights and shopping areas were located.

Our one-bedroom suite with a view overlooked the Nervion and main street.

The room concept was interesting. When entering there was the living room with two tables pushed together, a dark upholstered sofa for two, a credenza with mini bar, coffee/tea making facilities and a flat screen TV.

The art work was depicting a forest with trees painted in rainbow colors. There were also some coffee table books "Cow Parade", where the cow in the lobby could be also found, and one about Mallorca.

The mini bar contained sparkling wine, beer, still and sparkling water, Coca Cola and Toblerone.

The bath room was in the middle and could be closed off with sliding doors on either side leading to the bed room or living room.

In the middle was the sink, while the Japanese set up bath tub and shower were to the left and the toilet to the right in a separate room.

The wardrobe was located also in the bath room and there were Pure Herbs Amenities with Rosemary, Melissa and Thyme, including body scrub and bath salts.

Other materials used were porcelain tiles and light wooden furniture.

We liked the Pure Herbs amenities and thought it was interesting that there were a few more products than the usual line-up available.

The bedroom was large with a wooden floor, a big, comfortable bed, a seating area with a green carpet, a flat screen TV and a writing desk with wooden chair, which wasn't that comfortable. I can't imagine working there for hours on end. There were also stylish lightning features.

The TV channels included as expected a lot of Spanish channels, some German, Italian and French and CCTV, Bloomberg, BBC World and CNBC.

Room service was available from 11.00 hours to 24 hours. There was also a pillow menu.

The free WIFI internet was very fast.

We spent most time in the light filled bed room with floor to ceiling windows, but used the living room too.

Artwork was similar to the one in the lobby, only on a smaller scale, and a print of the Zubizuri Bridge was over the bed.

We liked the location, which was just around ten minutes from Santiago Calatrava's Zubizuri Bridge and around twenty minutes to the Guggenheim Museum by foot.

A supermarket, called Eroski, is also nearby (just across the Zubizuri Bridge).

We enjoyed our short stay, the location, friendliness of the staff, the design and the comfort. For those reasons we would return again.

 

©2016