andypmg

Just wondered if anyone can suggest hotels in either city please. I will be taking the ferry over from the UK.

Budget or a lower cost option would be good as it will be just for one night maybe two max
.

Near to ferry terminal also.

Thanks.

Mitzyboy

I think you'll be lucky in Bilbao ... hotels near the ferry are at a premium. I stayed at one a mile away, and it was €75 a night. Gran Hotel, Piente Colgante. Just in sight of the transporter bridge by the river outlet.

For a couple of day stay I stayed at Hotel Artetxe, which is up on the hills with great views

Currently £40 - £80 a night on booking.com

ricardoylucia

When we returned for 9 weeks to the UK back in June, we booked into the Hotel San Jorge, Santurtzi, Bilbao. The hotel is about 8 minutes drive from the ferry terminal. We chose this hotel, because the ferry left early in the morning and we did not want to drive through the night all the way from near Jaén.

It was an okay hotel.....has it's own restaurant and bar. It has an underground garage so the car was very secure.. The only downside was the our bed was very hard.

andypmg

Thanks to you both - I can just get some ideas and then decide what is best.

Porth

We are hopeful of going back on the 31st of October from Santander and with our dogs in a dog friendly cabin.

Any thoughts please as to hotels in Santander - and I estimate seven hours drive from Javea to the port?

best wishes

ricardoylucia

As already mentioned above and the hotel we stayed at (Hotel San Jorge) .... but not sure if this hotel is dog friendly though...

Porth

thanks will try. Otherwise have to drive to Bayonne stay overnight at a dog friendly hotel and then next day all the way through France and to Caen.

Mitzyboy

No, put more time aside than that. I did Gandia to both Bilbao and Santander regularly over the years and you need a good 8 hours, and thats at a good speed. Although the disatnce from Bilbao to Santander isn't that great, it's sometimes a slow road and could take us an hour.

Also, if you drive at night bear in mind there arent many places to fill your tank. They mostly close at night and theres one auto service that we found for credit card payment. You go off the main road to some of the services that are advertised and find them to be just a local garage which is closed up.

It's mainly duall carriageway via Zaragoza so it's an easy drive

If you travel at night to catch the morning ferry then you dont really need a hotel. We gauged it so we arrived around 9-10 am and then were able to just hop straight on the ferry

Porth

Thanks as to service stations near Zaragoza know what you mean! Also the remote prison is up there which tells you a lot.

I am informed that it is one of the most under populated regions in Europe?

thanks once more

MikeJ

We stayed at the Hotel Bahia in Santander last week. Perhaps not in the budget bracket but very comfortable and convenient. It is right opposite the ferry terminal - we found ourselves looking over to the very cabin we'd just arrived in when checking out the view! It also has its own secure car park.

andypmg

That could well be the one for me thank you.

I just think after travelling to the ferry terminal in the Uk then 20 some hours over a hotel real close to the ferry would be good.

I can then plan ahead. I have seen on line the rail journey Vigo in Spain to Portugal or via Madrid.

tebo53

Try the "formula one" if it's just for a stopover in Bilbao. Cheap and clean.

Porth

Thanks now no pet friendly cabins available so the long hike through Spain and France.

thanks once more

Ken

Porth

Thanks now no pet friendly cabins available so the long hike through Spain and France.

thanks once more

Mitzyboy

Ahhhh .... 8 hours used to get us to Valences Nord (Camponile), and then the next day got us to the port