First of all, I wanted to make sure to review this on VRBO because we were nervous that this was not a legitimate apartment. Later I found tons of reviews on “booking” - all 4/5 stars. The apartment is as photographed - very modern and clean and quite large. It was very accommodating for a family and the kitchen was exceptionally well stocked. It has a tiny combo washer-dryer that was so nice after staying at hotels. Laura, who manages the bookings, is extremely responsive and kind. When we had to check in not in person, she simply left a key in a nearby automated locker that was very easy to access. The location is on one of the original “siete calles” (seven streets) of the city in the heart of the lively Casco Viejo neighborhood. While other streets got quieter in the evening, this one is above some very popular bars and was extremely noisy late into the night. Beware that even with sound proofing the front bedroom is quite loud. The back bedroom was calm and quiet. Since there is no AC, it’s important to be able to open the windows. We did open the back ones but even there the second hand smoke coming in there was nearly constant. This is just a heads up for people sensitive to sleeping in warmer temperatures or who have kids they don’t want to expose to too much smoke. We were able to walk or catch public transit to everything in Bilbao from this location. Highly recommended for 2 adult travelers that can use the back bedroom exclusively or if you have good sleepers!
