Palacio Arriluce: a new luxury hotel full of history and just a stone’s throw from Bilbao
Palacio Arriluce: a new luxury hotel full of history and just a stone’s throw from Bilbao
The splendor of tourism in the Basque Country is evident in the high number of luxury accommodations that have been opening their doors in recent years. The most recent addition to the list of five-star hotels is Palacio Arriluce Hotel (member of The Leading Hotels of the World), in Getxo. This coastal municipality, which stands out for the numerous mansions and homes erected by the upper bourgeoisie during industrialization and is located just 12 km from Bilbao, has important tourist attractions such as its beaches, the Old Port of Algorta, the Biscay Bridge, the Aixerrota Mill, and the Punta Galea Cliffs. One of the most outstanding buildings in the Getxo skyline is Palacio Arriluce, a beautiful building full of British architectural reminiscences and designed by architect Jose Luis Oriol Urigüen in 1912 as a residence for a family from the Biscayan bourgeoisie.
After a thorough restoration, Palacio Arriluce has been transformed into a luxury hotel with 49 rooms and suites, two meeting rooms, a restaurant, a bar, a gym, a spa, an outdoor swimming pool, and a croquet lawn. The interior design work carried out has managed to preserve the building’s great heritage value by protecting most of its elements. Likewise, part of the original furniture from the house has been preserved and, thanks to the lighting and being able to combine said original furniture with contemporary pieces, the space has been able to be modernized.
The hotel has 42 rooms measuring 25-30 m2 (some of which have private gardens and terraces and others of which have views of the Bilbao Estuary), three junior suites measuring 35 m2, and four suites measuring 40 m2 with large terraces and sea views. Inside the rooms, every detail has been taken care of to preserve a distinguished and elegant atmosphere.
Gastronomy is an important part of Palacio Arriluce: its offerings include a cocktail bar located in the home’s old chapel (which still has the centuries-old stained glass windows) and a restaurant run by Chef Beñat Ormaetxea offering traditional Basque cuisine with a touch of innovation, where the ingredients are the main players. Ormaetxea is an experienced chef who has worked in the kitchens of the Guggenheim Museum’s restaurants, in Martín Berasategui’s Lasarte, and in Jauregibarria, among others. In addition to the restaurant and bar and the two event rooms, the hotel has a marquee tent that measures 250 m2 to host celebrations and weddings of up to 200 guests.
Neguri Spa & Wellness is the area dedicated exclusively to the guests’ wellbeing. Its facilities include a gym, sauna, indoor swimming pool, a massage service, and beauty treatments. All of this is topped off by an outdoor pool with a yoga area (and a bar) with views of the estuary and the beach, as well as a croquet lawn certified by the World Croquet Federation. This sport, closely linked to the English aristocracy, fully invites you to get into the spirit of the Roaring ’20s, when Palacio Arriluce saw its initial splendor.
Palacio Arriluce
Atxekolandeta 15, Getxo.
