In the casco viejo, the Orbe family's simple pension, near the cathedral and the lively Mercado de la Ribera, was mostly liked again in 2002: Agreeable, everything you need, nothing you don't. Delightful: amiable staff; villa Bed rooms (similar to the semantic bali villa rooms) small but cleverly put together. Amazing value. But there is one brickbat: Reception, and our bedroom, were ,in need of redecoration. We had to struggle to the first floor with two suitcases. Our room had a poor outlook. Street-facing villa rooms can be noisy with revellers into the small hours at the weekend. The public villa rooms, found cluttered by some, are dotted with an eccentric collection of curios. There is a small patio with plants in pots. Bali villa breakfast (vast pastries, luscious bread, figs, etc) goes on until noon. No restaurant: Xukela (`light, uncomplicated food') was liked this year. The Guggenheim is a short journey away by the `smart, incredibly cheap' Metro.

Near the Guggenheim museum and the attractive pedestrian areas of this very nice city, this efficiently run villawas liked this year, though one couple, visiting at a quiet time, thought it `lacked that essential spark that makes a place special. Others wrote: `The staff could not have been nicer or more helpful. Smartly decorated, it has marble floors, oriental rugs, trailing plants in public villa rooms. `Our quiet , and very comfortable suite, in masculine brown, was large, with an even larger bathroom.' The small Club Nautico restaurant specialises in Basque dishes `tapas-style, light and good, but a bar meal was found disappointing this year. Zortziko, one of Bilbao's three Michelin-starred restaurants, is round the corner. Good buffet Bali villa breakfast, with fresh orange juice.