I have visited the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in the past to review some magnificent exhibitions but it was always a little difficult to find a true five-star gem for a wonderful stay to complement the unrivalled art and gastronomy. But now this problem has been solved because the Palacio Arriluce recently opened its doors in Getxo just outside Bilbao.

On arrival you pass through a stone archway to dis- cover this beautiful palacio with original brick turrets and stained glass windows and, to my surprise, a beautiful croquet lawn.

More than a hundred years ago, this was the social hub of Getxo for the more modern and pioneer- ing Biscayan aristocracy. In 1910, Fernando María Ybarra, first Marquis of Arriluce de Ybarra, commissioned his brother-in-law and architect José Luis de Oriol y Uriguën to design and build a palace on the cliff of the Bay of Abra where many of Bilbao’s bourgeoisie were moving to escape the increasingly crowded city. He designed a neo-Gothic building reminiscent of the English Queen Anne style.

Over the years, the building has undergone several transformations to meet the needs of the Ybarra family. In 2018, they realised that the building needed to be renovated and restored and decided to convert it into a hotel. In so doing, they managed to rehabilitate the palace and, by preserving it, allow others to enjoy it. Today it has been transformed into a beautiful cutting-edge 49-room retreat while still respecting its grand history. The focus is on the building’s artistic legacy and architectural influences, riches and local talent in a unique location surrounded by the wild and rugged coast of the Bay of Biscay.

The hotel and its rooms are decorated with ground- breaking Modernist prints by Sonia Delaunay, an artist with close connections to the family history of the palace, abstract lithographs by Frantisek Kupka, another great name associated with the hotel, and works of art created specifically for Palacio Arriluce by Diego Canogar.

Palacio Arriluce’s terrace with its superb infinity pool overlooking the Bay is the place to enjoy a perfect break. The design of the Kupka Cocktail Bar is fabulous and I had the pleasure of a fantastic dinner at the hotel’s flagship restaurant: the Delaunay. Renowned chef Beñat Ormaetxea presides over the hotel’s three restaurants and the à la carte menu includes some of the star dishes from his celebrated restaurant in Amorebieta. The sliced cod in ‘brandada’ foam was perfect, the anchovy tapenade delicious and the spectacular ‘baserria km-o’ oxtail cannelloni fabulous. One of the hotel’s best kept secrets is its wine cellar containing some of the most exclusive local and international names in a unique space where you can enjoy their best wines. Can’t wait to go back.

The Palacio Arriluce really has become the benchmark of luxury in Bilbao.