Top Tip

head for the place de rial

Comment

We were concerned when we read some of the reviews and were over the moon when we saw the hotel. It was clean and well maintained. Staff were friendly whenever we wanted help. It was idealy situated. There was a regular police precense in the square so we saw no problems with locals etc. We fully intend to revisit barcelona and will be staying in the same hotel. I really cant understand the bad reviews this hotel has had in the past

Top Tip

Found a fab restaurant called sinartra's it was situated at the rear of music theater, a girl was giving out flyers. It was french cusine so the portions were not massive but it was lush

Comment

Ecellent location, very clean, nice restaurant if you want to stay in the hotel to eat.

Comment

Good location. A few tramps around the square in the front but there was no hassle. Watch out for your wallets and bags if you wander around particluarly at night. We were in a group of seven (women and men) and one of our group's wallet was stolen by a group of women who started jostling us down a street. We ended up not taking bags out but putting our money in front jeans pockets.

Top Tip

Our group split up but there was good feedback from those that took the Tourist bus as you can hop and off during the day and see a lot of the sights even in one day.

Comment

The hotel restaurant is excellent value at less than 10 euros plus tax for a three course meal. If we had a complaint, it would be that the laminated flooring throughout makes for some noise, especially if your neighbours wear stiletto heels all the time! That apart, we plan to return and have already recommended it to friends.

Top Tip

The five days we were in Barcelona were just not enough. The tour bus is an excellent way to get your bearings, then use public transport which is easy and cheap. Watch your valuables-especially in the cathedral! We were robbed just after putting a donation in the collection box!!

Comment

Location - the only thing that worried me slightly was that there did seem to be quite a few 'homeless' people hanging around the area. This could be due to the fact that there was a soup kitchen in the near vicinity.

Top Tip

Restaurant - we had a couple of very nice meals at a tapas bar on Las Ramblas called Egipte. Just turn left out of the road and it is about 20 yards along on the left. Things to see - Definitely go to La Mila and take a wander around the chimney pots!! Also La Sagrada Familia, Montserrat and the cable car up to Montjuic. Also the market is well worth a visit. Basically there is so much to do & see it requires more than one visit! I would suggest definitely taking a trip around the city on one of the Tourist Buses.

Comment

The hotel was noisy with people walking around due to flooring (ie no carpets) and also its general location just off the Ramblas. The small plaza outside seemed to be the meeting place for the local 'down and outs' and did not look very appealling as you approached the front entrance. The staff had obvious difficulty with speaking English and the breakfast crew seemed plainly unfriendly. Our room was next door to the lifts on the top floor and was not very pleasant as we were constantly being disturbed as people came in late. We booked the hotel on the strength of some excellent written recommendations and I find it hard to believe that this was the same hotel. Perhaps a welcome/info pack in the rooms as well would help all new visitors!

Top Tip

To be honest we found the Ramblas a bit too tacky and heaving with people. What shone during our stay was the incredible Bouqueria market. The produce on display puts to shame our dismal UK attempts. The harbour at Port Vell was our main focal point in the evening when we enjoyed perhaps some of the finest seafood dishes I can ever remember. Worth special mention was the Elx Restaurant on the far side. The staff were so friendly and helpful that we went back for a second visit. The food was of the highest standard and I can highly recommend the Seafood Pealla as well as the Rice Casserole with Lobster as two superb meals. If you have a brandy at the end... you'll find they don't know the meaning of small measures (unlike in UK!!!). Take some bread with you during a nightime stroll to the harbour and watch the thousands of mullet (between 1oz and 8lb each) go ballistic when you throw pieces into the water, truly amazing. All in all we enjoyed our visit to what was a bright and vibrant city. Its excellent views from the castle via the cable cars were stunning and its overall ability to provide some of the finest Mediterranean food overcame the poor experience of our hotel. Barcelona gets 5 stars.