HAL Hotel Gallery versus Hotel Jazz

I currently have a reservation with the HAL contracted hotel, Hotel Gallery, for my pre-cruise stay in November, but thinking about booking Hotel Jazz.

The HAL contracted hotel would include airport to hotel transfer and the hotel to ship transfer. I'm traveling solo and don't speak Spanish, and there is a certain amount of "security" in staying here since it's arranged by the cruise line, and presumably, they take care of you. On the other hand, it is almost twice as much as Hotel Jazz.

Hotel Jazz is one of the hotels recommended for Barcelona here on CC, and is ranked #26 on TripAdvisor (while Hotel Gallery is ranked #46), and I understand the location is better (although as far as the location and which I'd prefer, I'm not entirely sure where I want to stay since I'm just beginning the research on Barcelona). I'd also have to arrange transportation to the hotel, then to the ship.

Any thoughts by those who have been to either of these hotels?

Donna

We've stayed at Hotel Jazz twice for a couple of days each time. Excellent location and a well maintained hotel. No problems communicating with the front desk staff in English. I look forward to staying there again later this year.

We stayed at Hotel Jazz precruise this past Oct. cannot recommend it highly enough. The cab fare was very reasonable to the hotel and to the port. No language problem whatsoever. Hotel Jazz is perfectly located for all your sightseeing. Immaculate hotel, quiet and the staff is fabulous. Save your money for something else. I would pick this hotel even if the cost was the same as what the cruise line hotel cost.

You likely will find others on your roll call staying there and you may be able to share a cab to the port.

Gallery hotel is much further away from the centre of Barcelona than Hotel Jazz.

It is not difficult to get from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship.

Also, you will probably find other cruisers - maybe also on your cruise - staying at hotel Jazz.

Thanks for the replies. Looks like the consensus is Hotel Jazz.

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I've stayed three times st Hotel Jazz and would highly recommend it :)

I've stayed three times st Hotel Jazz and would highly recommend it :)

Thanks--lots of votes for Hotel Jazz. I'm now holding reservations at both hotels, and will probably drop Hotel Gallery, unless I hear anything to recommend them (other than HAL takes care of all the transfers if I stay there).

Before I do, I'll need to look at transportation options from the airport to the hotel, then from the hotel to the airport. Won't take a bus since I'll have too much luggage to handle, and prefer not to just "grab a taxi" since I don't speak Spanish.

Am I being paranoid? I'm just a "little old lady" travelling solo, and maybe a little too cautious about just jumping in a taxi?

If I were a lady traveling alone, I would go with the cruise line package for security. There will be a cruise line rep at the hotel, and you'll be surrounded by fellow cruise pax.

If I were a lady traveling alone, I would go with the cruise line package for security. There will be a cruise line rep at the hotel, and you'll be surrounded by fellow cruise pax.

I agree. Even though the taxi ride from the airport to a hotel in Barcelona and then from the hotel to the port is a relatively short ride, NOT every taxi driver speaks English well enough to meet your comfort level.

Stay at the HAL hotel and try to save money (haha) another way.

Definitely Hotel Jazz, we stayed there, and it is such an excellent location, close to everything but not in the heart of it.

Very clean, comfortable hotel, we didn't have breakfast there but so many options just around the hotel.

The staff were great, and they called a taxi for us to the airport, and we had no hassels at all.

Would recommend them.

Pat.

I am going on a cruise out of Barcelona in May and HAL's hotel is Gallery. Booking it on our own would be about $202 USD plus transportation costs. HAL's quote was quite fair and includes transportation from airport to hotel and then to port. Splitting the cost, I don't know that we could do it much less expensively and I like the door to door service.

I'm a solo traveling female and have been to Barcelona twice on my own (and another time for a meeting for work...) Each time I took a taxi to my hotel, no problem. I did the same thing I usually do when traveling in a foreign country where I don't speak the language -- I went online and printed out a photo of the hotel and their address (from their website). Generally it works like a charm.

I never stay in the cruise hotels, the price is usually very high and the locations are rarely optimal. :cool: Hotel Jazz is very nice. I've also stayed at the H10 Raco del Pi.

Print the name and address of your hotel off of the internet and give it to the taxi driver for the trip from the airport to the hotel. Then you don't have to be able to speak Spanish and he doesn't need to speak English. It is always smart to travel with this information in written form if you don't speak the language of the country you are visiting.