*BARCELONA Hotel Suggestions 6-27-10*

[bbeerbower]

Hi!

We are boarding the Voyager on June 27th from Barcelona!! Any hotel suggesstions, preferably ones that have some type of shuttle transportation to and from airport would be great! Happy sailing!

 

Barcelona is a walking city- most tourist attractions are in old town-

Las Ramblas (1 mile long street) from Port to Placa Catalunya.

If you stay in a hotel near Placa Catalunya you can take the aeroport

bus www.aerobusbcn.com from BCN airport to Catalunya for about 5 euros

It will take 30-40 min depending on traffic. There are 2 buses- one leaves from T1 the other from T2. they leave every 15 min. there is room underside of bus for luggage. this was the best option I found and very efficient. I took it back to the airport also.

Placa Catalunya is probably the best tourist location in Barcelona. It has 2 metros & train; large tourist information center; aerobus stop; hop on hop off bus; most bus lines stop here. El Cort Ingles shopping store on corner; Top of Las Ramblas; Passeig de Gracia (good shopping & restaurants) and close to Barri Gothic District. I stayed at the Gran Ducat Hotel 1/2 block away. this is a nice, clean European 3 star hotel (more like a US 2 star) and reasonably priced. Great location. There are quite a few hotels in this area. H-10 Catalunya; Duques de Bergarate; & Hotel Regina. All of these have good ratings. I took a cab to port for about 10 euros.

[lkakers]

Just got back from Barcelona 2 days ago -- we stayed at the NH Duc de la Victoria -- very conveniently located near Las Ramblas and Plaça Catalunya, and very reasonably priced.

 

Decor was modern, everything impeccably clean. Rooms very large by European standards and breakfast was very good.

 

We had a party of 8 (4 rooms) and everyone was well pleased with all aspects of the hotel -- particularly the fantastic location.

 

Best of luck!

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Interested in what price you paid for this hotel and did you get a discount with the # of rooms you booked ? Do you have an email address ?

 

Just got back from Barcelona 2 days ago -- we stayed at the NH Duc de la Victoria -- very conveniently located near Las Ramblas and Plaça Catalunya, and very reasonably priced.

 

Decor was modern, everything impeccably clean. Rooms very large by European standards and breakfast was very good.

 

We had a party of 8 (4 rooms) and everyone was well pleased with all aspects of the hotel -- particularly the fantastic location.

 

Best of luck!

[lkakers]

I booked 3 rooms with Otel.com, and was able to get the rooms including breakfast for $1593 for all 3 rooms for all 3 nights ($531 per couple, or $177/night). Compared to other rates I found for this hotel and comparable, this was a screamin' deal.

 

Good luck!

[Outnumbered]

Has anyone been on this aerobus before? Can you say whether there is room on it for a person to carry a large travel bag? Thanks

[lkakers]

Haven't been on it myself, but at Plaça Catalunya I saw many, many people get on and off them with lots of large baggage, so I'd bet there's plenty of room.

 

They seemed to run very frequently; it looked like a good airport transfer solution.

 

If hubby and I go back to Barcelona by ourselves, we'll probably use that next time (we were with a large mixed group, so the bus would have not been a good option this time).

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Thanks for the feedback. Was that in US funds or Euros ?

 

I booked 3 rooms with Otel.com, and was able to get the rooms including breakfast for $1593 for all 3 rooms for all 3 nights ($531 per couple, or $177/night). Compared to other rates I found for this hotel and comparable, this was a screamin' deal.

 

Good luck!

[lkakers]

US Dollars (note use of "$" not "€" ;)). Oh, and prepaid. Otel.com issued me a "prepaid voucher" to show at check in, and everything worked flawlessly. Though I did email the hotel directly ahead of time to make sure they had my reservation -- their responses were unbelievably quick and helpful!

[Outnumbered]

Haven't been on it myself, but at Plaça Catalunya I saw many, many people get on and off them with lots of large baggage, so I'd bet there's plenty of room.

 

They seemed to run very frequently; it looked like a good airport transfer solution.

 

If hubby and I go back to Barcelona by ourselves, we'll probably use that next time (we were with a large mixed group, so the bus would have not been a good option this time).

 

Thanks Lani. That info is very helpful. I know we will give this option a go now and save a few bucks over the taxi. :)

Nick

[Desert Cruizers]

A group for the Oct 29, 2011 TA has booked the Hotel Continental and sister Hotel, Palaceta already. DH & I went with the advise from others who have been to Barcelona and the Buffet was a plus. This will be our first trip to Europe and Barcelona so excited.

[lauraapp]

Can anyone recommend a 2 star, clean, off the rambla. Luxuries are not important, just a place to sleep...

[SuiteTraveler]

Can anyone recommend a 2 star, clean, off the rambla. Luxuries are not important, just a place to sleep...

 

Check sites like tripadvisor.com and hotels.com and read the reviews to find what you are looking for.

[sk84fungirl]

While I have not booked a room yet, not been to Barcelona, I am cruising next April. Wanted to share the hotels currently on my list...

 

-Torre Catalunya Gran Hotel

-Colonial

-Medinaceli

-Grupotel Gran Via 678

-Barcelona Catedral

-H10 Marina Barcelona

-H10 Universitat

-H10 Raco Del Pi

 

OK, you might be asking why so many? :o

 

This is a list of some of the hotels that we can book using a reward program. None of the commonly mentioned hotels on this board are options. We have and will continue to research. The hotels are all in different locations with solid or excellent reviews.

 

We'll see what happens!

[slidergirl]

I was in Barcelona for 5 days last month. We stayed at the Hotel Continental. First, let me say that the first thing I thought of was a pink bordello :eek: And, I'm not sure how it got 3*s - it seemed more like a 2*. My traveling friends picked it out, so I had to go with it. My room had a 2-chair balcony that look out on La Rambla. It was a decent size room for Europe. The bathroom I had contained a tub/shower combo and a hair dryer. All in all, it was really basic, but I dealt with it OK.

Their website mentions the 24 hour buffet. DON'T depend on it for your food. It is a small line with some 3-cup bins of fruit, dry cereal, some croissants, maybe a tortilla. Not impressive at all. But, it does have beer, wine, coffee, OVERLY SWEET OJ, and milk. Walk down La Rambla to the Boqeria marketplace and pick up some munchies like cheeses, sausage/salamis, olives, fruit and do your own meal. I'll recommend the fuet sausage - a nice dry sausage - with Manchego cheese. Yum!!!

We took the aerobus to Placa Catalunya and walked the rest of the way to the hotel. There is storage on the bus for luggage - like the US airport car rental busses. There were tons of folks pulling their large suitcases around the Placa and La Rambla. As long as you are comfortable pulling your bag, you'll be OK.

If you're just overnighting, I still suggest you get a hotel on La Rambla. Get your money's worth being on that pedestrian mall. You can get a brief glimpse of the city from walking around the area.

[tiresmokindad]

Hi!

We are boarding the Voyager on June 27th from Barcelona!! Any hotel suggesstions, preferably ones that have some type of shuttle transportation to and from airport would be great! Happy sailing!

 

I suggest the Majestic Barcelona. For me it is one of the best hotel in Barcelona. :D

[meterman2]

We "rolled the dice" and booked a "five star" on Hotwire (for post cruise). We were given the W Barcelona (on the beach). Don't go there! Terrible location, spotty service and very weird rooms, although the view was great. JMHO.

[slidergirl]

I forgot to mention something about the Continental. When I was there at the end of April, there was a bunch of construction going on at the hotel and the rest of the building that it shares with a 2* hotel and a hostel. The front of the hotel has scaffolding at the lower parts - if you have a Las Ramblas view room you won't be affected.

As I said, the hotel shares a building with 2 others. The Continental is not on the ground floor, so you'll have to take the small elevator or walk up a few flights of stairs. If I remember, it was the 3rd floor for reception and my room was on the 4th.

Again, I'll mention the buffet. It's ok for a breakfast, but definitely not for any other meal. It was pretty misleading to call it a "24 hour buffet" in my mind. Sure, the drinks were available all the time, but there really is a dearth of food. I mean, the buffet "line" was no more than maybe 10 feet long. Most of the little containers were empty or had condiments that lacked something to put them on. I would definitely count on eating out.

You can check out their website, http://www.hotelcontinental.com. You can see those "pink" rooms. And, the picture of the buffet - I swear it never looked that full all 4 days I was there!

[sophiesmom]

The Royal Ramblas. We have stayed there twice and never dissapointed. Our room was ready early which is nice after flying all night.:):)

[CTBob]

Has anyone been on this aerobus before? Can you say whether there is room on it for a person to carry a large travel bag? Thanks

Just returned fro Barcelona and used the aerobus for our return. Easy to board as they drop the suspension and there are no steps. There is a large rack for suitcases (We each had two) and they don't overload the bus with people as there always seems to be another right behind. Nice cheap transportation as long as you are close to a stop.

 

We stayed at the Hotel Jazz pre cruise and the Hotel Continental post cruise. The Jazz is modern and clean in a good location, close to the Metro and within walking distance of Las Ramblas and La Boqeiria (The market). In fact we ate breakfast at the market every day we were in Barcelona. The Hotel Continental is ....pink! Strange to get into and around once you are in. They have a camera surveillance system and mechanical doors that they have to operate for you to get to the elevator. We never did figure out the right way to use them, but I think you are supposed to use the phone by the door to let them know you want to exit. My wife called it the "Hotel California". We did an early booking with the Jazz and got a good rate (101E) but our post cruise stay was decided late and the Jazz was then 200E. The more expensive room at the Continental (117E) has two twin beds pushed together and was comfortable. Our friends had the cheaper rooms (99E) and only got a small double bed. I liked the free beer and the white wine. The Continental is also very well located right on Las Ramblas near Placa Catalunya.

[Green4me]

Two questions please,

 

we are a family of 5(17 yrs old and up), do any rooms accomodate three or will we have to get three rooms vs two? Also when should we be booking for June of 2011? Now too early?

 

Thanks!

[lkakers]

When I was researching the NH Duc de la Victoria, I did see pictures of rooms with beds for 3 (see below customer photo from tripadvisor.com... cramped, but workable for kids!).

 

I did not see one of these "triple" rooms myself, but I'm assuming the 3rd bed is a rollaway...

 

[Green4me]

Thanks that is good to know, I'll ask the rollaway question. Figure I am springing for a balcony for them next to my wife and me in a balcony wrap. 25th aniversary. They can tought it out a few nights:rolleyes:

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

I have been checking for Sept 2011 and today I got a reply back from one hotel with 2011 prices and I could reserve now if I wanted to. Others I have checked with it has been too early so it depends on the hotel.

 

Two questions please,

 

we are a family of 5(17 yrs old and up), do any rooms accomodate three or will we have to get three rooms vs two? Also when should we be booking for June of 2011? Now too early?

 

Thanks!

[Dr.Oz]

Can anyone suggest some good reasonable (if there is such) restaurants very near the Hotel Continental. We will be staying there for two nights next May.

[slidergirl]

Sorry. We went and bought goodies at the Boqueria Market and put them in the mini fridge for dinner. One night, we did eat at one of the tapas restaurants on La Rambla - totally pedestrian, tourist food. We wandered around in one of the quarters one late afternoon (I have no idea where we were) and stumbed upon this tiny plaza that had 2 restaurants on it. We took a chance and sat outside at one and just ordered some sangria and tapas. Loved it. I wish I could remember where it was. Suffice it to say, it was in a non-tourist area. We walked out when we were done and ended up by the garish big sculpture and the bridge that takes you over to the beach area. That's all I can remember.