Barcelona Hotel Pre Cruise

[warriorking]

I booked a hotel Package close to the airport for me and my brother simply because we wanted to unwind and relax after our long flight..

The hotel picks us up from the airport as well as gives us a ride to the cruise port the next day at no charge.

Plus we get free breakfast to boot..

Its a four star rating hotel and has very good reviews ...

:D I paid a whooping $91 total...

Edited January 25, 2016 by warriorking

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Another hotel to check Avenida Palace. When I originally looked at Hotel Jazz for the dates I needed, it was a little over E100 per night and Avenida was about the same and came well-recommended. When I booked Avenida, Hotel Jazz had gone up to about E170 per night.

[epixx]

I booked a hotel Package close to the airport for me and my brother simply because we wanted to unwind and relax after our long flight..

The hotel picks us up from the airport as well as gives us a ride to the cruise port the next day at no charge.

Plus we get free breakfast to boot..

Its a four star rating hotel and has very good reviews ...

:D I paid a whooping $91 total...

 

You didn't want to see Barcelona? I really like the city and take the chance to visit it whenever I have the opportunity.

[ken_nyc]

Another hotel to check Avenida Palace. When I originally looked at Hotel Jazz for the dates I needed, it was a little over E100 per night and Avenida was about the same and came well-recommended. When I booked Avenida, Hotel Jazz had gone up to about E170 per night.

 

Have you been to Barcelona previously? If not why wouldn't you want to see a beautiful city?

[warriorking]

You didn't want to see Barcelona? I really like the city and take the chance to visit it whenever I have the opportunity.

 

This is my second time to Barcelona so I basically saw all I wanted last go round..

There is easy access from my hotel for transportation downtown should we feel the need but we really just want to kick back and relax before we board the ship the following day...

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Have you been to Barcelona previously? If not why wouldn't you want to see a beautiful city?

 

No, I haven't, and I totally want to see the city! I spending five days there. LOL. Not sure where that question came from...

[ken_nyc]

No, I haven't, and I totally want to see the city! I spending five days there. LOL. Not sure where that question came from...

 

Sorry it was meant for epixx.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Sorry it was meant for epixx.

 

Oh, I see. :)

 

I think it was actually meant for warriorking and he addressed it.

[MADflyer]

Thank you again! We will be 4 adults, can the taxis accommodate the 4 of us? We are staying at the Margot House located in the heart of Paseo de Gracia, how is this area? Is it worth waiting an hour and fifteen minutes for our friends to arrive at the airport to go to the hotel together or should we meet them there?

 

Thank you in advance!

 

While all standard taxis can accommodate 4 passengers, the issue in the past used to be with the luggage. As taxis are being replaced, most drivers/companies have been opting for larger vehicles, with the PEUGEOT 5008, OPEL ZAFIRA, DACIA LODGY and CITROËN C4 Picasso becoming popular and many adding Mercedes sedans.

 

The English version of the Taxi authority website has never come online, but they do have examples of the various models with images.

http://taxi.amb.cat/s/taxista/vehicles/vehicles-autoritzats.html

 

 

That location is perfect by my standard. I have stayed at the Mandarin Oriental and Renaissance and Casa Fuster on short stays and even rented apartments up there for longer stays and have always enjoyed the location. I actually find that I can walk to most areas of interest from there.

 

I actually enjoy the Rambla Catalunya one block over from the Passeig

de Gracia more than the lower more touristy Ramblas.

 

With air travel it is so hard to predict arrival times in advance and the best plans can change rapidly. Margot House is actually just 3 blocks up from where the final stop of the Aerobus A1 or A2 would stop at Plaza Catalunya and it would even be walkable if you are not traveling with too much luggage. One could even transfer to a taxi from there for the short ride up.

[mollyanne]

I booked a hotel Package close to the airport for me and my brother simply because we wanted to unwind and relax after our long flight..

The hotel picks us up from the airport as well as gives us a ride to the cruise port the next day at no charge.

Plus we get free breakfast to boot..

Its a four star rating hotel and has very good reviews ...

:D I paid a whooping $91 total...

 

Will you please share the hotel name offering this package?

[MADflyer]

The Salles Hotel Ciutat del Prat offers the cruise overnight package for 93 euros.

 

Just check your dates and see if the package comes up on direct bookings with the hotel.

 

Includes:•Double room​

•Buffet breakfast (is available from 6 to 10 am)

•Transfer from the airport to the hotel on the arrival day

•Transfer from the hotel to the port on the departure day

•Free Wifi

 

 

This is a basic hotel in a industrial/residential area. The hotel has very mixed reviews as far as service, but is clean and fine otherwise.

 

This would not be my choice for a 'Barcelona Experience', but for those seeking just a bed and transfer, it may be a fine option. It will be interesting to hear when reviews come in for the transfer services and timing.

 

Hotels that have offered similar packages in the past have had a history of travelers waiting for transfer and not very satisfied, but maybe they are different.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g911483-d1104000-Reviews-Salles_Hotel_Ciutat_del_Prat-El_Prat_de_Llobregat_Catalonia.html

 

http://www.hotelciutatdelprat.com/en

[mollyanne]

The Salles Hotel Ciutat del Prat offers the cruise overnight package for 93 euros.

 

Just check your dates and see if the package comes up on direct bookings with the hotel.

 

Includes:•Double room​

•Buffet breakfast (is available from 6 to 10 am)

•Transfer from the airport to the hotel on the arrival day

•Transfer from the hotel to the port on the departure day

•Free Wifi

 

 

This is a basic hotel in a industrial/residential area. The hotel has very mixed reviews as far as service, but is clean and fine otherwise.

 

This would not be my choice for a 'Barcelona Experience', but for those seeking just a bed and transfer, it may be a fine option. It will be interesting to hear when reviews come in for the transfer services and timing.

 

Hotels that have offered similar packages in the past have had a history of travelers waiting for transfer and not very satisfied, but maybe they are different.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g911483-d1104000-Reviews-Salles_Hotel_Ciutat_del_Prat-El_Prat_de_Llobregat_Catalonia.html

 

http://www.hotelciutatdelprat.com/en

 

Thank you for this info, MADflyer. It gives us something to consider. We have booked a hotel (Andante) but the cost of transfers add a lot to the cost. We would not be comfortable schlepping luggage on the bus or train so have to look at private transfers.

[ken_nyc]

While all standard taxis can accommodate 4 passengers, the issue in the past used to be with the luggage. As taxis are being replaced, most drivers/companies have been opting for larger vehicles, with the PEUGEOT 5008, OPEL ZAFIRA, DACIA LODGY and CITROËN C4 Picasso becoming popular and many adding Mercedes sedans.

 

The English version of the Taxi authority website has never come online, but they do have examples of the various models with images.

http://taxi.amb.cat/s/taxista/vehicles/vehicles-autoritzats.html

 

 

That location is perfect by my standard. I have stayed at the Mandarin Oriental and Renaissance and Casa Fuster on short stays and even rented apartments up there for longer stays and have always enjoyed the location. I actually find that I can walk to most areas of interest from there.

 

I actually enjoy the Rambla Catalunya one block over from the Passeig

de Gracia more than the lower more touristy Ramblas.

 

With air travel it is so hard to predict arrival times in advance and the best plans can change rapidly. Margot House is actually just 3 blocks up from where the final stop of the Aerobus A1 or A2 would stop at Plaza Catalunya and it would even be walkable if you are not traveling with too much luggage. One could even transfer to a taxi from there for the short ride up.

 

Thank you!! :) You are fantastic with all of your help!

 

I looked at the site with the taxis and they do not look like they can handle 2 large suitcases. From your experiences do they have the room for the 2 large suitcases plus 2 passengers? DO they also charge per piece of luggage?

[snookie1]

Just want to thank those of you who gave hotel ideas. midwestchick -- I had not thought of the fact that my travel insurance might cover if I had to cancel due to illness or whatever. But I checked, and since my insurance is through Carnival, and we are not doing our pre-cruise through them, it will not cover that. Also, I looked at the Vasanta hotel as suggested by back-at-it. It looks fantastic! Have you stayed there? It is in the area we wanted, and the price is right, and you can cancel up to 7 days ahead with no penalty, so we booked it. It seems to have good reviews on TA, so we are psyched. Thanks everyone!

[midwestchick]

Just want to thank those of you who gave hotel ideas. midwestchick -- I had not thought of the fact that my travel insurance might cover if I had to cancel due to illness or whatever. But I checked, and since my insurance is through Carnival, and we are not doing our pre-cruise through them, it will not cover that. Also, I looked at the Vasanta hotel as suggested by back-at-it. It looks fantastic! Have you stayed there? It is in the area we wanted, and the price is right, and you can cancel up to 7 days ahead with no penalty, so we booked it. It seems to have good reviews on TA, so we are psyched. Thanks everyone!

 

 

snookie,

I have used several travel agents and all of them told me not to buy the cruiseline's insurance. You can check insure my trip dot com and do comparisons with different companies. I use a company that begins with A.

If you're asking me if we stayed at the Vasanta, the answer is no. This will be our first time in Barcelona. Enjoy your trip.

[hun]

Wow, we stayed at Hotel Jazz in October and it was about 130 euros [emoji79]. Price has really jumped!

[toseaornottosea]

If you want a great hotel in a great location you should consider the Majestic Hotel and Spa. Look it up. My wife and I have stayed there and will be staying there again prior to a cruise in May.

[MADflyer]

Thank you!! :) You are fantastic with all of your help!

 

I looked at the site with the taxis and they do not look like they can handle 2 large suitcases. From your experiences do they have the room for the 2 large suitcases plus 2 passengers? DO they also charge per piece of luggage?

 

Unless you are traveling very heavy, they will easily accommodate 2 passengers and 2 large and 4 small bags. While the 39 euro set port rate includes bags all other metered trips are going to charge 1 euro for each large bag. They are not supposed to charge for carry on sized bags, but some drivers will attempt to do that. It is clarified in the taxi rear passenger window to some degree.

 

Barcelona taxi drivers are very accustomed to assisting not only cruise passengers, but also the many large international conferences that often carry large amounts of luggage in some cases. While there are a few drivers that are not as 'friendly' as others, they are fortunately very rare and even when you get the 'somewhat dishonest' driver they are only padding a couple of euros to the fare even by taking a bit of a longer route.

 

I have often traveled with 3 passengers and bags and it is very comfortable. Adding a fourth passenger and baggage does make it a bit tight. You can always pay 2.70 euros more for a large taxi if you have a lot of baggage.

[ken_nyc]

Unless you are traveling very heavy, they will easily accommodate 2 passengers and 2 large and 4 small bags. While the 39 euro set port rate includes bags all other metered trips are going to charge 1 euro for each large bag. They are not supposed to charge for carry on sized bags, but some drivers will attempt to do that. It is clarified in the taxi rear passenger window to some degree.

 

Barcelona taxi drivers are very accustomed to assisting not only cruise passengers, but also the many large international conferences that often carry large amounts of luggage in some cases. While there are a few drivers that are not as 'friendly' as others, they are fortunately very rare and even when you get the 'somewhat dishonest' driver they are only padding a couple of euros to the fare even by taking a bit of a longer route.

 

I have often traveled with 3 passengers and bags and it is very comfortable. Adding a fourth passenger and baggage does make it a bit tight. You can always pay 2.70 euros more for a large taxi if you have a lot of baggage.

 

Thank you again! We are very lucky to have you on CC! :)

[back-at-it]

Just want to thank those of you who gave hotel ideas. midwestchick -- I had not thought of the fact that my travel insurance might cover if I had to cancel due to illness or whatever. But I checked, and since my insurance is through Carnival, and we are not doing our pre-cruise through them, it will not cover that. Also, I looked at the Vasanta hotel as suggested by back-at-it. It looks fantastic! Have you stayed there? It is in the area we wanted, and the price is right, and you can cancel up to 7 days ahead with no penalty, so we booked it. It seems to have good reviews on TA, so we are psyched. Thanks everyone!

Snookie1, No I have not stayed there but found it when I was looking to replace the Arc La Rambla because of what I was reading here. But it looks like it will be fine so I am just going to stay there. But you are correct it had great reviews and was rated highly. I hope it all works out for you and me.

[sambamama]

Although it may not be in the handiest location, I am going to stay at the Four Points Diagonal. Quiet neighborhood, near the beach, markets and restaurants nearby and reasonable.

[Clarea]

Although it may not be in the handiest location, I am going to stay at the Four Points Diagonal. Quiet neighborhood, near the beach, markets and restaurants nearby and reasonable.

Was this less than 200 Euros per night?