View Full Version : Barcelona-Hotel+general recommendations
Random One
06-08-2005, 10:41
Thinking about going over to Barcelona for a week at the beginning of September with a few mates.
Just wondered if anyone could recommend some good decently priced hotels out there? And recommend particular things which would be worth checking out:)
Also, seeing as i know very little about Spain/Barcelona is there a specific part of Barcelona i should be looking for hotels in-or does it not matter?
Thanks
RO:)
Check out Marc Almonds' book ' In search of the pleasure palace'. Theres a good section on Barcelona there. Very revealing. :D :eek: :o
I usually go self-catering, but this (http://www.hostalgoya.com/) hotel was recommended to me, and it looks quite good.
This is the site I usually use for self-catering apartments:
http://www.oh-barcelona.com/
I'd stay central if I were you - Born, Gothic Quarter, Raval, Barceloneta...anywhere within walking distance of Las Ramblas.
There are quite a few threads with things to check out, if you do a search. I'm being a bit lazy because I can't be arsed to type them out again!
oooomegrapes
06-08-2005, 11:12
tacky as fuck, but id suggest one of the open air bus ride thingies........we saw loads of stuff that wed never have known about, and you get the opportunity to hop off and see the sights that your really interested in.....and hop on another when youve had enough
stay away from the restaurants in the harbour/port bit though.....theyll rob you blind
butterfly child
06-08-2005, 18:42
My advice is to get as much Gaudi in as you can!
I'm trying to remember the name of the hotel we stayed in, but can't. It's down the side of the opera house though, if it helps. It was a nice hotel, and not too expensive.
I'm slightly envious of you going to Barcelona, can't wait to go back.
Random One
06-08-2005, 18:46
that site for the hotel Geri put up looks really nice:)
it would be excellent if you could find out the name of the hotel u stayed in Butterfly Child:)
i've seen so many cool pics of Barcelona and always wanted to go-hopefully it will all work out:)
oooomegrapes
06-08-2005, 19:07
i loved it, the whole place has just got this certain vibe to it.........and theres some seedy dark bits too which is always a bonus, enjoy!
mrkikiet
10-08-2005, 22:36
stay in or near the raval if you want a bit more 'character' the Born if you want gentrified yet bohemian and cool. Gracia for the more anarchic we aren't really Barcelona kick.
avoid the port, walk down las ramblas once and then avoid that for the rest of your stay. They're ridiculously expensive.
butterfly child
13-08-2005, 08:33
I'm not sure how walking down a road can be expensive, but still.
We walked down the rambles every day, it's great for promenading!
RandomOne, we're still having difficulties in remembering the name of the hotel, sorry!
walk down las ramblas once and then avoid that for the rest of your stay.
Avoid walking down Las Ramblas, are you mad? :eek:
oneflewover
13-08-2005, 08:45
If it all possible take the train, cable car and furnicular to Monsterrat, you will not be disappointed.
Up The Tigers
mrkikiet
13-08-2005, 09:12
Avoid walking down Las Ramblas, are you mad? :eek:
no. it's shite. there is very little on it of any interest. few shops worth looking into. horrifically overpriced restaurants, fast food takeaways and human statues. Rambla de Raval has a hell of a lot more character, so does Rambla de Catalunya just on the other side of Pl. Catalunya, or even passeig de Gracia is better for un paseo
My advice is to get as much Gaudi in as you can!
http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/Spain/Barcelona/Sagrada-familia.jpg
It doesn't matter how often I have been to Barcelona, I always have to go and see this!
john x
Bernie Gunther
13-08-2005, 16:07
When I've been there, it's generally been at the amusingly named Hotel Colon, which is pretty central and seems to have periodic good deals.
butterfly child
13-08-2005, 19:17
Re-checked my inbox and found the name of the hotel under "past holidays" :rolleyes:
We stayed at the Hotel Espana... it's a bit more expensive than I remembered, at 105 euros per night for a double room (we paid 98 euros when we went)
http://www.hotelespanya.com/eng/bienvenida.htm
no. it's shite. there is very little on it of any interest. few shops worth looking into. horrifically overpriced restaurants, fast food takeaways and human statues. Rambla de Raval has a hell of a lot more character, so does Rambla de Catalunya just on the other side of Pl. Catalunya, or even passeig de Gracia is better for un paseo
I thought you got this right, although you missed out the flower sellers, once is enough. Does the Chuppa Chup factory still do a tour?
butterfly child
16-08-2005, 08:38
no. it's shite. there is very little on it of any interest. few shops worth looking into. horrifically overpriced restaurants, fast food takeaways and human statues. Rambla de Raval has a hell of a lot more character, so does Rambla de Catalunya just on the other side of Pl. Catalunya, or even passeig de Gracia is better for un paseo
Great for promenading though.
Or for failed attempts at liberating the animals from their cages, whilst husband drags me away.
There's a thing on tonight's Package Holiday Uncovered about pickpockets in Barcelona - something to be careful about, I got my purse snatched the second time I was over there.
Pipe Smokers Club!!!!!!!!
ooh, I'm hopefully going for a virgin trip to Barcelona too in a coupla weeks. Can't wait now! Keep the advice coming- much appreciated. :)
upsidedownwalrus
17-08-2005, 12:16
If it all possible take the train, cable car and furnicular to Monsterrat, you will not be disappointed.
I agree with this piece of advice, R1. Monserrat is cool.
But I have an amusing story about my trip there. We got the train over there, then the cable car and funicular to the top. Spent a few hours wandering around at the top, which was excellent. beautiful views etc. And what appeared to be a disused hotel - I think it had even been squatted at some point, as there were cannabis prints on the wall etc...
Anyhow, at about 5pm, we decided to head home. We went to the funicular railway, and it was shut! There were some footpaths, but we had no idea where any of them went. We totally panicked, and then realised that we could climb down the funicular railway! We climbed over the fence, and onto the track, and went the whole way down using the workers steps - and bear in mind that for most of the way these aren't really steps at all, just a steep wooden surface with slats to grip on! It was about a mile down... Utterly terrifying climb down!!!
We got to the foot just in time for the last cable car too... If we hadn't made it we would have been totally stuffed...
Basically, if you go, make sure you check what time the last funicular railway is!!! We were shocked how early it was. And there was no warning or anything.
oneflewover
17-08-2005, 13:19
We climbed over the fence, and onto the track, and went the whole way down using the workers steps - and bear in mind that for most of the way these aren't really steps at all, just a steep wooden surface with slats to grip on! It was about a mile down... Utterly terrifying climb down!!!
That is a serious bit of stepway, well done !
Random One
18-09-2005, 09:47
is barcelona as easy to walk around and see stuff in as paris or is it a much bigger city? and is the train system as good? :)
Here we go
18-09-2005, 10:03
They do a tour bus, you can hop on and off all day. Think it costs about 15 euro though. But it's good for seeing the sights.
is barcelona as easy to walk around and see stuff in as paris or is it a much bigger city? and is the train system as good? :)
It's very easy to do on foot, and the metro system is just as good as Paris.
Kid_Eternity
18-09-2005, 12:08
It's very easy to do on foot, and the metro system is just as good as Paris.
Excellent! Walking around Paris was brilliant (I never walk that much in London :rolleyes:), roll on Barcelona!
Random One
19-09-2005, 13:16
It's very easy to do on foot, and the metro system is just as good as Paris.
excellent...i have found some really cheap flights out there for october and november - for £8!!! so hopefully will go for a weekend:D
bloody hell, your turning into a right globetrotter!
Kid_Eternity
19-09-2005, 13:26
Heh heh heh yep there's no stopping her now!
mrkikiet
19-09-2005, 13:50
It's very easy to do on foot, and the metro system is just as good as Paris.
and the carriages are much, much wider. i think Paris must have the narrowest metro system in the world.
the bus turistic is a really good idea to get your bearings, work out what you want to see it also has a load of discounts so you can pretty much recoup your money. Be aware that lots of museums and galleries are shut on mondays.
this weekend is the feste de merce, lots of free music going on all over the place, bit of fire-running and some human towers.
Random One
20-09-2005, 14:26
bloody hell, your turning into a right globetrotter!
yeah going to paris made me really wanna just see everything and anything!
Kid_Eternity
20-09-2005, 14:28
yeah going to paris made me really wanna just everything and anything!
Yikes that sentence is just begging for a fill in the missing word gag! :eek:
Random One
20-09-2005, 14:33
Yikes that sentence is just begging for a fill in the missing word gag! :eek:
edited now thank you :o
Kid_Eternity
20-09-2005, 14:38
edited now thank you :o
:D
billgates
20-09-2005, 14:46
nobody has mentioned camp nou, it is fairly easy to buy tickets for a barcelona match, also the sett portes restaraunt near the harbour does great seafood and wine,also Sitjes is about 2o mins south on the train,food is outstandiing great beaches slightly less hectic than barca, its good to do a starter in one restaurant , main course in another and so on until you had enough, the bouquerias food market is must,its possible to eat prawns sausages and salads with ice cold beer at 6-8am,if you like that sort of thing,foods are excellent and cheap, all the gaudi stuff is great but rammed full of tourists , gracia is good also ,nice for cheap tapas, ramblas is shite a bit like leicester square ,great food around the arab quarter near the modern art gallery,churros with hot chocolate of course,
Col_Buendia
20-09-2005, 14:53
If you're interested in cramming museums, they do an "Art Ticket" which, iirc, costs 17euros and gets you into 6 over a three month period. And they are good ones, the Miro Foundation up the hill on Montjuic, the MACBA contemporary art museum in the centre, the Tapies Foundation, errr, and a couple other I've forgotten about. It's worth it if you are planning to visit all these and don't qualify for any other discounts.
Avoid Calle Ferran with its 4 "irish" pubs and throngs of Brit stag/hen party idiots ;)
The Ramblas is shite for anything other than a walk, getting from Catalunya to the port, or laughing at the gullible tourists gawping at the awful mime artists and waiting to be robbed. But you need to see it of course :)
nobody has mentioned camp nou, it is fairly easy to buy tickets for a barcelona match
You can also do a tour of the ground if there isn't a game on, which is pretty interesting (although maybe not if you don't like football).
mrkikiet
26-09-2005, 09:25
this is the other barcelona thread. not that difficult to find is it.
the merce this weekend was class. loads of free music and other entertainments. pencil it into your diaries for next year.
vBulletin® v3.8.4, Copyright ©2000-2010, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.