Spain help

[Blue824]

Obviously when looking at the photo thread we have some travel enthusiasts here, so I'm calling upon your help! It seems as though I may be taking a quick trip to Barcelona in July...yes, I know it'll be grossly hot & overcrowded, but I think I can tolerate that for a few days because, the opportunity is too good to pass up! I've gotten so excited about it that I hope this doesn't fall through...

My question is that my boyfriend and I are overwhelmed by the hotel options, so many different areas of the city, etc...so do any of you have any recommendations for a moderately priced hotel in Barcelona?? Those would be GREATLY appreciated!

Of course, any other advice is also welcome

Thanks in advance!

 

[movie zombie]

envious, totally envious! no suggestions but would welcome your report when you get back!

peace, movie zombie

 

[AGBF]

I have never been to Spain at all, so I certainly cannot help you, but I wanted to say that I am just as envious as movie zombie! Please, do, tell all when you return!

Deb

 

[Buena Girl]

Barcelona! You lucky girl!!! The first time I went was over 10 years ago and unfortunately I can not recall the name of the hotel we stayed in. I went again in 2001, but this time there was some sort of festival or celebration going on for the days we were there and when we tried to book a room, nearly all of the moderately priced hotels were completely booked. We decided to stay at a more expensive place instead of one of the few cheaper ones that were still available because they were located in really seedy areas. Let me know if you want any info on that hotel. It was lovely and I loved the location, but it was a bit more expensive than what we wanted.

Some of the best things to do are walk along Las Ramblas, visit Park Guell, visit Sagrada Familia, and go to the beach. I would think it might be a good idea to try to get a hotel centrally located for those things. On the map below, it looks like Eixample Derecha might be a good area?? I hope some Spain experts chime in because I don''t know how safe that area is. My hotel was in the Eixample Izquierda area, and I thought that location was great, too.

Oh, and we saw a Flamenco show at a place on La Rambla. If you are interested in seeing one, I would recommend making reservations through your hotel as soon as you arrive. We waited until the day we wanted to see the show before trying to make reservations and our seats were not very good. Reserve early

And here is a link that might be helpful: http://www.oh-barcelona.com/en/barcelona_hotel/all_hotel/district_8/#hotelList

 

[Blue824]

Thanks BuenaGirl!
I''ll have to check those links out and actually, that map helps, because it makes everything simplified instead of just seeing streets that i have no clue about what areas are where. I would love to see a flamenco show, I didn''t even think about that! So I''ll definitely check that out when I get some more details taken care of. A couple of my coworkers said to look in the Eixample area or Ramblas, but I"m worried the Ramblas area might be pretty noisy so I''m going to try to find places in Eixample. If you don''t mind sharing the name of where you stayed, I''ll check it out. I too would rather pay more for a nicer place in a good area than risking it in a city I don''t know.

Thanks for your tips

 

[Cath]

Blue,

There is an awesome and free guide to Barcelona here: http://maribelsguides.com/

The Ramblas area is always compared to NYC''s Times Square -- crowded, even very late at night. Some areas of the Ramblas are a bit seedy though so be careful.

We were in Barcelona very recently but stayed in a hotel further from the center. I would go with something on Maribel''s Guide as it did not steer us wrong on other things.

I know you only asked for hotel recs, but here are some tapas recs in case you are interested -- Definitely go visit the Boqueria (food market) in Las Ramblas. It''s fun to look around at all the food stalls, plus there''s a tapas bar there called Bar Pintxo that''s famous among foodies. Best thing to do is ask him to bring you whatever he recommends (if you''re adventurous). I don''t think he understands English though so you''ll have to work through it in Spanish. Very affordable.

Cal Pep, Plaça de les Olles, 8, in the same vicinity but closer to the water. Another haven for foodies. Get there when it opens, since it fills up in just minutes. Again, best thing to do is let them bring you whatever they recommend. They''ll bring about 5 tapas to you -- if you want more, just ask for more. Dinner with wine will probably run about 40 Euro/person.

Bar Celta Pulperia, on the corner of Carrer de la Merce and Carrer de Simo Oller in the Barri Gotic. Good pulpo (octopus), pimientos del padron (roasted green peppers) and ham croquettes. Very affordable.

I''m getting hungry just remembering all the good food!

 

[Blue824]

Thanks Cath!

A friend also recommended Cal Pep so it looks like I''ll definitely have to go there, and I''m going to keep those other names all handy. Thanks so much for the recommendations!!