karen

We'll be travelling to Barcelona for a week in early November and need to choose finally between the Ritz and the Claris. I'm leaning towards the Ritz as more "old world" and we got a better rate, but I recently heard it's "stuffy". Any advice would be appreciated.

Gary

It may not be your style if you're looking for old world, but the Hotel Arts is one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed it. It is a Ritz Carlton hotel. It may not have the old world charm, but has some of the nicest rooms I have ever stayed in.

Karen

Thanks for the suggestion. We already considered the Hotel Arts, which I've also heard great things about, but rejected it as it seems outside the city center. Since we'll be travelling with our 1-year-old, we'd rather be central so we can easily return for nap/bath/etc.

alana

Karen: <BR> <BR>Let me know what you decide - and if you liked it! I will be going to Spain on my Honeymoon in late Novemvber and have the same dilema! I am choosing between Hotel Colon, and Avenida Palace... <BR>

karen

I'll surely let you know the results, although I hope the "same situation" doesn't mean you'll be travelling with a toddler! <BR> <BR>I'm still looking for suggestions on Claris v. Ritz, though ... HELP!

a fellow traveler

Karen - My husband and I spent 4 nights at the Ritz this past June. We had also debated before going about whether to stay at the Ritz or the Claris. We finally decided on the Ritz because we like traditional hotels. The Ritz was okay, but if we ever make it back to Barcelona, I would try the Claris. The Ritz is fairly centrally located and the staff was very friendly, we just weren't all that impressed with the hotel. The public rooms are beautiful, but our room was kind of dreary (although quite spacious - we opted for a junior suite.) We may have had a different impression of the hotel had we not just come from the Ritz hotel in Madrid which was to die for. The Ritz Barcelona just couldn't compete. A word of "warning". When we were at the Ritz Barcelona in June, there was construction taking place in the building next door to the Ritz. We were sometimes awakened in the morning to jack hammers and electric saws. We were not warned about this problem before checking into our room. We complained to the front desk, and they offered to move us to another room, but frankly it wasn't worth the hassle. Bottom line: I recommend you try the Claris.

vicki

We stayed in the Hotel Arts, which is a Ritz Carlton hotel. It was incredible and after talking to lots of other people who had been in Barcelona, everyone loved that hotel. The service is great. It's right on the water and across from a plethora of Spanish, seafood eateries. The rooms are large, very modern, with huge bathrooms. Anything that you could think of is in that room! We looked at the Ritz and the Claris, and we were very pleased to have made the choice we did. We liked Barcelona and the hotel so much that we flew back from Italy to spend a few more days there. The hotel greeted us by name! Have a good trip!

karen

Thanks for everyone's helpful comments. We just returned, having opted for the Ritz, so a few comments in the event they're useful for anyone in the future: The Ritz ended up as a great choice, but mostly because of the combo of location and room size. I was initially somewhat disappointed by the hotel, as the common areas are very luxurious, but the rooms seemed shabby. When I looked more closely at the rooms, though, this impression is due more to the muddy color choices than to the actual decor. The decoration was actually quite recent and not cheap - that is, the carpets, drapes and fancy wall treatment were relatively new and of good quality. The bed must also have had a new mattrass; it was firm and very comfy. And the room itself (we had a junior suite), was quite large, seemingly consisting of two rooms connected together, with two full bathrooms. The price was good, and the breakfast buffet was very good and varied - even after a full week. The service leaves something to be desired, although it was willing and friendly enough. Partly the service problem would be solved by increasing the number of staff. Sometimes it was a wait just to get a room key as there was only one concierge on duty many times. Some aspects of the hotel could use some upgrading as well to make it a world class luxury hotel. Since the hotel seemed fully booked even in November, though, I suppose they don't have much incentive. We peeked into the Claris - really lovely, but not a "feel" for Barcelona, and as we were travelling with a toddler, a bit "cold" and formal. The Hotel Arts looked great and would have been a good choice, but it's location is a bit far and would have meant more taxis than we would have liked (we were four adults and a toddler, so needed two taxis each time), and it would have probably somewhat restricted some of our more spontaneous rambles around the city center. So, for the 5-star list, I think we made the right choice. Having said that, there seemed to be a wealth of 4-star choices, and the Colon, which is often mentioned in this list, looked really nice, and a great location (especially if you had a room with windows overlooking the Cathedral). Alana - if you're still pondering between the Colon and the Avenida Palace, I'd go with the Colon - we passed the Avenida, and it is in a bit of a noisy spot. <BR>