A Week in Barcelona - Trip Report
Oct 3rd, 2008, 10:56 AM
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A Week in Barcelona - Trip Report
Hi all! My husband and I spent a wonderful week in Barcelona September 20-September 27, and I wanted to share our experiences. Thanks for all of the help in planning!
Saturday 9/20 – We arrived on time around 11 am. I was pleasantly surprised by our experience on KLM. The flight attendants were friendly and helpful, and the food was actually pretty decent, even in coach.
The following incident was the most frustrating of the whole trip, but I have to vent. Before we left the states, my husband and I each called Bank of America to inform them we’d be out of the country, as well as to increase our daily withdrawal amount so we’d have enough cash to pay for our Habitat Apartment. For some reason, our accounts were not properly updated and we couldn’t get cash at the airport. Very stressful! I exchanged some USD for our taxi, and assumed we’d have no trouble getting cash in the city. We tried again and were declined. DH tried calling B of A, but there is not a 24 hour helpline. Fortunately, Habitat was happy to take credit card for payment, although we had to pay a 4% surcharge. Shortly after DH got automated message from B of A saying there was suspicious activity on the account, so he was able to call back and get it worked out, but after paying an extra EUR 30 for our lodging. Oh well! We’ve never ever had trouble getting cash in another country, and this was the first time I’ve called ahead to let them know and it seems to have backfired somehow. Okay, on to the fun stuff…
We stayed in Habitat Princesa 3 apartment in El Born neighborhood.
http://www.habitatapartments.com/princesa3.htm
I absolutely loved the neighborhood and would definitely stay there in the future. There are endless choices of places to eat, drink, shop, people watch, and it was so fun to get lost in the old windy streets. The apartment was nice and a perfect size for 2 people. The bathroom is a little worn out, but overall we were happy with our choice. While I would certainly rent an apartment again, I may consider doing so from another company. I will get to the reason why later.
After walking around, getting our bearings, and enjoying some tapas at Taller de Tapas (try the chickpeas with spinach and bacon), we just had to take a nap. After sleeping a few hours, we woke up to make our dinner reservation at 8:30 at Espai Sucre. Well, we soon learned that eating at 8:30 in Spain is like eating at 5 in the US. Places were empty and the atmosphere wasn’t as upbeat as we wanted (it was my bday!), so we ended up at Santa Maria around the corner. This was mentioned in Maribel’s guide as a cutting edge small plates venue, and it was excellent! They do not take reservations, but it didn’t fill up all the way until about 9:30. We chose to do the degustation, which was a bargain at EUR 34 per person. I can’t remember how many courses, but at least 8 including peach salad, fois gras, frog legs, chicken sushi, fish, cheese course, and a couple of desserts. Our favorite dessert included pop rocks candy which unexpectedly exploded in our mouths. It was a fun atmosphere and a great choice for our first experience of modern Catalan cuisine. Afterwards, we walked around the Placa de Santa Maria, and as the Festival de la Merce was going on, there was so much activity and excitement in the streets….parades, fireworks, live music, good times!
Days 2-7 coming soon…
Saturday 9/20 – We arrived on time around 11 am. I was pleasantly surprised by our experience on KLM. The flight attendants were friendly and helpful, and the food was actually pretty decent, even in coach.
The following incident was the most frustrating of the whole trip, but I have to vent. Before we left the states, my husband and I each called Bank of America to inform them we’d be out of the country, as well as to increase our daily withdrawal amount so we’d have enough cash to pay for our Habitat Apartment. For some reason, our accounts were not properly updated and we couldn’t get cash at the airport. Very stressful! I exchanged some USD for our taxi, and assumed we’d have no trouble getting cash in the city. We tried again and were declined. DH tried calling B of A, but there is not a 24 hour helpline. Fortunately, Habitat was happy to take credit card for payment, although we had to pay a 4% surcharge. Shortly after DH got automated message from B of A saying there was suspicious activity on the account, so he was able to call back and get it worked out, but after paying an extra EUR 30 for our lodging. Oh well! We’ve never ever had trouble getting cash in another country, and this was the first time I’ve called ahead to let them know and it seems to have backfired somehow. Okay, on to the fun stuff…
We stayed in Habitat Princesa 3 apartment in El Born neighborhood.
http://www.habitatapartments.com/princesa3.htm
I absolutely loved the neighborhood and would definitely stay there in the future. There are endless choices of places to eat, drink, shop, people watch, and it was so fun to get lost in the old windy streets. The apartment was nice and a perfect size for 2 people. The bathroom is a little worn out, but overall we were happy with our choice. While I would certainly rent an apartment again, I may consider doing so from another company. I will get to the reason why later.
After walking around, getting our bearings, and enjoying some tapas at Taller de Tapas (try the chickpeas with spinach and bacon), we just had to take a nap. After sleeping a few hours, we woke up to make our dinner reservation at 8:30 at Espai Sucre. Well, we soon learned that eating at 8:30 in Spain is like eating at 5 in the US. Places were empty and the atmosphere wasn’t as upbeat as we wanted (it was my bday!), so we ended up at Santa Maria around the corner. This was mentioned in Maribel’s guide as a cutting edge small plates venue, and it was excellent! They do not take reservations, but it didn’t fill up all the way until about 9:30. We chose to do the degustation, which was a bargain at EUR 34 per person. I can’t remember how many courses, but at least 8 including peach salad, fois gras, frog legs, chicken sushi, fish, cheese course, and a couple of desserts. Our favorite dessert included pop rocks candy which unexpectedly exploded in our mouths. It was a fun atmosphere and a great choice for our first experience of modern Catalan cuisine. Afterwards, we walked around the Placa de Santa Maria, and as the Festival de la Merce was going on, there was so much activity and excitement in the streets….parades, fireworks, live music, good times!
Days 2-7 coming soon…
Oct 3rd, 2008, 11:11 AM
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Hi betty-
Can't wait to read more!
Sorry to hear about the BoA problem. I've had a BoA account for 4 years now and have NEVER called them before my trips to alert them. I have used my BoA ATM card on over 10 European trips in various countries and never had a problem! Which makes me wonder if one makes things worse by calling them beforehand???
I've heard great things about Santa Maria, so it's great that you had a good meal there too, and for such a great price. I think it was featured in a Rachel Ray show where she went to Barcelona. I ate at Comerc 24 when I was Barcelona, and the diners next to me (from SF) kept telliing me how great their meal was at Santa Maria.
Can't wait to read more!
Sorry to hear about the BoA problem. I've had a BoA account for 4 years now and have NEVER called them before my trips to alert them. I have used my BoA ATM card on over 10 European trips in various countries and never had a problem! Which makes me wonder if one makes things worse by calling them beforehand???
I've heard great things about Santa Maria, so it's great that you had a good meal there too, and for such a great price. I think it was featured in a Rachel Ray show where she went to Barcelona. I ate at Comerc 24 when I was Barcelona, and the diners next to me (from SF) kept telliing me how great their meal was at Santa Maria.
Oct 3rd, 2008, 01:05 PM
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Sunday 9/21 – We slept until noon, which was okay with me because I felt fantastic to enjoy the beautiful day. We walked north up Via Laietana to Placa Catalunya and did the mandatory stroll down Las Ramblas. We ended up at the Tower de Colom (Columbus) and decided to go up and see the view. It was cramped and tiny but I’m so glad we did it because we could see the lay of the land and which direction we’d head to see Barceloneta, Montjuic, etc. I really wanted to see the beach so we walked to Barceloneta and found a casual bar to enjoy wine and tapas at. That evening we had a 9 pm reservation at Paco Meralgo. What a great suggestion from Maribel and others! I wasn’t sure the reservation would exist as I called from the US a couple weeks before and my Spanish is rusty, but it was all set. We loved the atmosphere, food, service, and had some incredible wine. We ordered pretty basic stuff…cheese, Iberian sausage plate, prawns in butter, and grilled tuna. It was packed, and I’m not sure the couple that came in before us without a reservation was seated, so please be sure to call ahead. We wanted to have another drink after dinner, and walked around for a while and couldn’t find a bar. I guess we should have planned ahead better, but we ended up taking a taxi home. I can see how the Eixample would be a wonderful place to live, but for a short term stay I am so glad we were in El Born with seemingly unlimited options at all times.
Monday 9/22 – The main event of the day was a 1:30 lunch at Cinc Sentits to do the huge tasting menu. I was determined to see one major site before lunch, so we chose the Picasso Museum as it was one street over from our apartment. Bad choice as this is closed on Mondays! Instead we stopped by the Palau de Musica Catalana and bought tickets for a Spanish guitar concert on Wednesday evening. Then we visited the cathedral, so it was a semi-productive morning before our afternoon of gluttony.
Cinc Sentits was amazing! We opted for the wine pairings with the Sensations menu, which was a ridiculous amount of food. I think it’s the way to do it though! I think we had 8-9 courses, starting with olives & almonds, then tomato sorbet with breadcrumbs (their version of pan con tomate), scallop with sunchoke, fois gras, a white fish, grilled tuna, suckling pig (YUM), cheese, lemon four ways dessert, and something chocolate. I can’t remember all the details and wish I had taken better notes after! I don’t remember if we did any other sightseeing after, but I am ashamed to admit we DID have dinner.
We had tapas at Taverna del Born, and the highlight was a spinach salad with a very sweet goat cheese.
When we returned to our apartment after the long lunch, the power was out at our apartment. We called Habitat and they sent someone over to look at it, who confirmed there was a problem but said an electrician couldn’t come out until the next day. They moved us to another apartment in the same building (Princesa 37), and they told us we could move back to #3 the next day when it was fixed, which we thought a fair solution. We had a full day tour booked, so moved back to #3 pretty late, around 9 pm. All was fine until Friday when we came home the building maintenance man told us to call Habitat immediately. Esperanza was our main contact and reprimanded us for not telling them we were back in #3, as they had an Australian couple that just flew in and wanted it, and when she came to let them in she saw our stuff everywhere. Well I did not feel bad at all as we reserved the apartment back in February, and the repairman had told us we could move back! It was the second most frustrating experience of the trip, especially since #37 was not nearly as nice and I wanted what we booked/paid for and was made to feel bad for it. She put the Aussies in #37 for the night, since we were going home the next day, so we thought all was fine, but we get to the apt and the power is out again. Booo! Maybe this is normal, but I haven’t heard anything but glowing reviews of Habitat and their units, so this is why I may try another agency next time.
Next up, the Bus Turistic trip to Torres Winery, Montserrat….
Monday 9/22 – The main event of the day was a 1:30 lunch at Cinc Sentits to do the huge tasting menu. I was determined to see one major site before lunch, so we chose the Picasso Museum as it was one street over from our apartment. Bad choice as this is closed on Mondays! Instead we stopped by the Palau de Musica Catalana and bought tickets for a Spanish guitar concert on Wednesday evening. Then we visited the cathedral, so it was a semi-productive morning before our afternoon of gluttony.
Cinc Sentits was amazing! We opted for the wine pairings with the Sensations menu, which was a ridiculous amount of food. I think it’s the way to do it though! I think we had 8-9 courses, starting with olives & almonds, then tomato sorbet with breadcrumbs (their version of pan con tomate), scallop with sunchoke, fois gras, a white fish, grilled tuna, suckling pig (YUM), cheese, lemon four ways dessert, and something chocolate. I can’t remember all the details and wish I had taken better notes after! I don’t remember if we did any other sightseeing after, but I am ashamed to admit we DID have dinner.
We had tapas at Taverna del Born, and the highlight was a spinach salad with a very sweet goat cheese.When we returned to our apartment after the long lunch, the power was out at our apartment. We called Habitat and they sent someone over to look at it, who confirmed there was a problem but said an electrician couldn’t come out until the next day. They moved us to another apartment in the same building (Princesa 37), and they told us we could move back to #3 the next day when it was fixed, which we thought a fair solution. We had a full day tour booked, so moved back to #3 pretty late, around 9 pm. All was fine until Friday when we came home the building maintenance man told us to call Habitat immediately. Esperanza was our main contact and reprimanded us for not telling them we were back in #3, as they had an Australian couple that just flew in and wanted it, and when she came to let them in she saw our stuff everywhere. Well I did not feel bad at all as we reserved the apartment back in February, and the repairman had told us we could move back! It was the second most frustrating experience of the trip, especially since #37 was not nearly as nice and I wanted what we booked/paid for and was made to feel bad for it. She put the Aussies in #37 for the night, since we were going home the next day, so we thought all was fine, but we get to the apt and the power is out again. Booo! Maybe this is normal, but I haven’t heard anything but glowing reviews of Habitat and their units, so this is why I may try another agency next time.
Next up, the Bus Turistic trip to Torres Winery, Montserrat….
Oct 3rd, 2008, 03:36 PM
#4
I'm really enjoying the report. Too bad about the apartment mix-up though. Sounds like you found the great places to eat! I still remember my dinner at Cinc Sentits fondly. You can probably find more details about the contents of your dinner on their website (that's what I did when writing my trip report).
Oct 4th, 2008, 03:47 AM
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Becky, I'm loving your report (though feeling bad about your credit card and apartment experiences) and can't wait for more. We have reserved 9 nights at Carders Apartment with Habitat in the El Born area (switching from Eixample where we've stayed in the past) during New Years and I'm so excited to be going there. Sounds like I made the right decision to check out the El Born area. Looking forward to more food reports. When we dined at Cinq Sentis, they gave us a computer printed menu that reflected the choices we made from their degustation menu. It sure made reporting easier. Looking forward to more. Thanks.
Oct 7th, 2008, 10:49 AM
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Thanks for reading and your nice comments!
Tuesday 9/23
This day we took the Bus Turistic day trip that includes Torres Winery, Montserrat & Sitges. We booked a couple weeks ahead of time, but next time I would wait until closer to check weather as we did have some rain. The Torres visit lasted about an hour and consisted of a tram ride through production and storage facilities as well as a tasting of Sangre de Toro, which we actually drink quite a bit here in Dallas. I am glad we went but also glad we didn’t make a whole day of visiting the wine region. I’m sure the off the beaten path wineries would be great to see, but would have required that we drive ourselves or take a more specific tour, and this was sufficient for us.
Next stop was Montserrat where we had around 4 hours to explore. It was really beautiful, and I imagine even better when its not drizzly and cloudy. We still took the funicular up to the top and hiked for around an hour, saw the monastery, etc. The funicular line was the most unorganized thing I’ve ever seen! They didn’t have anything sort of divider or aisles to create the line, so people were packed in like sardines pushing and shoving to get through the small entrance to board the train. My description is not doing it justice but I have never experienced anything like this!
The last stop was Sitges where we had about 2 hours to spend. The first part was an organized tour of the old town, and the tour guide was great. The town is so charming and I enjoyed hearing the history, despite the rain really coming down hard now. I got some cute pics with my umbrella by the sea, and we spent the last hour in a bar with some wine and manchego. This day was a Sitges holiday for the saint that they honor (like Merce in Barcelona), so most shops and restaurants were closed. I hoped we might have time to come back to Sitges on our own and spend a full day, in good weather and not a holiday, but it didn’t work out. Next trip!
That evening we were exhausted so decided to return to Taller de Tapas, as we loved the food and it just seemed easy. This time we tried a roasted lamb dish, patatas bravas, and the spinach with chick peas again. I know it’s known to be very touristy, but there is good reason for its popularity!
Tuesday 9/23
This day we took the Bus Turistic day trip that includes Torres Winery, Montserrat & Sitges. We booked a couple weeks ahead of time, but next time I would wait until closer to check weather as we did have some rain. The Torres visit lasted about an hour and consisted of a tram ride through production and storage facilities as well as a tasting of Sangre de Toro, which we actually drink quite a bit here in Dallas. I am glad we went but also glad we didn’t make a whole day of visiting the wine region. I’m sure the off the beaten path wineries would be great to see, but would have required that we drive ourselves or take a more specific tour, and this was sufficient for us.
Next stop was Montserrat where we had around 4 hours to explore. It was really beautiful, and I imagine even better when its not drizzly and cloudy. We still took the funicular up to the top and hiked for around an hour, saw the monastery, etc. The funicular line was the most unorganized thing I’ve ever seen! They didn’t have anything sort of divider or aisles to create the line, so people were packed in like sardines pushing and shoving to get through the small entrance to board the train. My description is not doing it justice but I have never experienced anything like this!
The last stop was Sitges where we had about 2 hours to spend. The first part was an organized tour of the old town, and the tour guide was great. The town is so charming and I enjoyed hearing the history, despite the rain really coming down hard now. I got some cute pics with my umbrella by the sea, and we spent the last hour in a bar with some wine and manchego. This day was a Sitges holiday for the saint that they honor (like Merce in Barcelona), so most shops and restaurants were closed. I hoped we might have time to come back to Sitges on our own and spend a full day, in good weather and not a holiday, but it didn’t work out. Next trip!
That evening we were exhausted so decided to return to Taller de Tapas, as we loved the food and it just seemed easy. This time we tried a roasted lamb dish, patatas bravas, and the spinach with chick peas again. I know it’s known to be very touristy, but there is good reason for its popularity!
Oct 7th, 2008, 11:06 AM
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Wednesday 9/24
At this point our trip was halfway over, and I felt like we hadn’t seen many major sites in the city. Fortunately, the weather was gorgeous so we got an early start and visited Sagrada Familia, Casa Milo and Park Guell. The Gaudi apartments and the park were 2 of my favorite things in Barcelona! I read somewhere in the summer there are jazz concerts on the roof of Casa Milo, which would be so cool. We started to feel some raindrops up at the park, so headed home to rest before our concert.
The concert at Palau de Musica Catalana was a great experience. We arrived around 8 for the 8:30 show and had drinks at the bar. I think one thing I love most about Spain is the delicious food and wine are always available! Please note that bars with food, as well as restrooms, are available on all levels. I wish I had known this to avoid lines at both prior to entering.
Afterwards we had a late dinner (no reservation) at Cuines Santa-Caterina. The menu came in many languages, and it was set up like a grid with food categories along the top (fish, pasta, meat) and preparation styles on the side (Spanish, Asian, Mediterranean). I had suckling pig and my husband had Catalan sausage with white beans and fois. We shared the baked provolone with pesto to start as well as a side of vegetables. It was all delicious, good portions, and reasonably priced.
At this point our trip was halfway over, and I felt like we hadn’t seen many major sites in the city. Fortunately, the weather was gorgeous so we got an early start and visited Sagrada Familia, Casa Milo and Park Guell. The Gaudi apartments and the park were 2 of my favorite things in Barcelona! I read somewhere in the summer there are jazz concerts on the roof of Casa Milo, which would be so cool. We started to feel some raindrops up at the park, so headed home to rest before our concert.
The concert at Palau de Musica Catalana was a great experience. We arrived around 8 for the 8:30 show and had drinks at the bar. I think one thing I love most about Spain is the delicious food and wine are always available! Please note that bars with food, as well as restrooms, are available on all levels. I wish I had known this to avoid lines at both prior to entering.
Afterwards we had a late dinner (no reservation) at Cuines Santa-Caterina. The menu came in many languages, and it was set up like a grid with food categories along the top (fish, pasta, meat) and preparation styles on the side (Spanish, Asian, Mediterranean). I had suckling pig and my husband had Catalan sausage with white beans and fois. We shared the baked provolone with pesto to start as well as a side of vegetables. It was all delicious, good portions, and reasonably priced.
Oct 7th, 2008, 11:21 AM
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Thursday 9/25
Today our plan was to hit the Pinoxto Bar at La Boqueria then explore Montjuic. We arrived at Pinoxto too late (11:30) for the famous fried pastry breakfast (can’t recall the name) so instead we shared a tortilla de patatas which came with tomato bread and decided to come back earlier on Friday. We wandered the market and I couldn’t get over how beautiful all the food presentations were.
From La Rambla, we got a taxi up to Montjuic, as I felt we were running short on time in the city and just wanted to be there fast. We walked around some gardens then took the cable car up to the castle. This was another favorite thing for me. We spent about an hour at the castle taking in the scenery and relaxing, then took another taxi to Barceloneta to have lunch by the sea. We chose Can Majo which was suggested by my Time Out book, and it was perfect. We shared seafood croquettes, tomato bread, and fideu paella, along with a bottle of white wine.
Afterwards we rented some beach chairs (10 EUR total) and tried to get sun but for a Texas girl, it was quite chilly!
That night we had dinner at El Pebre Blau, which we had walked past on previous evenings and thought looked charming. We arrived right around 8:30 and were seated without a reservation. For a starter, I had some type of roll-up of grilled vegetables, ham, and cheese on top of field greens and it was amazing. For my entrée I ordered cod, but I don’t think the English translated menu gave a good description as it actually seemed more like mashed potatoes with cod mixed in. It was fine, just not what I had expected. My husband had a veal burger which was so good.
Today our plan was to hit the Pinoxto Bar at La Boqueria then explore Montjuic. We arrived at Pinoxto too late (11:30) for the famous fried pastry breakfast (can’t recall the name) so instead we shared a tortilla de patatas which came with tomato bread and decided to come back earlier on Friday. We wandered the market and I couldn’t get over how beautiful all the food presentations were.
From La Rambla, we got a taxi up to Montjuic, as I felt we were running short on time in the city and just wanted to be there fast. We walked around some gardens then took the cable car up to the castle. This was another favorite thing for me. We spent about an hour at the castle taking in the scenery and relaxing, then took another taxi to Barceloneta to have lunch by the sea. We chose Can Majo which was suggested by my Time Out book, and it was perfect. We shared seafood croquettes, tomato bread, and fideu paella, along with a bottle of white wine.
Afterwards we rented some beach chairs (10 EUR total) and tried to get sun but for a Texas girl, it was quite chilly!
That night we had dinner at El Pebre Blau, which we had walked past on previous evenings and thought looked charming. We arrived right around 8:30 and were seated without a reservation. For a starter, I had some type of roll-up of grilled vegetables, ham, and cheese on top of field greens and it was amazing. For my entrée I ordered cod, but I don’t think the English translated menu gave a good description as it actually seemed more like mashed potatoes with cod mixed in. It was fine, just not what I had expected. My husband had a veal burger which was so good.
Oct 7th, 2008, 11:34 AM
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Friday 9/26
Today we made it to Pinoxto in time for the breakfast thing, and it was worth the hype! We also shared a “bikini” which is basically the yummiest grilled ham and cheese sandwich ever.
We worked off our meal doing a Time Out suggested walking tour of L’Eixample, then stopped in H&M for some shopping. I know it’s a huge chain store that every other city has, but in Dallas we do not yet, so its fun to get cheap trendy clothes that no one else has.
We started feeling some sprinkles, so headed to another Time Out recommendation for lunch, which was a café in El Raval overlooking a playground, but I can’t find name right now. It was another good pick! That is the only time we saw El Raval but thought it was really cool with lots of character. I wish we had a little more time to explore the safer parts, but we just got in such a routine of hanging out in El Born, which is not a bad thing.
That night we had dinner at Senyor Parellada in the Hotel Banys Oriental. Again we were seated without a reservation with no problems, and it was a nice place to spend our final meal of the trip. We shared a mixed green salad, then I had lamb while my husband thought he ordered steak but it was actually a tuna steak, but it was sushi grade quality and very good. This place was where we had the most communication problems ordering, but fortunately we are not picky and would likely eat anything they put in front of us.
Saturday 9/27
So I was very concerned about how we were getting to the airport for our 6 am flight, but we had absolutely no problem getting a taxi in El Born at 4 am. We walked out to the closest street (I think Comerc) and immediately saw 3-4 with the green lights on ready to take us. In other parts of town it may be an issue, but I am SO glad I didn’t pay the extra for a car service as it worked out perfectly.
So that is all! Thanks for reading and please let me know if you have any questions at all.
Today we made it to Pinoxto in time for the breakfast thing, and it was worth the hype! We also shared a “bikini” which is basically the yummiest grilled ham and cheese sandwich ever.
We worked off our meal doing a Time Out suggested walking tour of L’Eixample, then stopped in H&M for some shopping. I know it’s a huge chain store that every other city has, but in Dallas we do not yet, so its fun to get cheap trendy clothes that no one else has.
We started feeling some sprinkles, so headed to another Time Out recommendation for lunch, which was a café in El Raval overlooking a playground, but I can’t find name right now. It was another good pick! That is the only time we saw El Raval but thought it was really cool with lots of character. I wish we had a little more time to explore the safer parts, but we just got in such a routine of hanging out in El Born, which is not a bad thing.
That night we had dinner at Senyor Parellada in the Hotel Banys Oriental. Again we were seated without a reservation with no problems, and it was a nice place to spend our final meal of the trip. We shared a mixed green salad, then I had lamb while my husband thought he ordered steak but it was actually a tuna steak, but it was sushi grade quality and very good. This place was where we had the most communication problems ordering, but fortunately we are not picky and would likely eat anything they put in front of us.
Saturday 9/27
So I was very concerned about how we were getting to the airport for our 6 am flight, but we had absolutely no problem getting a taxi in El Born at 4 am. We walked out to the closest street (I think Comerc) and immediately saw 3-4 with the green lights on ready to take us. In other parts of town it may be an issue, but I am SO glad I didn’t pay the extra for a car service as it worked out perfectly.
So that is all! Thanks for reading and please let me know if you have any questions at all.
Oct 7th, 2008, 12:33 PM
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Hi Beckytx,
Really enjoyed your trip report and got some great restaurant ideas from you. Will be going Nov. 4th. and also staying in Habitat aparment, Princessa #1. Can you tell me what size the bed was in the #3? It is described a double.
I am curious to know if what they term a double is the same as in the US...photos make them look like king size. (One time in France 2 twin beds pushed together and made up as one bed was called a double.) I called habitat but did not get any clearer info. Thanks
Really enjoyed your trip report and got some great restaurant ideas from you. Will be going Nov. 4th. and also staying in Habitat aparment, Princessa #1. Can you tell me what size the bed was in the #3? It is described a double.
I am curious to know if what they term a double is the same as in the US...photos make them look like king size. (One time in France 2 twin beds pushed together and made up as one bed was called a double.) I called habitat but did not get any clearer info. Thanks
Oct 7th, 2008, 12:44 PM
#12
Hi becky,
thanks so much for your very informative TR. BCN is high on our "to do" list.
did you spot any apartments [not Habitat] or hotels that you liked the look of in the same area as yours?
regards, ann
thanks so much for your very informative TR. BCN is high on our "to do" list.
did you spot any apartments [not Habitat] or hotels that you liked the look of in the same area as yours?
regards, ann
Oct 7th, 2008, 02:19 PM
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I am not sure if it was a queen or a full/double, but definitely one mattress. We sleep on a queen at home and were not crowded, so I think that must be it!
The Ciutat Hotel looked really cool and is right in the middle of El Born and Sant Pere neighborhoods, just a few minute walk from Jaume Metro station.
http://www.ciutatbarcelona.com/
The Banys location is great too, just a little less central, but the area we hung out the most in.
http://www.hotelbanysorientals.com/
I think there are a ton of apt rental agencies. I read in a magazine while I was there that housing was becoming unaffordable to locals partially due to all the holiday rentals. One I've seen mentioned a lot is Friendly Rentals, and Maribel's guide has a list of about 10 different ones on the last page.
http://maribelsguides.com/mg_barcelona.pdf
Habitat usually seems great for everyone else, so hopefully my experience was a one-off. I really like their website and the reservation process and communications before we got there were professional and efficient.
The Ciutat Hotel looked really cool and is right in the middle of El Born and Sant Pere neighborhoods, just a few minute walk from Jaume Metro station.
http://www.ciutatbarcelona.com/
The Banys location is great too, just a little less central, but the area we hung out the most in.
http://www.hotelbanysorientals.com/
I think there are a ton of apt rental agencies. I read in a magazine while I was there that housing was becoming unaffordable to locals partially due to all the holiday rentals. One I've seen mentioned a lot is Friendly Rentals, and Maribel's guide has a list of about 10 different ones on the last page.
http://maribelsguides.com/mg_barcelona.pdf
Habitat usually seems great for everyone else, so hopefully my experience was a one-off. I really like their website and the reservation process and communications before we got there were professional and efficient.
