mjcass5

I am staying with my sister and cousin in Barcelona for 4 nights before Easter (March 31 - April 4) and am struggling to find an inexpensive hotel in a central location. We are hoping to pay less than $100 per night.

We are seriously considering Hotel El Jardi and Hosteria Grau, close to the Ramblas but we are in our 20s and are not overly concerned about noise. But we have heard some mixed reviews on those properties and the safety of the location.

Any feedback or alternate suggestions you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

lincasanova

There are a lot of hotels now for 40-70 euros on many websites. They are not all in the center/center but connected well into the city.

The HUSA hotel chain has some good deals now. Since I have friends in Barcelona, when I can't stay at their apt. I have stayed in many neighborhoods "above" the downtown area.. above general Mitre, near Bonanova, and have been quite happy with the neighborhoods.

There are plenty of buses that wisk you down the streets into the depth of downtown.

I will try to retrieve the names of two hotels I have stayed at for such a good price.

Also check the Catalonia chain.

I would worry more about a deep downtown/Ramblas/off the path area than the nicer residential areas on the upper part of the city.

lincasanova

Found the report


We just got back from an overnight to a wedding in barcelona. a friend organized the hotel for us and i can highly recommend this 4 star hotel (at least room 402 and the others our friends were in).

it is on calle muntaner, 505. there is a bus at the door that goes down into the central part of town, metro nearby , and is a few blocks lower than the plaza bonanova, a residential area i have always liked. We frequent a delicatessan /eatery there called casa pepe, which is worth a try if you are up in this neighborhood.

The rooms are VERY large, also have a sofa that must make into a bed. The bathroom was the largest i have seen in YEARS. It had a jacuzzi tub and separate shower and toilet room. Very wide single beds.

there were a few small groups there.. and i imagine it is popular because of the price and quality. we had an unbelievable price with breakfast this weekend (75 euros)through some "connection" a friend had.. but i think i have seen it on bancotel and other offers at great rate.

breakfast was O.K. the typical yogurt, fruit, cold cuts, eggs, etc.

Just hope this helps someone not be afraid to be up away from the plaza cataluña if you have trouble staying under budget.. I enjoy these residential neighborhood hotels, myself. especially when you can get a good rate.
i think guests were paying 6-8 euros to go all the way to plaza cataluña (10 minutes) when they didn't want to take the bus or metro.

we also stopped at "el escocés" on calle madri.. (over a few streets) which had great "pepitos de ternera". we also had fabulous potato salad , german style, and one Rusa.. the pepito was actually filet mignon or very high quality thick beef cooked to perfection on a round bun.

all in all, the "calle mandri" neighborhood, too, has great shopping, good lunch/dinner places, and a different feel for the city, steps or a short ride away from the better known barcelona highlights.

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laclaire on Jun 11, 06 at 06:46 PM
I agree about the residential areas of BCN. They are wonderful and if you have been in the city a few times before or are looking for relaxation after a day of touring, nothing beats them. One of my favorite bike rides goes right past that hotel and on into the mountains through Canyelles which is a very attractive and warm area.

lincasanova

We also stayed at the catalonia park putxet. It is near a LOVELY park, Turó.. and it was on a quiet street. There was a metro stop not far away and buses, also.

I see they now have one in the Born district.

Good luck.

kybourbon

See my answers on this thread.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...l-276202-2.cfm