Barcelona for 5 nights, apartment or hotel?
 

We (a retired active couple) will be visiting Barcelona for 5 days before taking trains to France in April 2014. We have been to Spain before but not Barcelona.
We plan to either book a hotel near Placa de Catalunya, or book an apartment in the L'Eixample area with habitatapartments dot com.
<u>Pro with a hotel</u>: There will be a manned hotel desk where we can access info/help when needed.
<u>Pro with an apartment</u>: Bigger space to move around for 5 day and nights.
What will be your advice? Thank you in advance.

Barcelona seems to have more tourist apartments than any city, often very modern and nicely furnished. Many people rave about them. We had our first and only apartment experience in Barcelona and I decided they are not for me. I rather like getting picked up after in a hotel room. And for sure I don't like the damp/wet towels that come out of the "dryers" they claim to have in apartments that then have to be hung up on racks to really dry. I'd rather have dry towels, washed by someone else than more space any day. but it's an individual preference.

We MUCH prefer apartments when we travel. Love the space, as DH often wakes up around 5, and can go into the living room while I sleep in until 6:30. I like having a kitchen for breakfast & snacks, and like having a kitchen or dining room table where we can set up our laptops.

We don't cook in the apt., but love the space...

At the risk of starting WW III I will just say there is a Citidines two blocks from the Placa Catalunya on La Ramblas.

I know about the place because it is right next to the hotel I generally use, the Montecarlo.

One of the things people around here love to complain about it the noise on La Ramblas. The hotel I use does not permit any of that noise to enter; I cannot say how well the Citidines is soundproofed.

Then there is the usual "I wouldn't stay in that location" complaint. People never quite say exactly what it is about the street that they hate..perhaps it is the "type" of people who you see there. But location-wise it cannot be beat IMO...close to the Catalunya, close to a Metro stop, close to the gothic cathedral.

OK, now allow all the naysayers to flood in.

I don't hate Ramblas....but prefer to stay .above Gran Via.
Having stayed in four different parts of Barcelona in seven visits, I really did not like
lower Ramblas late at night.
It is a big city and, luckily, there are enough hotels and apt. to chose from
for everyone's taste and budget.

We stayed with barcelonastuff.com in a home off a gated private (key access only) alley two blocks from La Rambla and three from the Passeig de Gracia edge of Placa Catalunya. Whisper quiet, and we didn't have to put down a cash deposit like so many other agencies require.

Considering you're internet savvy enough to get info from Fodors.com, you're probably quite capable of handling most independent travel needs so why not stay in an apt?

i am an apartment convert. it is usually less expensive, more centrally located and, as mentioned above, gives you space to stretch out. there's almost always a coffee maker and a tidy kitchenette that can be used for snacks, fruit, and drinks even if you never light the stove.

i agree that the downside is not having a concierge, but if you are a prepared, friendly traveler, this is not a huge hindrance. there is usually a local contact/owner who can be invaluable with advice, directions, etc., and is less likely to steer you to tourist traps.

important note: having DOUBLE-GLAZED windows is imperative to shut out street noise. if not that, at least an ac or fan to drown it out. we recently rented 2 different apartments in barcelona: the first was 1/2 block from placa de catedral in busy bari gotic, with fan and double-glazed: whisper quiet. the next was across from palau gaudi: single glazed, no ac. i thought i was gonna kill myself when the guy staying in the atm across the street had an impromto, all night till sunrise party...

good sources are booking.com, rumbo.es, and homeaway.com and there are a slew of barcelona sites. i find that airbnb is not always as nice. send out a lot of inquiries.

We had the best of both worlds at Hispanos7Suizas, an apartment with a hotel style front desk in the lobby. Very helpful staff made reservations for us, gave directions,etc.

Hispanos7Suizas is one of the few exceptions to staying in an apartment if you're planning on staying less than 7 to 14 days. The major drawbacks to renting in an apartment are the check in and check out times. You can end up loosing most of the first day checking in (most checkins are later in the afternoon) and having to checking out long before noon and having no place to store your luggage if your train or flight isn't until later in the day.

not to argue with Robert2533 (who is quoted in fodor's-congrats, robert!), but...we rented from rumbo.es (online booking agent) from feel good apartments/short stay group. the check-in was by phone (coded entry) when we needed it, and they have an office nearby where they held our suitcases all day for us after our noon check-out.

we also rented for only 3 days in the middle of summer (this past june-july). when we returned to barcelona, i was able to secure a ONE day rental via booking.com's apartment listings. so, it's definitely possible!

both places were spacious, clean, beautifully located and well below average hotel prices during high season. just be diligent and pick the area you want to be in. i also suggest that you cross check via tripadvisor or booking.com's reviews. our only problem the second go-round was noise, and it's my fault for not checking to make sure there were double-glazed windows.

I have traveled quite a bit in Europe - Barcelona was the one city where I did try an apartment rental. Since that trip, I have not wanted to repeat renting an apartment. It didn't really go wrong, so I'm not sure why at this point I have not done it again.

BUT do carefully read the specs - we rented an apartment that could sleep six for 2 of us, tho we thought we might have friends join us for a couple of nights. Both bedrooms were quite small, in fact the second bedroom best served for storing our bags, they would not have fit in the "big" room. Both bathrooms were small. I find the limited check in times and monetary arragnements to be a bit taxing. Esp. in Barcleona to withdraw hundreds of E's to take for payment, I was quite nervous. All agencies may not work like that but hardly ever do they take AMEX and I like the points. I'm not a traveler that really uses a concierge or front desk often but if something in the apartment is not working, help may not be as easy to get.

So we have not rented an apartment again but I'm not saying I will never do that in the future. Esp. as we travel slower, staying longer, I can see tying again for an extended stay, say maybe in Nice or even Barcelona.

i know i sound like the apartment evangelist, but...i only and always paid with my mastercard or visa. we also stayed in apartments in girona, nice and one night each in dusseldorf and berlin (overnight layovers) and had similar positive experiences. out of 16 nights, we stayed in apts. 10 nights - a 3 night stay, two 2 night stays, and 3 single night stays. i say go for it!

i guess i should post a trip report, lol!

oh, I hate the Ramblas and I can tell you exactly why -- it is noisy, kind of ugly, has few shops on it of any merit, is dirty, hardly any benches for people to sit on, and it chock-a-block with vendors selling these horrible noisemaker things in your mouth that sound like a duck. This is the only city I have ever been in where I've seen and heard that. Is is so obnoxious, that alone makes me never want to be on it if I can help it, they are every few feet, practically. And it doesn't have very good restaurants and the ones on it are overpriced and right next to hordes of people walking by, those duck noise people, and you can be only a couple feet from lines of cars and exhaust fumes.

I just rented an apt with habitat and it was okay (in l'Eixemple), except the agency mixed up my bookings and I got a different one in the building than I had booked (no explanation or apology on that from Habitat). Now that part turned out okay, but the apt itself was so sparsely furnished it didn't even have a coffeemaker. I rarely snack and don't eat breakfast, and certainly had no interest in eating dinner in, so cooking was not my goal but I really really want decent coffee in the morning when I rent an apt. Again, no explanation or apology from the agency when I complained about that, either.

At least the AC worked and the bed was comfortable enough, though, and it was a good location. I can't imagine doing laundry in it or why people do that when only in a place a few days on vacation. Those machines take forever and often there is no clothes dryer. I don't think you should need to do laundry in a few days on vacation.

And it was somewhat noisy, also, a group of loud drunk young German guys in the apt next door, and neighbors with loud, yapping dogs.

one more piece of advice: the owner-to-renter sites like homeaway, airbnb and vrbo often contain irritating extra charges; specifically maid or linen service, one time a key delivery fee. the booking agent sites like booking.cm or tripadvisor usually forbid or disclose those charges up front. just be attentive to the entire site page or contract. i was able to negotiate a lower rate for a shorter stay, but i preferred booking.com's procedure.

Habitat isn't the be-all and end-all. Check out www.apartur.com for apartments.

And know what you're getting - all apartments should have a statement of # of bedrooms, AC or not, elevator or not, internet or not, etc., and the square meterage - a square meter is 10.5625 square feet so a 40 square meter apt is under 425 sq ft.

Thanks to all who took time to respond.
Your points are all valid, they will all be factored into my decision.

I also love staying in apartments and have done so all over the world. I love the roominess and the privacy (no maids impatiently waiting to clean the room). The ability to eat anytime I want to -- having a peaceful breakfast just the two of us before setting out for the day. Or ending the day with some wine and cheese. And I love pretending to be a local -- eating take-out, buying flowers for the kitchen table.

When I was in Barcelona, we rented a lovely apartment from Inside Barcelona: http://insidebarcelona.com/ Our apartment was just around the corner from the main office, so we were able to get helpful advice whenever we needed it.

One suggestion: If you rent, be sure to get complete instructions on how to operate all the appliances -- washer/dryer, dishwasher, TV.

If you like save money, I reccommended the Apolo Apartment https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/297066. Friendly price and super nice host Aga (an architect). She has all informations about Bracelona (where eat and do shopping, what must see in Barcelona and more, more...). On the website you can see the apartment, opinions...