I am an airline employee going to Barcelona in 2 weeks for 3 days. Looking for a small hotel (50-60 rooms), family owned or managed with charachter. I have had great luck on this forum for Paris hotels but I don't see much info for Barcelona. A passenger onnce told me about a hotel located above the main train station, does anyone have info or a name? Any help is appreciated.

we stayed at Hotel Regente--small but modern, very friendly staff who quickly learned your name. It may not be so close to the Gothic Quarter which is where we often gravitated to at night for local bars, etc., but it is on La Rambla, and we had a "junior suite" on the 6th floor with a large terrace and great view of the city. It ended up being very centrally located, and close to major shopping areas, and great restaurants with fabulous food are to be found everywhere, in all price ranges (I miss the tomato bread all the time--kind of like focaccia or bruschetta--yummy!) I think we paid about $150/night only, and this hotel was in the expensive category in our guidebook--of course, this was 2 years ago when the US dollar was very strong. BTW, I highly recommend the Time Out guidebooks for a particular city--tons of all the info you want to know. Hope this helps and I would like to read others' posts as we loved Barcelona so much that we want to go back next year again. (Of course, Fodor's books are indispensable, as well!)

Hope this helps: <BR>CONTINENTAL: Rambla Canaletas 138, 08002. Tel: 93-3012570. Fax: 93-3027360. Web site: http://www.hotelcontinental.com/ E-mail: [email protected] (35 rms., all w/toilet & bath or shower.) 8500ptas (13500ptas queen-size bed, balcony or facing Rambla) single; 11000ptas (14000ptas queen-size bed, balcony or facing Rambla) double; 12000ptas (14000ptas 2 twin beds, balcony or facing Rambla) double; 14500ptas (17500ptas queen-size bed, twin bed & balcony facing Rambla) triple; 17000ptas (20000ptas queen-size bed, 2 twin beds, balcony or facing Rambla) quad. Visa, MC, AX, DC. Buffet breakfast (6am-12noon, includes eggs) is included in the rates & can be served in the room (550ptas extra pp). English spoken (José), cable TV w/BBC World & Eurosport, phones, fabulous wonderful charming hotel w/beautifully furnished & identically decorated nice-size rms., ceiling fans, #373, 374 & 244 (all w/king-size or 2 twin beds w/2 pull-out twin beds underneath the bed & balconies that face Rambla) are for a double or family; #255 (queen-size bed, large bathroom w/full-size bathtub & faces interior) are for a double; #259 & 258 (both are tiny adorable rms. w/double beds & small balconies that faces back) are for a double; #250 (2 rms. w/double bed, 2 twin beds, 2 phones, bathroom w/full-size bathtub & faces interior), 247 (2 rms. w/double bed, 2 twin beds, bathroom w/ 2 toilets & interior patio w/2 doors to each room) & 375 (double bed, 2 twin beds & 2 bathrooms) are for a family; hairdriers, fridges, microwaves, safes, 9 rms. w/balconies, 5 rms. w/terraces, laundry services, bar, fabulous location on the nosiest but most popular street in Barcelona, elevator, 2 flrs. Owned/managed by Pilar Vallee. Look out for Kankkunen, the huge wonderful white Finnish mascot dog. Metro: Catalunya. Exit metro and walk on the left side with the even numbers going down Rambla. Cross street: Carrer Santa Ana. <BR>

I am looking for a hotel in Barcelona which is close to la rambla but is also quiet. My husband and I will be in Barcelona for six nights and are hoping to find a 3-4 star hotel that is charming and convenient. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Danielle, <BR>Try the Gran Via. It's walking distance to Las Ramblas and the Gothic quarter, but far enough away to be quiet (especially if you ask for an interior room). It was the home of , I believe, an archbishop. The public rooms are quite charming , there's a big sweeping staircase to the first floor and a mirrored breakfast room with high ceilings. Our room, however, was very standard, nothing special about it, but I have read others are furnished in good reproductions. It was about $100 -150 a few years ago.Also, check Karen Brown's guides for hotels with charm. She's quite reliable.Her website lists some of her selections.

Hi Danielle. I second Michelle's mention of the Hotel Gran Via (not to be confused with the Hotel Gravina.) Before going to Barcelona last spring, my girlfriend & I read about it in a couple different "Charming Hotels in Spain" type of books, so we decided to stay there, and we loved it. We had a nice cozy (i.e. small) room facing the quiet courtyard with a double bed for 14,000 pesetas (with the exchange rate at about 170 pesetas/dollar last spring, that came to about $85, plus tax.) The buffet breakfast, served in the grand breakfast room that Michelle mentioned, was an additional 1,000 (I think) pesetas (about $6), and well worth it. The location is superb, only a half-block from the Passeig de Gracia, and about two blocks from the Placa de Catalunya and the top of La Rambla.

Danielle, <BR>That passenger may be referring to the Barcelo Sants, a large, bustling chain hotel sitting above Sants station. For charm, character and a family feeling, I'd choose one of Karen Brown's selections. If the Gran Via is full, try the Meson Castilla. If you do a text search, you should (?) find several posts about it-it's a great mid-range choice, my favorite for the price (haven't stayed at the Gran Via). It has an Old World feel too, is decorated with pretty handcarved Castilian furniture, coats of arms, beamed ceiling and ornate armchairs in the public rms (only 50 guest rms) and also has an excellent but tucked away (quiet) location just steps from the Gran Via. It's been family owned since the 50s. www.husa.es <BR>It and the Gran Via are also recommended by Sandra Gustafson in her "Cheap Sleeps in Spain". At the M.C. she likes rms #126 and #464. The tariff for both should be about the same, (I think the M.C. includes their buffet breakfast), and both are extremely popular so book as soon as you can. <BR>Good luck and have a great time!