jaydh42

Wife and i will have 3 days in Barcelona prior to boarding a cruise ship. We would like to stay in a 4* hotel in eith the Ramblas sector or the Gothic district close to Ramblas.

The hotels we are considering are Rivoli Ramblas, Silken Ramblas, Tryp Apolo-La Rambla, or Marina Barcelona. Any opinions on these? Also, plan on getting a hotel through either HOT WIRE or Priceline. With Hot Wire you know the star rating and the area but not the hotel until you commit. They have an enticing one in Ramblas area which they refer to as downtown-Marina- Las Remblas area -a 4 * (star) at $79 per night. They say 85% of people who have stayed there have recommended it. At that price and 4* am tempted to bite.

Would be very interested in any thoughts or opinions, friendly, of course.
We are not going till the end of November. Have booked the cruise and the air is taken care of by way of frequent flyer miles--125,000 miles for RT from Los Angeles.

JH

Aduchamp1

Have not stayed in those hotels but The Ramblas is the tourist epicenter in Barcelona and a hotel directly on the Ramblas can be noisy.

Dukey

Here is my advice..

first of all, that "noise" on Las Ramblas depends a LOT on the hotel you are in and in my several experiences in Barcelona the noise doesn't last all night..

Most recently I stayed at the MonteCarlo..it is about two blocks from the Placa Catalunya and all of its transportation connections..it is also directly across Las Ramblas from the more expensive and IMO not nearly as good LeMeridien.

I was in the junior suite on the main floor this time around...a private patio, a nice bedroom, and a HUGE bathroom with jetted tub and separate power shower/sauna type affair...
as well as yet another separate reading/sitting area..that room is HUGE and there was NO NOISE.

I used to stay in the "GayXample" area but not any more..check the place out and read the reviews on TripAdvisor, too

Lifeman

I have stayed in the Rivoli and it's a nice hotel. I did not notice any loud noise even though our room overlooked the Ramblas.

There is also a hotel right opposite that used to be called the Royal that's good too.

danon

I would stay just a bit further away from Ramblas ( my least favorite place in Barcelona) near Rambla de Cataluya.
You can walk to Ramblas in minutes but stay in much more beautiful area.

cruiseluv

I would pay NOT to be on a hotel right on top of Las Ramblas. The thought that every time I walk out of the hotel I would be in Las Ramblas, confronted by the sea of humanity constantly populating that long street, is repulsive to me. My family and I have stayed several times at the Atrium Palace, a couple of blocks from Plaza Catalunya. It is considered a 4 star hotel. Modern rooms and bathroom. They usually offer good rates in their website.

Fife

My wife and I stayed at the Hotel Lleo near the Placa Catalunya. It's a three star, but more than adequate for tourist purposes. We asked for and were given a quiet room.

The hotel was about 5 minutes away from the Catalan restaurant Ca l'Estevet and almost next door to Cafe Vienna, a good place for breakfast.

lincasanova

You may be able to figure out the hotwire hotel with the www.betterbidding.com hotel list for Barcelona.

85% sounds very good. I would also be VERY tempted, but do take a look at the hotels won so far, or at least of those people nice enough to post, and go to their websites for better descriptions.

I, personally, do not like the Ramblas either, and am always surprised so many people are seeking to be there.

amwosu

The star ratings of travel sites like Orbitz, Priceline and Expedia have little to do with the European government star ratings of hotels. Travel site stars have to do with subjective analysis of the quality of accomodations and service. European government star ratings have to do with the objective quantity of services and facilitites provided.

Amenities like concierge, bar, onsite restaurant, air conditioning, meeting space for conferences and a pool determine the star ratings in Europe. A three star hotel can never bump up to four star status without the addition of specific amenities regardless of the quality of services provided. There are plenty of fab three star hotels in Europe that are nicer than four star hotels but they may be lacking things like a conference room. Just wanted to make sure you aren't comparing apples to oranges.

I haven't been to Barcelona yet but will stay for a week after a cruise this summer. I'm staying at Hotel Jazz near Placa Catalunya just above Las Ramblas due to it's proximity to the transportation hub and walking distance to the old town.

If you book directly from the hotel website they have a 10% discount. I'm paying 101 euros/nt in late June and I can cancel as late as the day before check in. Hotel Jazz currently has 910 reviews on TripAdvisor with a 96% thumbs up rating.

I'm a fan of booking on both Priceline and Hotwire but since they are not cancelable in most instances I would wait to book until closer to your trip. You might go ahead and book a room directly from a hotel that allows cancellation and then if you find a great rate on Priceline you can cancel the original reservation.
Ann Marie

HappyTrvlr

I would stay away from Las Ramblas.

alexislovesspain

I agree with AMWOSU .. don't be decieved by the start ratings. In Europe, you really can't go by those, not the way you can in the states IMO. We stayed at the Hotel d'Arts, Ritz Carlton and used Marriott Points to do so. EXCELLENT hotel, albeit, off the main drag from all the activity of Las Ramblas.

We also looked at staying on Las Ramblas, and now that we have expereiced it (it was a good experience) we are glad we did not stay there. Too much activity for us and the hotels looked difficult to get to ... but maybe that's just me.

Enjoy .. we went in November .. the weather was comfortable.

We posted a trip report, ifyou are interested.

Dukey

IMO the hotels on Las Ramblas are NOT "difficult to get to" anymore than the Hotel Arts which is for many of us a bit removed but to each their own.

MFNYC

We recently stayed at Hotel Inglaterra and loved the location. It's a few blocks from Plaza Catalunya and the top of Las Ramblas, and the eixample district. ALso close to all kinds of transportation.