Best Barcelona Hotel??
 

Am travelling to Barcelona this July for five nights (as you may or not be aware by now!), and am willing to spend around 250-300 EUR per night .

At present I have the Claris reserved for my stay. The property must have a swimming pool and/or spa facilities that comprise more than just a sauna. Position is important, but I am not adverse to a brisk half hour walk - so around one to one and a half miles from the centre.

Having researched Fodors, the Claris people either love or hate, so it seems anyway. The Ritz sounds good, but I'm not sure what the "spa" comprises. Hotel Arts seems steeply priced for a poor location, and from pictures looks far too anonymous hotel international in style. The new Eurostars Grand Marina Hotel looks sensibly priced, but again I'm worried about the position. Perhaps I'm answering my own question, but I'd really appreciate some help here. Thank you!

Topping!

I have stayed at the Hotel Arts Barcelona which is a Ritz Carlton property. It is quite lovely, though modern and doesn't necessarily capture the charm of say, staying in the Gothic quarter. It is also a bit off the main tourist center, although you can access easily via the underground. (Barcelona is emminently easy to navigate). The Ritz is next to a casino and near the beach. So... if you want very plush, modern surroundings with an English speaking staff and a nice topless pool scene, the Ritz may be for you! See it at http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/ba...a/default.html

If you are willing to spend nearly $400USD per night on a room I really don't know what you are doing asking q's here!You can afford a first class travel agent to do you searching for you!!!!

The grand Marina is in a better location than the Arts(10 min walk easy to the columbus monument and the Ramblas), it is a brand new hotel with large ,elegant rooms and the service is good and efficient.

Travel agents are rarely impartial, and I much prefer to gather people's personal experiences.

Does the Ritz (not the Arts) have a swimming pool or were you making reference to the Arts?

How does the Grand Marina compare to the Claris - is it large, corporate and impersonal? Many restaurants and eateries nearby?

As a pool and full-service spa seems to be important to you, and you will be in Barcelona in June, the Hotel Arts would be a better choice, IMO. Their pool is the best in Barcelona, as it is large with a very large deck area and has a lovely beach/sea view. Huge lounge chairs and a very accommodating staff. There is also an excellent outdoor restaurant. The hotel Arts has a great full-service spa. It would be nice to be near the beach in July, as there are some good restaurants on the beach (as well as many tourist traps, so run a search here; my favourite is Agua which is near the Arts.

The Hotel Arts is not a well-located as the Claris, but is an easy 10-15 minute cab ride to the top of the Ramblas or the Passeig de Gracia area. I have stayed there several times on business and pleasure and never found the location to be a drawback. Set Portes, a very good restaurant that is a favourite on this site, would be walkable in about 15 minutes.

You can't go wrong with the Claris in term so location and ambience; but their pool is on the roof and small and has a small deck area, IMO. I think you will find larger rooms at the Arts as well, plus large bathrooms. I don't think the Claris has a spa, at least it didn't when I last stayed there a few years ago.

I don't know the Grand Marina and would be curious to hear reviews. I don't think the neighbourhood offers much, and would actually not be that safe at night, as is at the bottom of the Ramblas. I would not walk to restaurants at night from that location.

m kingdom
The latest state of the Art hotel in Barcelona(modern art) is called Hotel Omm, you can check it in www.hotelomm.es
It is so new it only open one month ago,
It has a very good location and offers swimming pool and spa center(Will open in Spring 04). I have not been there yet but it looks very tempting for high budget travelers. If you happen to go or book please revert with your views.

In that case I'll still be deciding between the Arts and the Claris! Room size isn't really that important to me. I've read reports of waiting lists for loungers by the pool at the Arts, is this the norm? If so i really can't be bothered with that!

If one was to walk rather than take a taxi (I feel that coming from a luxury property taxi drivers tend to frequently misread or even fail to activate their meters), roughly how far is it, distance wise or time wise to say the area where the Claris is located?

Does the Claris offer excellent service and comfortable rooms with a certain style? or service comparable with Hotel Arts?

Hotel Omm I have looked at too, it just seems too new and too pricey to make a mistake with. However, that said it looks very tempting, having new beautifully designed rooms, and two star restaurant - hopefully someone here will be able to assist me by providing their thoughts on this property!

One last (well for the moment!) thing, is hotel OMM a five star property?

One last (well for the moment!) thing, is hotel OMM a five star property? Service is very important to me, hence my question - their web-site currently only available in Spanish suggests a lack of multi-lingual staff.

Hotel Omm is quoted as a four star deluxe hotel, I think they need to have their swimming pool and spa in working order to get the five stars.
In a recent press article they claim they offer the services of a five star.
But it is just their opinion.
They quote prices at 290/350€ double room per night without a buffet breakfast and breakfast a la carte price range 14 to 20 €.
I think it is a bit pricey for a just arrived property. Regarding multilingual staff and if you refer to English, I would not be concern, I am sure nobody expects a deluxe hotel in the center of Barcelona without it.

I share your opinion - the prices are far too much for an entirely new property that needs time to establish itself.

Could someone advise the location of the Grand Marina Hotel, and if at all possible comments about this property.

Thank you for your inputs.

I stayed at the Ritz on Via Grand Corts, not the Arts, which is a "Ritz Carlton).
Excellent location and hotel was very quiet (in NOvember).

I do not recall here being much of a spa or health club (not that I was looking).I'm fairly certain there was no swimmimg pool as I would have certainly used that.

I don't mind no swimming pool as long as there is a quality spa, i.e. more than a sauna. Also the Ritz I believe is undergoing rennovations at present, and I don't particularly want to stay in a property with these works being carried out.

Does anyone know much about the Grand Marina hotel - is this comparable to the Claris?

m_kingdom,

I think they can hardly be compared. Whereas the Claris ' location is by Pesseig de Gracia, a very sophisticated location inland, the Marina is at the sea dock. Whereas the Marina is a brand new construction, with a futuristic concept, the Claris is a former Renaissence palace, totally refitted. Sure, Claris interiors are quite modern, but it still retains some old charm, like the antiques used in the decor, and the Egyptian Museum it holds. The Marina is totally modern, all is brand new, it's much bigger and it has more and better facilities ( so I 've heard, because I haven't stayed there, only at the Claris).

However, I could compare the Claris to the a smaller Grande Bretagne in Athens , and the Marina to the Athenaeum Intercontinental.

Was the service at the Claris similar to the GB? If it's half as good, I'm definately going there!

I haven't stayed at the Grande Bretagne, but visited the hotel prior to its refurbishment, so I can't compare its service to the Claris, I was talking about style. However, I was very happy with the Claris last time I was there, 4 years ago. We had two standards, and a De Luxe, duplex room and were a party of 7. The staff arranged everything we wanted, from a private tour in Portuguese ( some in our party didn't speak English) to special food to my grandson. They were gracious giving us all the information we needed.

After that, 18 months ago, I recommended the Claris to friends, who loved it, too.

However, if you check trip advisor, you'll see many complaints. As for me, I wouldn't stay anywhere else if I can still afford the Claris. I love the location, the style, the hotel restaurant, the size of the hotel ( I hate big hotels) it's the perfect hotel for me.

Do you think these complaints are isolated incidents caused by overly fussy people? I mean from your experience I'm not hesitating to go there. It appears to be quite charming and not overly trendy or cold like so many modern hotels.

Oh, well, this I couldn't really tell you. AS for the physical aspects, rooms size, amenities, food, I 'm sure the Claris will please you. The std rooms are of a good size, the bathrooms, too, they offer bathrobes, slippers. The color scheme is so tasteful and sophisticated, with those purple bedspreads combined with the golden wood panelling.. All the interiors are beautifully done, the contrast between modern and ancient, the use of some classic furniture and state of the art technology is well balanced. It's really a classy hotel.

Other than this, sorry, but how could I know if the staff, and consequentely the service they provide will be of the same standards I experienced...?? I noticed a few rants made by American and British guests, as well as I read some rave reviews within the last 12 months. One has to guess what the problem is, maybe an uneven staff, maybe people with different perspectives, expectations and priorities.