My family of four (my spouse and I and our two sons ages 12 and 15) will be going to Barcelona for our first time in April. We'll be staying 3-4 days total. I've identified several hotels that are within our budget and seem to be fairly highly thought of here and elsewhere. But I would like some help in choosing the one where we should stay, and in particular would appreciate feedback as to which is in the best location. We would like to be in a safe area from which we can easily walk everywhere. We don't require 5 star luxury but would like a hotel with some charm and character and a helpful front desk for restaurant advice, soccer tickets, etc. Here are the options that I know are available for us:

Hispanos 7 Suiza (two bedroom suite with kitchen facilities that we likely won't use--this is the most expensive option)

Gallery Hotel (two adjoining rooms)

Hotel Actual (two adjoining rooms--this is the least expensive option)

Of course we are open to other suggestions as well. Thanks!

Trippo,
I think you have three nice "finalists", all in the safe and upmarket Eixample district. They do differ a bit in their walking distance to major sites and in spaciousness of the rooms.

The Hispanos 7 Suiza is the furthest afield from the city's epicenter, the Plaça de Catalunya, but is the closest to the Sagrada Familia. It would be a much longer walk to the Ramblas, the Barri Gotic, El Born and to the waterfront. But you would have an adjacent metro stop.
There your family would have more space to spread out, and these suites do come with a full service desk staff, hotel-like amenities, including a restaurant, if you needed it.

The Gallery has a very nice, posh location between the Passeig de Gracia and the Rambla de Catalunya, right below the Diagonal, about 8 blocks from the Plaça de Catalunya.
In this area of the Left Eixample you would have lots of nice restaurants and tapas bars of all prices-more dining (and shopping) options. It lies above the most congested section of the Passeig de Gracia but still walkable to the Plaça de Catalunya. I find it to be a very nice neighborhood and enjoy staying in this part of town.

The Actual has the smallest rooms and they are very much "cookie cutter", all made alike, but because of its pared down space, the tariff usually runs lower. There are fewer public rooms, just the downstairs lobby and first floor breakfast room. It lies directly across from the trendy 5 star Hotel Omm on the same street as the Gallery, but on the other side of the Passeig de Gracia in the Right Eixample, an equally upscale area.

If you want to be closer still to the Plaça de Catalunya (but avoid its congestion by not staying right on this huge square, but to the side), there's the Hotel Inglaterra to the west and the Hotel Apsis Atrium Palace to the east, that may fit your budget. The Atrium Palace has an indoor pool and restaurant.

www.hotel-atriumpalace.com
www.hotel-inglaterra.com

Hope this helps you to decide.

I stayed at the Hotel Regina just a click off Plaza Cataluya, probably mis spelled. Kinda Pricey but with breakfast OK for our first trip there.
Check the prices out daily after you book, mine went down by more than 50 Euros and I canceled and re booked. One thing is that much of everything is walkable(I'm in my late 60's) in Barcelona if hotel is within reason. The sub way is relative easy to use, and cabs are most everywhere and reasonable. If you have not done it google map it and you can determine which hotel offers the best or desired location.

Thank you both for your input. Maribel, it sounds to me like Hispanos 7 Suiza might be a little too far away from the city center than would be ideal for us. And it seems like the Gallery Hotel may be worth the extra 35 euros or so per night as compared to Hotel Actual. I did check the Atrium Palace and Inglaterra hotels as well. The Atrium Palace for some reason is quite a bit more expensive than even Hispanos 7 Suiza for our dates (as is the Regina suggested by the other poster). The Inglaterra is roughly the same price as Hispanos, but they seem to charge an hourly rate for internet access, which we view as a drawback. So I guess we're leaning towards the Gallery at this point.

By the way Maribel, I so appreciate your insight on this board and in your guides. We will be in Madrid for several days prior to our Barcelona stay and we've booked a suite at the Hotel Meninas, based largely on your recommendation in your Madrid guide.

We spent a week at Hispanos 7 Suiza. Yu may not use the kitchen but having a washer and dryer in the kitchen is a big plus.The front desk was helpful adn the restaurant on the premises is excellent. We used the Metro across from Sagrada Familia. However, I do agree with Maribel about its location. We checked out the Gallery for a future visit and likes its location more.

Trippo: I would second Maribel's suggestion of the Inglaterra as a hotel to consider because of its location and relative comfort. You are very close to the Plaça de Catalunya (from which you can transit most anywhere) and Las Ramblas, and the Gothic Quarter is just a short walk. The rooms are modern, and while they may not have the character of some of the older hotels, they are stylish and reasonably spacious. If you can get a layout of the floors, you can probably pick two adjoining rooms on an alcove...as I recall, we were next to a room in that fashion.The staff was unobtrusive but helpful; the whole place has a fairly calm demeanor, which is a nice break from all the life on the street. We were there at the beginning of July, and I can attest that they have a dynamite air conditioning system, but you probably won't need that in April. The street behind the Inglaterra also seems to be home to several of Barcelona's CD shops, including a couple of specialty shops, which is fun if you like browsing music.

HappyTrvlr: Good point about the washer/dryer, and in fact we chose an apartment in Seville last spring precisely because of that feature in the kitchen. However, I guess we never did get the hang of the all-in-one European style machine, since the clothes never did get dry. That was particularly frustrating because right down the street from the apartment was a laundromat that offered washing, drying, and folding service for the very reasonable price of like 6-8 euros a load. Perhaps there would be a laundromat with a similar service near our hotel in Barcelona if we didn't stay at Hispanos 7 Suiza?

Midnightsun: It does seem like the Inglaterra would be a good choice in a very good location. I'm going to consider it further and will check with them to see if their policy regarding charging for internet access may have changed.

Trippo,
I believe that the Inglaterra occasionally includes free Wi-Fi when running specials, but normally the hotel does charge a fee for wireless internet access. You might inquire. The hotel is also close to the Triangle shopping complex, which includes a FNAC. Gemma, the resident manager, takes much pride in her hotel, running it as if it were her own home. And she makes sure that her guests have plenty of guidance. The Red Room, where breakfast is served, is a particularly inviting and cozy space.

You have some very solid hotels from which to choose. I like your selection very much. Now the difficult decision!

Trippo: There is a Starbucks across the street and down a few yards from the Inglaterra. I know that in the U.S., if you have a Starbucks card you can get two free hours of Wi-Fi each day. I don't know if that holds true in Europe. Certainly it would be easier if you could get the free Wi-Fi from the Inglaterra, but that may be another option for you.