I have a list of hotels and want to know if anyone has any feedback.dI'm looking for a well located clean upscale hotel.1. The Claris 2. Hotel Majestic3.Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I,4.Hotel Arts 5. AC Diplomatic Can anyone give me the pros and cons if any of each? Thanks alot

I have stayed at the Hotel Majestic and was very pleased. The location was just perfect for me, right on the Passeig Gracia which was just beautiful, convenient,upscale, and safe. The room was terrific. I had a room with a small balcony with a view of 2 Gaudi buildings, which was a real treat. The service at the hotel was wonderful and very attentive. It has an active bar at night and a roof top pool.
I really loved the location, as it was easy to walk everywhere, the Metro was very close, and super restaurants surround the area. The Arts is on the water, very modern and has an entirely different experience then the Majestic. If you pick The Arts, it is really not walking distance from much of the sights, I would say it is not well located at all for a first time Barcelona visit.
I did not eat breakfast in the hotel in the morning as it was really a huge "spread." I prefered to enjoy my coffee and just a lite bite for breakfast.Instead, I ate breakfast at near by cafes which I enjoyed.
The Eixample neighborhood was amazing. The beautiful architecture of the buildings was wonderful to explore every day.
Barceloana is wonderful.

ecl
Out of the four you are mentioning I also like the location of the Majestic.
Hotel Rey Juan Carlos and Arts, are just somehow out of the way.
While traveling I don't stay too long in the hotel`s premises and whenever I go to a very expensive one I get the feeling that I have not use the facilities they offer.
Majestic might not have the best offer in terms of Swimming pool, bars, spa..
But it is well located and rooms and service are first class.

The Majestic and the Claris have the best locations, I would give the Claris an edge in terms of rooms and facilities, although the Majestic is certainly lovely and has one of the best restaurants in Barcelona, La Dromla.

If you are going in the hot summer months, I would actually choose the Arts, as they have the biggest and nicest pool and pool deck area and they are right on the beach. There are one or two very good restaurants in the beach area as well. It is only about 5-10 minutes by cab to the center of town, and the cost would be about $5, so it is not really that inconveniently located. The hop-on hop-off bus of Barcelona has a stop near the Hotel Arts, so that is convenient as well. (It is on the south loop, there are two loops to the bus route). For a website giving details about the hop-on hop-off tourist bus run by the city of Barcelona, go to tmb.net (click on to the English version).

Dear ecl,
It depends what type of a dynamic is important to you.If you feel you will be looking for more of a poolside-beach type trip, then the Hotel Arts is the place. However, it really isn't convenient to the more cultural sights.The area around The Arts is very modern, and does not have the "old world feel."The restaurants along the water are all very contemporary and many are very touristy. I prefer

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I enjoyed spending the majority of my time exploring the other parts of Barcelona that I found more interesting. The Claris and The Majestic, are very close to one another.
Totally different experiences between the Arts and Majestic and Claris!
Enjoy Barcelona.

I stayed at the Claris and I highly recommend it. Wonderful hotel and excellent service. If you can afford it, stay in a duplex suite. Absolutely fabulous. I have writen a review on the hotel in epinions.com. Check it if you want to.