Hotels in Madrid and Barcelona
 

Hi,

My husband and I are going to Spain in july.
In Madrid we want to stay at a hotel called the Emperado on the Grand Via and in Barcelona the hotel Colon looks intersting.
What is your opinion on these hotels.
Location, accommodations etc.

Also in Barcelona is there a Jewish tour?
I'd apppreciate any info you can give us.
Natalie

The Emperador on Gran Via is quite acceptable but nothing special. However, I did not like the location; Gran Via has no charm whatsoever, is not particularly convenient to most of the places of interest and is without many restaurants in the area.

I would suggest that you look for something in the historical center and close to the Prado. An inexpensive but pretty modest choice is the Hotel El Prado; more expensive but in a wonderful location on Plaza de Santa Ana where life goes on until late at night is the Reina Victoria. There are many restaurants and tapas bars in the area.

We enjoyed the Hotel Majestic in Barcelona...got a great rate last July on a huge room with a balcony overlooking the Passig de Gracia. I also considered the Colon, but decided on the El Eixample district.

Natalie -

I saw the Colon last weekend... looked to be well-located and a nice looking hotel from the outside. I stayed at the Condes de Barcelona. Great location, good views.

hi nat, topping this for you. i agree with the one who doesn't like the gran via. talk to you tomorrow.

When we are in Barcelona we usually stay in the Colon. It is in the heart og the Gothic Quarter. One big advantage is getting a room which overlooks the gothic cathedral and the sqaure in front of it.

However, that cathedral is currenly under partial scaffolding and the usual "view" from the hotel (provided you book one of the rooms that HAS a view..some don't) is not quite the same these days. I recently e-mailed the hotel about an impending stop there and they tell me nobody knows for sure when the scaffolding will be removed. So, we decided to stay in another hotel this time around.