vsd

Trying to narrow down our search for a hotel in Barcelona for five nights in June 2023 and are considering Hotel Colon which is in the Gothic Quarter across from Barcelona Cathedral or Hotel Royal Passeig de Gracia which is in central Barcelona. Is anyone here familiar with either and which would you recommend? If anyone has another hotel they can recommend it's appreciated. Thank you.

VANAARLE

Have you read the reviews on Booking?
I can recommend a hotel Hotel Barcelona Center, but what are you looking for?

Vonse

We recently stayed at Hotel Casa Sagnier (the former Murmuri) in the Eixample and loved both the hotel and the area, which is less congested than the gothic quarter. We had a room with a balcony overlooking Rambla de Catalunya, a gorgeous tree-lined street with a pedestrian promenade in the middle. The staff were friendly and helpful too.

Maribel

vsd,
I can second Vonse's recommendation of the Casa Sagnier (formerly Murmuri) and its great location on the pretty Rambla de Catalunya, just a block away from the Passeig de Gràcia in the upmarket Eixample. I don't know whether it fits within your price range, but it's a very elegant hotel in a prime location.

Of your two first choices, I personally prefer the location of the Royal Passeig de Gràcia, just a block south of Gaudí's La Pedrera (Casa Milà), an area filled with gorgeous Moderniste architecture and less hectic than the location of the Colón.
The Colón sits in front of the Cathedral in the very congested Gothic Quarter. Ime, this area can get a "tsunami" of tourist traffic during the high season. Some enjoy the Colón because some rooms have balconies overlooking the Cathedral, that allow guests to enjoy surveying from above the crowded street scene and constant activity below. But the streets around the Cathedral in June can be extremely crowded during the day. The Passeig de Gràcia north of Carrer Aragò, ime, is far less busy.

I would check the booking.com reviews, though, of the Royal Passeig de Gràcia. I just checked its overall booking.com rating, an 8.3.
Personally I try to choose hotels with a Booking.com rating of 8.7 or above. That usually assures me that there will be no major issues, at least for me.
It would be helpful to know your price limit so as to give more suggestions in the Eixample within your budget.

vsd

Vanaarle I will check reviews on Booking.com. I always check Tripadvisor too. I will inquire about Hotel Barcelona Center. We are looking for a small boutique hotel in a quiet area in the price range under $300/night.

vsd

Vonse I will definitely look at Hotel Casa Sagnier in the Eixample. Sounds like that is the area we should be in. Thanks.

vsd

Maribel thank you for the recommendation of Casa Sagnier as well. Looks like it's a boutique hotel and I will look at reviews on booking.com. Thank you for the recommendation to do that. Yes I have heard that Hotel Colon can get very noisy with the cathedral right in front of it. Our price limit is $300/night. We like boutique hotels and would like it if they offer breakfast and maybe have a restaurant or bar. Thanks again.

Maribel

If the Casa Sagnier (score of 9.2 on Booking) doesn't come within your $300/night budget for your June dates, you might check the boutique Hotel 62 (9.2) or the Margot House (9.0), both directly on the Passeig de Gracia. When I research on Booking.com instead of going through the their default sorting of "our top picks", I change it to "top reviewed" to see the review scores from top to bottom.

Maribel

vsd,
Checking June 2023 dates, I think that the Margot House and 62 might come in over your budget due to their prime location directly on the Passeig de Gràcia.

A stylish hotel that I like very much, with very good service, at the lower, southern end of the Rambla de Catalunya is the 4-star superior H10 Metropolitan. It has a lovely interior courtyard with pool that would come in handy in June and serves a nice buffet breakfast (but not included in the room rate). It sits within a 2-minute walk of the PdeG.
I joined the H10 frequent guest program, Club 10, that gives me a 5% discount.

https://www.h10hotels.com/en/barcelo...0-metropolitan

Barcelona hotel rates in peak season do run steep.

vsd

Maribel, thank you for the recommendations. We are going with another couple so need two rooms and would like to keep the rate around $250 if possible. I will definitely look at the hotels you mentioned and your advice re booking.com. I have always relied on Tripadvisor's reviews!

allisonm

We stayed in the Hotel Europark in l’Eixample in 2020 and have booked it for another stay for November. The hotel has a nice breakfast buffet, a bar and a rooftop pool. Several different room sizes, some with small terraces. May fit your pricing requirements.

Maribel

vsd,
I sometimes read the TA reviews to see how they compare with the reviews on Booking, but with Booking I can be assured that there are no fake reviews, as can be the case on TA. Only guests who have booked on Booking and have completed their stay are allowed to post reviews.

I use Booking first for my research. I do change the default sorting from "our top picks" to "top reviewed" just so that I can start my research by review score from best to worst.

And I do read the specific reviews that pertain to issues I might have questions about----such as location, noise, dependability of WiFi and a/c, breakfast quality, ease of parking, etc.

I find the booking reviews to be generally somewhat more generous in their praise of the hotel sometimes than the reviews on TA.

Since you want to keep the price to around $250/room, I would also look at the 4-star Gallery on Rosselló, a pleasant street just a short from from La Pedrera. And for June, a roof top pool, even just a small, plunge pool, might be a plus. The city can be very humid in June.

vsd

Thanks Maribel. I did contact Margot House directly and the rate for five nights was higher than we want to pay. I will also look at Gallery on Rossello. Thanks for all your recommendations.

vsd

Allisonm, thank you for the recommendation for Hotel Europark. It looks like a nice hotel in the right area.

vsd

Maribel, just wanted to let you know that we booked Gallery Hotel (per your recommendation) for five nights in a deluxe room. Looks like it's in a perfect location and the reviews are very good. Thanks again to you and the others for all the hotel recommendations.

WeisserTee

Both of these areas are good, but on our last two trips to Barcelona we opted to stay in the popular residential neighborhood of Poblenou. It's been called the city's coolest area -- but despite not being hipsters in any way, we enjoyed it very much. https://www.lonelyplanet.com/article...arcelona-guide and https://barcelonanavigator.com/poblenou/ Interesting walking, close to the beach, lots of cafes and restaurants. We stayed at the Melia Sky hotel and were lucky enough to get good deals for their club level. Beautiful views from the club level breakfast room and lounge. Friendly, professional service.

It was easy to get downtown on the Diagonal avenue tram, which had a stop very close to the hotel. However, there is ongoing construction as part of the city urban transport improvement plan, which might affect its operation.

vsd

WeiserTee, thanks for the info. We will have to check out this area. Sounds like a very cool area!!

Maribel

vsd,
Glad to know that you've been able to book the Gallery and that came within your budget.

Just 4 blocks to the west from the Gallery sits our favorite place for small plates/tapas style dining in this section of the Eixample----Paco Meralgo, at the corner of Muntaner and Còrsega. It's very popular, often recommended by the Eixample hotels' desk staffs, so it's best to book. You can book online. It's a staple of ours on Sunday nights when other Eixample restaurants close. Have a great time in Barcelona!
https://restaurantpacomeralgo.com/en/the-restaurant/

vsd

Maribel,
Thank you for the restaurant recommendation. Paco Meralgo. I just looked at their website and looks like a great place for good eating! We will be arriving on a Sunday (and it's our friend's birthday that day) so I will definitely make a reservation to go there.