Hostal Sofia
This is not the ordinary students or backpackers hostel. This is more of a well located hostel for travelers who need the closeness to the train station and the metro in Barcelona.
I stayed in this hostel for 6 nights, I traveled with my wife and baby. Also my parents came along and stayed at this hostel too. Most of the people we got to see were couples, or solo travelers (27 + age). I personally did not see any groups in Hostal Sofia. I mentioned this because some may associate hostel with noise at night.
Hostal Sofia is located in front of the main train station "Sants Estacio" and metro station (L5 and L3). So if you arrive to Barcelona airport you take the train 2.50€ to "Barcelona Sants" and you'll arrive in front of Hostal Sofia, a two minute walk. Of course you could also grab a cab and it will cost like 22€
Sants Station is convenient if you want to go to the Dali Museum in Figueres. And the metro station on Line 5 takes you directly to La Sagrada Familia or to La Pedrera. Practically you can get anywhere in metro or bus in Sants station.
Anyway, this review is for the Hostal Sofia, not the train and metro stations. The hostel is located in the second floor of a building in Avenue Rome 1. It consist of only one floor, can't remember the number of rooms.
Rooms can be with shared bathroom or private bathroom.
My room had a queen size bed and a twin bed, with a private bathroom, air conditioner, TV, closet, desk. It was modest, simple and spotless clean. Perfect for those who love to be outside sightseeing and not inside the hotel.
The staff are very nice. Sofia, Monserrat and the others are always there to help. They provide with key information about the city and the hotel surroundings (drycleaning, bars, convenients stores, etc).
As a hostel it does not have a restaurant nor room service, but there's a vending machine on the lobby where you can buy sodas and beer. Downstairs there are two restaurantes, and across the street there's a late night restaurant as well.
It was a bit difficult to make reservations in Hostal Sofia because I did not find an internet site to make them. Instead I called the property directly (had to do it twice) then I learned their address hostalsofia-at-wanadoo.es and it was easier.

A word of advice, for those super light sleepers, train or metro runs onderneath the building so you may feel the trains passing by. It is almost imperceptible.
I recommend this hostel to anyone who want to save money on lodging, and want to be well communicated in Barcelona.
My parents and my family liked Hostal Sofia.
I hope this review helps you to make an informed decision.
Happy trails.

We were in a pickle. Having taken the overnight train from Paris we were due to travel straight from Barcelona to Alicante to stay with family before returning for a week in Barcelona. Everything was booked and organised except the Barcelona to Alicante leg of the trip......And guess what? All the trains to Alicante that day were full. Yes apparently trains in Spain get full and if you don't have a reservation you ain't going anywhere. We were exhausted and irritated. After getting a list of cheap hotels/pensions from Tourist Info we set out with heavy hearts. After a couple of unsuccessful enquiries we came upon Hostal Sofia. You have to speak into the intercom to get in and my Spanish is not good - but the nice lady at the other end seemed to understand what I was talking about and thankfully they had a room. The room was fairly spacious and very clean. All the staff we encountered were pleasant and helpful. We paid a little extra for an ensuite but it was still great value for money. The hostal is very close to the Sants railway station where we finally got a train the next morning. All in all this place was a great place to crash for the night and we awoke feeling much refreshed the next morning. There is just one thing I must mention - it didn't bother us but might be a problem for some people. The underground train system seemed to pass literally underneath the hotel and did create a bit of noise and vibration. This might prove a problem for light sleepers - but we soon got used to it.

Hi all... A friend made bookings for me for this hotel/hostal. Summer being typically busy for Barcelona and given a budget, I was left with not much choice. Initially I was rather apprehensive because I have heard horror stories about bedbugs and other creepy crawlies lurking in Pensions/Hostals. But boy was I surprised! The rooms are decent sized and even had windows! I stayed in an ensuite double room ( had a queen bed and an extra single bed so it will accommodate probably 3 persons) which was clean, spacious, decent hot water shower with adequate water pressure and even air-conditioning!! wow... Definitely no complaints for the price I paid ( inclusive of tax!) Not 5 star furnishings but overall clean rooms and honest folks who run the place. It was also a stone's throw from the main metro station (Estrcio Sants) and the airport is only 5 stations away! In addition, the Barcelona Tourist Bus ( Provides bus tours of the city) stops in the vicinity as well. You cannot get a better place for the same convenient location.

I was stuck in Barcelona overnight and I needed to find something fast and near the train station. This place is a gem. Very clean and good size rooms. I stayed in a single on the second flr of the Pension. It was equipped with a sink and a fan (a necessity in the summer nights). It also had a window. The bathroom across the hall was also clean and well kept. Not much going on in the neighborhood. However you are walking distance from Park Miro (not to be confused w/ Fundacion Miro) which has an amazing piece by the artist. In all, good safe place to stay if you need to be near the train station.

(Word of advice: if you are going to be using the long distance trains during your trip...make reservations to avoid being stranded)