I booked this hotel and my trip to Barcelona on a whim in order to escape the dreary North European weather and, having read some of the reviews just a few days before going, went with some apprehension. I booked for three nights mid-week and despite paying a single rate was given a reasonably sized double room. The clinical whiteness of the room was a little overdone (the only relief afforded by the black slim-line TV) but everything was clean and in good working order. The bathroom had a decent 'monsoon' shower and separate hand held nozzle for all those hard to reach places. A free facility on offer was an i-pod docking station, which was much welcome as music CDs on the TV came at rather a hefty charge. The room service was done properly, although, oddly, one of the door hangers actually said Do Disturb. This being a gay-orientated establishment I wasn't terribly sure whether this was a typographical error or not! With regard to the Spa complex - I had this to myself. The gym is a little small and would only contain 3 people comfortably but are you really on holiday to have a work out? The sauna and steam are both fine and the jacuzzi delighful (though it would have been better shared with someone tactile but that's life). This being December I can only confirm that the plunge pool is at least more than ankle deep. I also booked a massage through the hotel and this was provided by a very professional Venezualan who was both handsome and friendly (so it can happen). I had a full hour for EUR70 but there were no extras - so you may find better value and possibly extras at one of the saunas where the going rate is in the region of EUR40/hr. I unfortunately was unable to research this matter as some kindly gentleman availed himself of my wallet and all its contents on the metro. This was from the inside zipped (albeit exposed) pocket of my overcoat. If you're going to BCN take and use a money belt. Don't be poorer but wiser after the event like me (sob!). The downside to the hotel, if there has to be one, is that my 5th floor room overlooked the front of the hotel. This may have had a nice view from the miniscule balcony (which vertigo prevented me from venturing onto) but it also meant lots of traffic noise. This being Spain, where every road is a race track, the noise did not abate at any time - day or night. Clearly the seal on the double glazed doors of this particular room needs replacing. If this is likely to concern you you may be best asking for a room at the back. On the upside the hotel is located fairly centrally to all the main sites and is also within walking distance of most of the gay establishments. I didn't sample the breakfast as a coffee and a croissant suffice for me but the lunchtime menu looked terrific value (i was usually having my croissant at about this time, however). Finally the A1 (Blue) Airport bus costs EUR4.05 for a single trip. Note that the only central boarding point is located outside El Corte Ingles in the Placa de Catalunya and the journey from there to the Airport took 40 minutes not the 20 minutes that I was advised by the hotel. Bear in mind that this may take longer in high season/at weekends especially if you live your life like the White Rabbit..........

After staying a week in Madrid at the Intercontinental Hotel, I was really looking forward to visiting Barcelona for two days and staying at the Axel Hotel. This boutique hotel advertises itself as "Hetero-Friendly" and as such markets itself to the gay community. I arrived mid-afternoon with my roll-aboard bag and noticed the stairs inside the front door of the lobby. Hmmm. No ramp. Ok, so it's not exactly ADA compliant but, hey, we're in Spain not the U.S. So check- in goes quickly and I'm off to my room. I open the door and immediately smell the odor of mildew. Not good. I shut the door and call the front-desk. The hotel is booked and there are no other rooms. Hmmm. Ok, so I open the balcony doors. At least I can let in some fresh air. I check out the bathroom. The room itself is one open room divided by the glass-walled jacuzzi bathtub/shower. I notice the mold growing on the perforated ceiling of the bathroom. That's where that smell is coming from! So, I take a shower after my afternoon of travel and notice that there is a large pool of water on the bathroom floor afterward. It seems the short glass partition on the side of the tub isn't long enough to contain the water splashing out of the shower. So I throw a towel down to soak up the puddle. I begin to notice the little things at this point. Doors not aligned, screws missing, wallpaper peeling, dirty marks on the walls. It is apparent that this hotel USED to be quite modern and chic. However, it's showing it's age and isn't well kept. I checked out the rooftop Spa/Pool/Gym. The pool is tiny though I didn't select this hotel for that. The Gym is inadequate though again I didn't select this hotel for that either. I didn't get the chance to try the restaurant/bar since there were so many good restaurants in the area. The one thing this hotel has going for it is its location. It's an easy walk to the metro and many sites. One of the other annoyances is that to book this hotel, you must pre-pay for at least one night. This is far from industry-norm. As for value, I paid the same rate for this hotel as I did at the Intercontinental in Madrid the previous nights. If the Interconti was 5-star, the Axel rates 1-star.

This hotel is perfectly fine - ultimately it does what it says on the box. It's nicely designed, has some great design touches and a lot to offer. It's well located for a gay time of it, and a little walk if you are staying there to see areas beyond the gaixample.

Everything does feel a little smaller than suggested - the pool / chill out area is tiny, but it does look lovely. I stayed here with my partner and although everything was fine, I wouldn't stay there again. I'm perfectly happy to indulge in a bit of 'scene' visiting every now and then, but this was a little too in your face. It contains everything that s good and bad about the gay scene in general and if you're not particularly into the whole club / bar culture, it might leave you a bit cold. Ultimately, I found it slightly predatory of ambience and a tad, unnecessary. Barcelona is a hugely gay-friendly city and other hotels offer better value / location than this one, with the option of dipping into the scene as and when you want.

Staff can sometimes be pretentious but a few of them are great. The tall tanned boy in the restaurant makes the difference.
The rooms are not very big but very comfortable.
Just misses a desk to work. There is a small table.
Great shower.
The balcony of our room could be accessed from 2 rooms which can be uncomfortable.
Great pool scene.
Breakfast is +++