The main reason I say I probably wouldn't stay again is due to the very bad sewage smell that is present pretty much all the time, but seems to be worse at night. It also seems to come from the A/C vents as well. You would smell the same odor if you were outside standing near a drainage grate in the street. I smelled this same type of smell staying at a hostel in Rome, which was also an older building, and in public bathrooms around Rome and Barcelona. So it seems to be an issue with updating plumbing.
Beds are definitely hard. Was so tired from all the running around all day that it sort of didn't matter, but they were definitely hard.
Overall, most of the staff was friendly. Not being from Spain or having great Spanish speaking skills, I felt that they did what they could. We did not eat or drink anything at the hotel, so I cannot speak for any of the wait staff. The rooms were cleaned every day, and any questions asked of the front desk were helpfully answered. Never used the safe. Did not leave any valuables in the room at all.
Elevator (lift) is definitely small, but that's expected. There is a room on the 1st floor (or 2nd, can't remember) that allows you to store luggage in a locked bin, which was nice since we arrived about 6 hours ahead...The main reason I say I probably wouldn't stay again is due to the very bad sewage smell that is present pretty much all the time, but seems to be worse at night. It also seems to come from the A/C vents as well. You would smell the same odor if you were outside standing near a drainage grate in the street. I smelled this same type of smell staying at a hostel in Rome, which was also an older building, and in public bathrooms around Rome and Barcelona. So it seems to be an issue with updating plumbing.
Beds are definitely hard. Was so tired from all the running around all day that it sort of didn't matter, but they were definitely hard.
Overall, most of the staff was friendly. Not being from Spain or having great Spanish speaking skills, I felt that they did what they could. We did not eat or drink anything at the hotel, so I cannot speak for any of the wait staff. The rooms were cleaned every day, and any questions asked of the front desk were helpfully answered. Never used the safe. Did not leave any valuables in the room at all.
Elevator (lift) is definitely small, but that's expected. There is a room on the 1st floor (or 2nd, can't remember) that allows you to store luggage in a locked bin, which was nice since we arrived about 6 hours ahead of the check-in time.
Had a room on the 7th floor, and it faced the back of the hotel. I'm sure that a room facing the front (Ramblas) would be very noisy at night indeed. The room itself was fairly spacious, which was nice. Nothing additional such as a fridge or anything that I can recall. Bathroom had a bidet which I did not notice and to me meant (again) that renovations haven't happened for quite some time. I do not see bidet's in more recently updated hotel bathrooms as they take up additional space. There was a tub, which was nice just to fill a little and soak tired feet.
Stayed in a different hotel, very nearby, after leaving Barcelona for a week to go to Paris. Those arrangements were made before having left the US for the trip at all. Stayed at Chic and Basic a few blocks away, which is more money, but was a nice stay. If you want cheaper (not cheap, but cheaper) then Ramblas is cheaper. Chic and Basic is def nice, updated/newer hotel, and is def more money.
Nice spot for breakfast was about 2 doors down to the left. Small spot with 5 euro brekkie on average for a breakfast sandwich of some sort and a coffee or beer.
Went to the flamenco spot directly next door to the left. If you want to...More
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