Hotel HCC Regente - Barcelona, Spain 

Enjoyed the HCC Regente
Posted: Fri, Jun 30 2006
My wife and I spent three nights at the Regente after returning from a cruise. We had a nice room on the second floor with a small balcony which over looked the tree lined Rambla de Catlunya with it's center pedestrian walkway. The hotel is three blocks from Gaudi's La Pedrera and one of Barcelona Tours "Hop on hop off" bus stops (note: tickets for the bus can be purchased from the hotel desk clerk). Also, the hotel staff is very friendly and helpful. The pool and bar on 8th floor is nice and provides a view of the city. The breakfast buffet is expensive if not included with the hotel price, however, there is a nice bakery less than a block away. There are also several other places to eat nearby and we particularly enjoyed the Mussol restaurant less than two blocks away. Our only complains are the beds a bit hard and we had no english TV programs while we were there.

Loved the Regente
Posted: Sun, Feb 19 2006
We stayed at the Regente for 2 nights as a surprise birthday celebration for my partner. The hotel was within walking distance of the Ramblas (which we loved) and of the Placa de Catalunya. On checking in the staff where extremely helpful and friendly and provided us with tour guides and a welcome drink which was lovely. Unfortunately as we stayed in February the hotel bar itself was very quiet but again the barman was very friendly and made us feel most welcome whenever we visited. The breakfast was fantastic and if anybody said there was no choice and they didnt realise there were hot breakfasts then I cannot see how - it was clearly marked on the menus on each table that there were hot breakfasts - as well as every food youcould probably think of! The rooftop pool would have been great as it was warm and sunny when we stayed but unfortunately it was closed during February which we were not aware of. I suppose in February it was to be expected but as it was a nice day we could have sat on the terrace and enjoyed a glass of cava or 2. The room was nicely decorated, spotlessly clean and the bathroom was well stocked with toiletries. We were lucky enough to have a top floor room which over looked the city and you could see the Gaudi Sanfamilias from our room. We had a lovely surprise on our first evening - the hotel staff sent a bottle of cava on ice to us for my partners birthday - it made the stay very special and i would definitely recommend anyone staying at this hotel.

Great hotel
Posted: Tue, Nov 08 2005
Perfect location on the Rambla de Catalunya in the Eixample area. It's a beautiful Modernista building and the rooms are very nice, clean and well equipped with a reasonably sized ensuite, aircon and an exercise bicycle in every room! Our friends had a room at the front with french windows overlooking the Rambla de Catalunya. We had a room at the back on the penultimate floor with a huge astroturfed balcony overlooking the buildings of the Paseo de Gracia. There's a nice roof terrace with a tiny plunge pool which is icy cold! Breakfast is basic continental but there are plenty of cafes on the doorstep or round the corner if you prefer to eat out. The staff were friendly, helpful and extremely funny when we awoke at 7am one morning to find a chicken on our balcony. Yes, that's right I did say chicken - to this day we don't know how the poor dazed creature got there but the front of house staff (after they'd all come up and had a look)dealt with the situation admirably. If you stay there, a great local bar is the Bodegeta a block or so up the Rambla de C - they have tables and chairs outside but if you go down the steps inside is a warm and friendly local bar with good tapas and (good)wine by the barrel - great place for a nightcap.

Disappointed
Posted: Tue, Nov 01 2005
We stayed at this hotel for 3 nights. Though we asked the room with balcony which is shown their ad photo, we are given a room with small balcony(just enough to stand) froned to Rambla de Catalunya. Size of room was just OK and clean enough. Service was so, so, nothing very special. The location is perfect for shopping and dining, close enough to Gaudi architectures. Nice cafes are in the same street. Two dissapointing things: 1) they chage safety box, 5 Euro/day, 2) they charge Internet, Euro 3.5/15 min. Most of hotel offer these services for free. Forget roof top terrace and swimming pool. Swimming pool is just bath size, not for swimming. Roof top terrace has no atmosphere and open only 10-20. We did not use both.

Very central hotel, good value
Posted: Fri, Oct 21 2005
My husband and I stayed here for a weekend break and found the hotel to be very good value. It is situated at the top of La Ramblas and is very central for everything that you could wish to do in Barcelona. The square is a 5-10 minute walk away and from here you get the tourist buses which practically run all day, every day. The drinks in the hotel are expensive 12.20 euros for 2 diet cokes and 1 vodka. We didn't buy any more drinks from the hotel after that! The breakfast is continental and the only hot thing on offer is boiled eggs which are sometimes so cold they are tasteless. IF YOU WANT A HOT BREAKFAST, YOU HAVE TO ASK - IT IS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE. They do sausages, bacon and omelette - which we didn't find out about until our last day. The fruit cocktail is tinned and is not very nice. Also, the fruit juices that are served seem to be at room temperature. Sometimes they have ice beside the jugs so you can put some ice in to cool it down. It does take the staff some time to replenish the food, I asked for more tomatoes and cucumber and I waited at least 15 mins before it was brought out. Rooms are spacious enough, however, ours had a view of the fire escape so wasn't particularly picturesque, but we were only sleeping in it so it didn't matter. The staff are courteous and friendly, we asked for extra pillows and they were delivered within 5 minutes. They are also good at organising taxis for you and they do seem to go out of their way to smile, which is something that a lot of hotel staff seem to forget to do. Taxis are expensive when phoning them as they arrive with 3 or 4 euros on the meter. We ordered a taxi to take us to the water fountains - which are absolutely beautiful. It's an illuminated display with music and the show start from 9.00 until 11.00pm and are every 30 minutes. From the hotel, the taxi should be about 6 or 7 euros. The show is fantastic - AND IT IS FREE. There are lots of nice bistro type cafes in the area and they are a lot cheaper than further down La Ramblas. We tried THE ATTIC restaurant and had a lovely meal. Don't order your steak medium rare as it comes out RARE. I should have sent it back to be grilled for a few more minutes, but I was starving. My husband had the lamb and it looked - and tasted - delicious. It may be a bit pricier than the surrounding areas but it is a nice relaxed restaurant with good quality food on offer. If you're coming from Barcelona airport, the average cost of a taxi to this hotel is 25-30 euros. So it's much cheaper to arrange your own taxi than let the flight operator organise it. We were quoted 43 euros by one company. This is a very nice hotel, it's not too noisy at night, unlike La Ramblas where they are presently playing pan pipe music until at least midnight. It sounds okay when you are listening to it in the street, but I would imagine that after an hour or so that it would drive you demented! All in all - a very nice hotel - central, courteous staff, nice breakfast (if you opt for the hot one) and very good value.