Pere IV - Barcelona, Spain 

absolute bargain
Posted: Sun, Nov 18 2007
My wife and I stayed here for an autumn city break, we got our flights with Ryan air and used superbreak for booking the hotel. We simply looked at what superbreak could offer and the price was very good for a four star hotel. The hotel is out of the main area but not actually that far. City breaks are all about walking exploring etc. This hotel is about 15 - 20 mins walk from the Arc de Triomphe (yes, Barcelona style) and this marks the beginning of the Gothic quarter. The rooms are of an excellent size with huge beds ! There are soft drinks in the fridge, I think these are actually freebies but cannot be certain. We did not eat dinner in the restaurant but did have breakfast everyday which is of a good standard and substantial. The staff are all very polte and helpful. Here is a good tip that is definitely worth a try. On the same block as the hotel but diagonally opposite is a small bar cum restaurant. One night we had a three course (set) meal, 2 bottles of wine, 3 coffees (I had an extra) a brandy and a tia maria - no optics ! - all for 32 euros ! Absolute steal ! On passeig St Joan de Borbo is what is probably the best sea food restaurant in Barcelona, El Rey de Gamba. Their paella is superb, we had that but the locals were having simply massive seafood platters - they were immense ! Back to the hotel, perhaps it isn't in the most aesthetically pleasing of areas but it ain't faf from town and if it was any closer it would be more expensive - swings and roundabouts ! We walked everywhere to and from this hotel over four days with no problems whatsoever. If you are in town for a few days, the bus touristica is worth using as a tour.

Moyen et mal situé
Posted: Wed, Nov 14 2007
Nous avons passé 8 nuits dans cet hôtel. Cet hôtel 4 étoiles ne mérite pas son status dans de nombreuses prestations. Le Français est pratiquement inexistant dans cet hôtel à part chez quelques employés de la réception. Aucune animation n'est proposé à l'hôtel et le quartier est triste. L'environnement de cet hôtel est celui d'une banlieu qui va être en chantier pendant de nombreuses années encore. De notre chambre nous avions une vue plongeante sur deux nouvelles constructions qui en sont aux fondations et les travaux sont bruyants. Les chambres ne sont pas bien isolées les unes par rapport aux autres et nous avons eu des problèmes de bruits 2 nuits avec des voisins bruyants. Le petit déjeuné était convenable mais sans variation aucune. Si l'on reste quelques jours, c'est très lassant. La petite télévision de notre chambre était mal réglée et a part les chaînes Espagnoles, Allemandes, et Anglaises nous avions le droit à ARTE. La grandeur de la chambre était correcte et la propreté bonne. Le frigo était complété tous les jours avec les boissons non-alcolisées que l'on consommait. Bien que cet hôtel n'était pas très cher (réservation précoce), je ne recommanderai pas cet hôtel pour un séjour dépassant 1 ou 2 jours.

It's not all that bad
Posted: Thu, Nov 08 2007
From the outside you get a feeling of shabbiness and uninviting, but once you get through the door, you will find a brightly decorated reception with very friendly and helpful staff to help you. Once we were checked in, and pointed in the direction of our rooms, it was a different feeling. Yes the décor is a bit dated, but the rooms were clean and for the amount of time that we planned to stay in our rooms, it didn’t discourage us in any way. We had no view at all from the room that we had, just looking at a blue mosaic wall that looked straight into other guests rooms. Complimentary soft drinks were left in the refrigerator, and this was nice after our journey, these were replenished every day. The area around the hotel, is a bit run down, with lots of road works going on but we could not hear any of this in our room. A 20 minutes walk will take you to the sea front and marina at Port Olympic, here you’ll find lots of bars and restaurants, but be warned, down by the marina you’ll pay top price and there’s not a lot on the plate, so go a little in land for a better deal. We found the shopping mall just off the front has some very good places to eat at a more reasonable price. If you don’t want to stray too far from the hotel, I can recommend Xiscarexantar restaurant, which is: when you come out of the hotel, turn left, then left again just a 2 minutes walk. Good food at a great price. The breakfast in the hotel was fine, with a good variety on offer each morning, take your sunglasses, as the dinning room is again very brightly painted. You will find bright colours everywhere you go in Barcelona, not only in the Pere IV. This I found out later, is the Gaudi influence. The Bus Turistic is a good way to get around and see the city and get your bearings a 2 day pass will cost you 23 euros, but well worth it. The Sagrada Familia is a must see for everyone, so too is the Nou Camp Stadium even if you’re not a football fan, you will love this tour. Walk around at your own pace, no one rushes you, sit in the stand and soak up the atmosphere. And at 11 euros it’s a steal. Walk around in Barri, the Gothic area of Barcelona, and take in some of the most fantastic architecture, and not forgetting the Rambla for the street entertainers. We had 5 days in Barcelona, and I can say we had a great time. Yes the hotel is a bit dated, but it’s clean, and the staff are friendly. So don’t believe everything that others have wrote about this hotel, go with your own instincts like we did, and have a good time.

GG
Posted: Thu, Nov 01 2007
Un tres bon hotel rapport qualite/prix. Attention l adresse indiquee sur Venere est fausse (entree de service)