Catalonia Albeniz - Barcelona, Spain     

Firstly let me just say, Barcelona is beautiful. We had a fantastic long weekend in the city and stayed here. Secondly, this hotel is nothing like a hostel as per the review further down!?!?! We found this hotel to be absolutely fine and perfect for a city break in Barcelona. The Catalonia Albeniz hotel itself is slightly on the out skirts of the city in a more residential area but dont let that you you off. The taxi driver who picked us up from the bus station hadn't heard of the hotel so if you experience any confusion in your taxi, just ask for Aragon as this is right next door. Alternatively, if you are catching the tube to the hotel from the bus station, walk to the Arc Triumph tube station (near the but station), get on the red line north and then get off at "Clot". The hotel is a 2 minute walk from the "Clot" red-line tube station. (From the hotel, turn left outside the front doors, walk to the traffic lights then cross over the road). The tube in Barcelona is definitely the easiest, cheapest and quickest way of getting round the city. Just hop on the red line, go south and get off at Universitat and you are near the Gothic Quarter, Ramblas and the tourist part of the city. It takes about 10-15 minutes on the tube. Tickets are purchased from the machines in the tube station and are cheap. There were young, middle and older aged people on the tube all day and night. We never felt at risk or unsafe. Back to the hotel. The rooms are perfectly adequate and spacious. Our room was on the third floor and was lovely and clean as was the bathroom. The room was cleaned daily. No coffee/tea making facilities on the room but there was a TV (with UK Sky News) and a mini bar. No bar in the hotel but there are local yocal bars surrounding the hotel. Our room soon warmed up once we turned the heating on (Barcelona is freezing in November!!!!) All of the staff were great. Very pleasant and happy to talk to us non Spanish speaking Brits. They spoke excellent English and they were all very helpful. The buffet breakfast is fine. The Spanish sausage isn't that great but there was bacon and eggs and a nice selection of fruit, muffins, cakes and juices. The hotel is a 15 minute walk from the Gaudi's Sagrada Familia. Turn right out of the hotel... walk straight for about 15 minutes then turn right and you should be able to see it. There are quite a few cheap bars and cafes near by. Further to the left there is a shopping precinct consisting of mostly clothes shops and this and that. In summary, this is a great hotel for a stay of a few days in Barcelona. We would definitely go back here. For the price as well it was a bargain. Also, if you are flying with Ryanair from the UK to Girona, be prepared for a one hour bus journey to Barcelona. It isn't a big deal but be aware.

We booked a triple room and although the room was small it was perfectly adequate for us. We arrived at mid-day and were checked in promptly by a very pleasant receptionist who gave us a map of Barcelona and helped us with questions about transport and places to visit. The Clot Metro underground station is literally 2 minutes walk away and you are in the centre of Barcelona within 10 minutes and all the main attractions can be reached from here too. The hotel is ideally located as it is in a residential area although there is a busy main road at the end of the street. The hotel Albeniz is clean and the staff very pleasant, the breakfast is amazing for a small hotel and you can eat as much as you want. The rooms have a mini-bar fridge which is useful and satelite TV with Sky News and Canal+ which was great for watching Spanish football! We would definitely stay here again especially at the excellent price which worked out at £80 per night for the room and breakfast for 3 people and it is a good base from which to travel around the vibrant city of Barcelona.