Category: Hotels

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Hotel Casa Elliot

Pros: Great location, stylish

Cons: Rooms are pretty small

Tip: Get a terrace room for a more spacious feel

Hotel Casa Elliot has undergone a renovation and name-change since my last stay, but there’s still plenty to recommend it.

The location is a gem ­– Sant Antoni is a little slice of Eixample wedged between the bustle of El Raval and Poble Sec, and is home to numerous bars and restaurants, as well as the renovated Sant Antoni Market. 

While there aren’t a lot of areas in Barcelona that feel devoid of tourists, Sant Antoni retains a ‘local’ atmosphere that is really rather charming. You’re still only one Metro stop from the middle of Passage de Gracia. 

The 38 rooms have mainly been tidied up a bit in the renovation, but that’s no bad thing. They’re compact, but functional enough, stylish, and feature decent-sized bathrooms. All have views either over the main street or the rear ‘courtyard’, and some even have small terraces. Nice

Book it here. 

What’s Nearby

Metro (Universitat) – 200m

Contemporary Culture Center of Barcelona (CCCB) – 450m

Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) – 500m

Sant Antoni Market – 700m

Plaza Catalunya – 750m

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W Barcelona

The W Barcelona stands alone, literally, like a giant sail at the edge of the sea.

The W has all the design flair you expect of the W brand, and with its location at at the end of Barcelona’s main beach offers views over the water and beach. The F&B outlets are highly recommended too.

Needless to say, if you’re a fan of the W design, then this one is for you.

This is another hotel that looks expensive at first glance, though the standard rooms at 39sqm are twice the size of some.

Be aware that the W is adjacent to a nudist beach. It was a bit of a shock to open my curtain in the morning, only to see a naked bloke walking around. Where does he keep his keys? So many questions one doesn’t wish to contemplate before the day’s first coffee…or ever.

If you like walking that’s a good thing, because the W is a bit away from things. But you can stroll along the beachfront and past the marina to get to the attractions. Give yourself half an hour to get into the old town.

If the W style does it for you, there’s not much else that comes close.

Book it here.

What’s Nearby

Metro – 1.7km

Beach – 50m

Marina Port Vell – 1km

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Hotel Arts Barcelona

I’ll admit – it’s been quite a while since I stayed at the Hotel Arts, but that’s not to say it isn’t a good hotel.

Room rates look high at first glance, but considering the rooms start at 40sqm in size, that puts the Hotel Arts pretty much in the Barcelona ballpark.

What you get here that you don’t at most Barcelona hotels is sea views, assuming you book a room facing that direction. I would – that seems to me to be the main attraction in the area. 

That said, the Hotel Arts is home to six F&B outlets – including the two-Michelin-star Enoteca Paco Pérez – so foodies may never need to actually leave the premises.

If I sound luke-warm on the Arts, it’s mainly because in my current situation I’m spoiled for ocean views, and because I like the labyrinthine streets of the old town. Arts may not be a small hotel with 483 rooms, but it delivers the service and the standards you expect at this price. 

And it has sea views too. Did I mention that?

Book it here.

What’s Nearby

Metro Barceloneta – 1.2km

El Peix d’Or Frank Gehry – 100m

Beach – 200m

Port Olímpic – 200m

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