Gran Hotel Barcino

“Perfect landing spot for a night in the Gothic Quarter”

We had originally booked a room for the night at Hotel Rialto, just up the road from Hotel Gran Barcino, on the tail end of our Mediterranean cruise (Saturday night) prior to the flight home Sunday evening. When we arrived early on Saturday AM at Rialto, they told us that due to a water issue on … more

We had originally booked a room for the night at Hotel Rialto, just up the road from Hotel Gran Barcino, on the tail end of our Mediterranean cruise (Saturday night) prior to the flight home Sunday evening. When we arrived early on Saturday AM at Rialto, they told us that due to a water issue on the floor we were booked in (no water apparently) they couldn't accommodate us, and told us we were being put up at Hotel Gran Barcino - one of their sister hotels - just up the road. They promised me that this was an upgrade. So, at 8 am, we trudged the 250 yards up the road with our bags, following a staff person from Gran Barcino, and checked in. It was very early, so we asked them if we could leave our bags and freshen up in the lavatories before going off to breakfast and then some adventures in the Gothic Quarter. The staff who welcomed us were more than happy to let us stow the luggage in a locked room, and we headed off to coffee and some wandering. Later on that day, we returned around 2 pm, and retrieved our bags, headed to our rooms and sacked out. The teens were especially tired after a wild week on the cruise of touring and nights until 2-3 AM, so they crashed. The wife and I went and had dinner and a beautiful evening out, returned to the room and turned in later. The room was well appointed, bathrooms very large, modern and comfortable, and the A/C was plenty cold enough - it was hot in Barcelona that night and we appreciated it. The bed was a bit hard for my taste, but it was fine, and I was tired too. Plenty of outlets for charging phones, nice TV for watching Spanish cable, and a nice view out of the room down to the narrow, quaint, shop-filled busy street of Calle Jaume. The next morning we stowed our bags again, and headed off for adventures on a sailboat in Barcelona harbor and a beachside lunch. We returned later that afternoon, hung in the lobby for a couple of hours, caught our ride and headed to El Prat to catch a 6:40 PM flight home. I have to say, Gran Barcino was perfect. Anibal, Javier, Alberto, Raul and Freyker were all very friendly, helpful and made us welcome for our short stay. No pressure, no attitude, just very nice and helped us make our last two days in Barcelona great. Stowing our bags was HUGE for the time we were there, and telling us we were welcome in the hotel lobby for as long as we wanted really helped out as well. They were great! The hotel's location is smack dab in the middle of the shopping district in the Quarter, and there's an absolute myriad of restaurants, shops and places to go - it's a great spot. You're about a 5-7 minute walk to La Rambla as well, and it's just a perfect location. A few tips - the rooms are directly above the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter, so people and sounds are a little loud even with closed windows. It's not horrific, but expect the odd 3 am party goers to screech and make noise. It's the city, folks - it's Barcelona. Get some noise canceling headphones or foam earplugs, or stay out all night. We didn't eat at the hotel, so I can't opine on the food. We did spend a significant amount of time in the lobby, and it's large and comfortable. The restrooms were spotless. Overall, a very good stay and I would recommend Gran Barcino for its location, appointments, and friendly staff.

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