Barceló Raval

For breakfast we expected a typical continental but the reality was not quite the full english but hot food available freshly cooked on request. Hotel is within easy walking distance to the main RAMBLAS but TAXI required if you want to go to the beaches.

Not the hotels fault but some guests with children expected the roof top pool to be a playground area whereas it is a bar with a small plunge pool. Unfortunately we were mugged going into the hotel so maybe the hotel in this area could extend their meet and greet of guests to the outside of the doors.

Overall it was pretty good!

Location! The hotel is so nice but I would not consider to stay again next time because of the location.

The room was a good size and had everything I needed. The bed was huge. I would have like to have been able to open a window however small as I like fresh air. It was nice to have tea making facilities and a fridge which was totally silent. Fantastic panoramic views of the city. Nice friendly staff and the decor was fab.

Instructions on how to work things ie the curtains would have been nice. Our 2nd floor room was noisy because people were outside until 3.00 am. The pool area was spoilt by couples sprawling around it so no one else could have a dip. The price of the drinks in plastic glasses was really excessive but the panoramic view made up for it. The area is a bit rough so not a hotel for non streetwise people. We were entertained each evening by the police.

Breakfast was an excellent buffet with fresh cut fruits, crispy delicious croissants and variety of hot food. Also got good quality espresso based coffee from the machine. Friendly staff, free baggage storage, free wifi, complimentary glass of champagne when you first arrive. Great views of the city from the rooftop terrace. Nice restaurant on main floor.

The lock on our door was a bit finicky. We had trouble getting back into our room because the lock wouldn’t fully open when it should be, so it didn’t lock properly. The sliding door to the toilet was heavy and a bit difficult to open and close. Instead of a full back chair for the desk, it was a low back plastic stool. The “swimming pool” was really just a little dipping pool for socializing in the middle of the bar terrace area. It would be very awkward to actually want to use it, unless you’re young and beautiful and want to show off your body in front of everyone at the bar.

Very nice designer hotel, a landmark for the area with its 360º rooftop. I particularly liked the size of room, with a very large bed (would suit 3 persons easily), with a fantastic view over the city (on 10th floor), and the cleanliness. Very strong and fast WiFi, free amenities in the room, TV with numerous Spanish and foreign channels, large shower box, safe. Metro is close, taxi stop in front of the door. The hotel is right at the Raval rambla, and this district is usually renowed for some degree of delinquency (especially at night, better move in group) though the situation is improving and police is steadily around to monitor.

Air conditioning was too strong and did not react on the dial so I had to turn it off at night because the air was too cold, and no extra blanket was available (September still hot outside), the compressor was also noisy. There is no toilet brush, particularly useful for not leaving traces for the cleaning staff after #2. The rooftop bar (open until 1:30AM) ran out of cocktail ingredients largely before midnight with low occupancy on the terrace: an absolute don't.

The rooftop bar was great, lots of seats and great views, went up to the bar every night. There was generally a queue to get served but it was orderly and due to the barmen taking pride and care making the cocktails. The breakfast was good and the staff friendly and efficient. The reception staff were very helpful. The room air conditioning was essential in July. The room cleaners were very good, polite and friendly.

The room view from 214 was of a building so the curtains had to b closed permanently. On the Saturday night there was a group of men in the pool who were behaving badly, the staff should have stopped them being unruly.

Nice rooftop with 369 view to the city! Rather bathtude than swimming pool on it! Still nice! Nice view from the room! Great location to escape from top touristic destinations of BCN. Comfortable stay to experience Raval district!

The property is great. Energy wise it consumes a lot to keep chilled temperatures in the room! Outside of the property someone must explain to the Barcelonian authorities how to keep the roads clean! Just spaying a bit of water on the roads in the night creates even more uncomfortable situations in roads where dogs and men urine almost on every corner! In areas like Raval pets should be kept out of it as it can endanger public health.

Reception was friendly and helpful, also 24 hours! Decor is very bright and colourful (think Gaudi!) Breakfast was excellent - big range, very tasty, good value and a lovely dining room. Beds were comfortable and the pillow range was great. The location is excellent - only a short walk to La Rambla and the Mercato, good restaurants in the ‘square’ outside the hotel. The rooftop bar was brilliant and the view is exceptional.

The limited space for suitcases and a very small wardrobe. We’re staying here again in a few weeks and will be on a higher floor. Will be interested to see how the room is! Also the lifts are tiny!!

First thing first, the staff ! World class, and I mean really world class because the way they handled the business was straight out of some of the world’s greatest hotels (Carmen and Isaac) so they were absolutely amazing and more than happy to help and listen to us and they made it their mission to make our stay a great one. Also, the Hotel’s location is pretty ideal despite how the neighbourhood might look kinda dodgy at some spots but it’s close to everything in Barcelona. The hotel has a great 360 bar which was very chill and calm and very enjoyable. The breakfast wasn’t the best we ever had at a hotel but it was really really fresh and that was really great to enjoy.

- Extremely noisy Air conditioning - Shower products (gel and Shampoo) are very cheap and of very bad quality so better bring your own.

We stayed here for 3 nights, a month prior to this stay and it was brilliant. Our return trip for 2 nights was almost as good - the location is great, close to Las Ramblas, great shopping, Mercato etc, taxis outside, great staff, fantastic roof bar with brilliant views, delicious breakfast. We would always return here when in Barcelona.

Following our first stay, we were told we'd be upgraded to a higher floor (we'd been on Level 1) as we were return visitors and this time we were on level 6. We infinitely prefer the lower floor because of the bathroom on level 6. While the toilet was separate from the bedroom, the shower over the bath had only a wall and partition between it and the bedroom. This was a problem because 1) the heat from the shower warmed up the room, 2) the shower controls were at the far end of the bath and there was a fixed screen on the bath so you had to turn the shower on and off by walking along the bath and then walking back which was slippy and dangerous and 3) it lacked privacy.