HostelBloggers

Barcelona Day 2 - Barcelona started with yet more traipsing around…..

The first point about Home Guesthouse is that by tube it’s about 20 minutes from central Barcelona towards Canyelles, but once there, in a residential area, and once inside the house, you have the impression that you are in Mexico! It’s an old house, but inside it’s all nicely painted with a garden where you can chill. All kinds of rooms, from singles to big dorms (10 beds), very lively colors, green, yellow, red, without being too over the top. Staffs are quite animated, friendly and helpful even funny at some point. At the time we were there we couldn’t feel the atmosphere because of the distance from the city center, not much to see around the guesthouse, the tube finished around midnight, so you have to run if you’ve been out in the center. Even still, you can cook at the hostel and buy some beers around the corner to drink in the nice garden that they have, a little compensation to the geographic situation.

The Hostal Centric is a really interesting building - surprisingly gorgeous, clean, tidy, full of charm. Staying there just one night must make people want to stay longer and longer! It’s central, next to shops, bars, restaurants, and a couple of clubs too, easy to reach by metro. It has a spacious and welcoming reception, staff are ok, rooms are on two floors from single to private 6 beds, all ensuite. This place gives you a maximum of privacy, reminds me of some Spa in the Pyrenees, fresh atmosphere, would recommend it to large families group booking.

Plaza de Catalunya

Quite close to the Plaza Catalunya (and Las Ramblas) is Hostal Lazza providing accommodation with a family atmosphere. The Hostel is bright, clean, not that spacious but still comfortable. One of the rooms has a jacuzzi, while most of the others have showers and toilets, and a couple of economy rooms for budget travelers. Manolo, the bird, will welcome you from your first step in the hostal (he’s whistling when you say his name).

Hosteria Grau is a small family hotel, and will probably always be a pleasure to visit. It’s a small comfortable hotel, one of the most beautiful and authentic places in Barcelona - a welcoming reception, a beautiful lounge with fireplace, clean and tidy rooms, fans all over the place. Friendly and helpful staff with a bar café next door that you can directly get to from the Hosteria. They provide private rooms from single ensuite to private 5 beds, also apartments self catering. Location is great, 5 minutes from la Ramblas, and from Plaza Catalunya, surrounded by intimate shops and restaurants in small and safe street. Would definitely recommend it.

How to forget La Ciutat Hostel We’d been walking for an hour under the heat because the directions we had from the web site were overly vague….situated quite close “La Sagrada Familia” - 15 minutes or so in the heat! We were exhausted and thirsty …the worst and most tiring day in Barcelona ;( The building is old and decadent though with no air conditioning. Rooms are quite spacious and some of them are private with a small TV. We visited the breakfast room and we realized that the time the breakfast is offered only between 8h and 9h, 100 people eating in 1h?? difficult no..?

Paraiso Travellers Hostel is owned by 4 friends, not in the centre of town, but the metro is nearby and a few step away are nice bars and restaurant…A very slippery stairwell led up to the inner entrance with a very small and untidy reception where we met Gabriel one of the owners. We couldn’t see the rooms because the hostel was fully booked, but we went in the roof where Gabriel organizes a sangria party for free twice a week. Not too many facilities on offer, though there is internet and TV.

Barcelona’s Night Life

When you walk out of the Sea Point Hostel your feet are on the sand! The entrance is a bar, so that it puts you straight away on a “beach and cocktail” mood. Artwork all over the walls, from the bar to your bed, making the hostel ultra bright and welcoming, reception is a bit tiny, on your right the free internet access and sofas, on your left the hostel, access to all floors, kitchen and lounge. They also organize tours, with Tapas, Spanish Shots, and Flamenco for really cheap (18 euros, but was free for us…), involving backpackers in Barcelona’s night life. Sea Point work quite a lot with Contiki Tours, who sometimes take over the building (100% Oz and Kiwis), the majority of the rooms are not that spacious as they mainly sell small dorms.

Located in the city centre, next to Las Ramblas the Sun and Moon Hostel is a perfect place for those travelers who are on budget. The owner is a funny Indian man, and his daughter Hina is working at the reception and she is a very friendly and smiling girl. The place is very clean compared to others in the area, it seems to have been just renovated and everything was spotless. I believe there are people constantly wiping the floor and it smelted fresh and clean…like lemon soap.

Always has been and will always be a party hostel…..the Kabul Hostel used to have a beer machine, now they have a bar! The lounge is as nice as it use to be, lot of space, view on Plaza Real and the fountain, really nice Plaza, day or night. They have 100 beds, rooms have always been the same, a bit tiny, but it’s all fine as people go there for fun and party, not really for sleeping. Very central, very easy to find, pool table, bar, loud music, live bands playing there from time to time, this is probably THE hostel that always charged for everything, Sheets, towels, Internet (net is now free). Wouldn’t be my first choice as there’s a lot of noise at night, too much alcohol, but staffs are still keeping control on what’s going on, as night crew do reception and security (loads of muscles).

Having said that, was a great place to finish our two days in Barcelona - a few beers and some pool, followed shortly by a nice stroll back to Gothic Point to get a decent night’s sleep before heading back to London. Roll on the next trip!

Comprehensive list of Barcelona Hostels.
For more information on getting around Barcelona go to Transports Metropolitans of Barcelona