Balmes Hotel, Barcelona

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All in all, we had a great time in Barcelona, and staying at the Balmes Hotel was ideal for us, both in location, service and value - I really recommend it for those who want good value for money but no compromise on style or comfort.  ... more

For those looking for a peaceful, laid-back and friendly hotel in the heart of Barcelona, this is the one. We arrived in the heat of a Summer's day, and were only too relieved to find our hotel foyer (and room) were eager to cool us down with their air con! The hotel immediately seemed worth more than it's 3 stars, with its marble foyer and art sculptures welcoming us in, as well as 2 friendly members of staff. They spoke a fair amount of English and were very keen to have someone take our bags up to our room which was much-needed on a hot day like that!
Our room wasn't huge, but still an ample size for just 2 people. There were 2 single beds, a lovely leather armchair, a wardrobe with shelving, a safe, a flatscreen TV with about 15 channels, bedside tables, good lighting, drawers, air conditioning with controls and an ensuite bathroom. The bathroom was impressive, with all the things you'd expect (bidet, toilet, sink and bath with overhead shower) and free toiletries. Like the foyer downstairs, the bathroom was marble giving it a very expensive look - it also kept it nice and cool which was great. The beds were very comfortable and we both got good nights' sleep with very little noise neither from the hotel nor from the road outside. The cleaners came in everyday (always very smiley and saying good morning) and one day they even left us some lollipops! There was nothing about the room that annoyed or disappointed us.

As for hotel amenities, there is a pool with a small cafe/restaurant I believe but unfortunately we found the prices to be quite steep so we ate elsewhere which was slightly cheaper. The pool is small, and doesn't seem to get a great deal of the day's sunlight because of the direction it faces (sun seems to be blocked out for part of the day) so it may not suit those who wish to sit by the pool all day. We never saw anyone eating at the hotel, so I can't vouch for how good or bad the food is - maybe they just ate out like us! The hotel also had a computer with free internet access, which was also very useful for checking journeys and routes for our upcoming day trips!

The location of the hotel was great we found - it's about 10 minutes walk to the nearsest tube (metro) station and about 25 minutes walk to Las Ramblas (the main shopping and tourist street). There were also several cafes and restaurants nearby, including a Haagen Dasz restaurant...! Wow. A couple of streets away is Passeig de Gracias which is home to all the designer stores - Chanel, Gucci, Rolex, you name it, it's there. Even though they were well out of our price range, it was wonderful having a peek inside and feeling the icy air con as we walked past!

All in all, we had a great time in Barcelona, and staying at the Balmes Hotel was ideal for us, both in location, service and value - I really recommend it for those who want good value for money but no compromise on style or comfort. 

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