Roma Reial Hotel, Barcelona

...the city but decided that Roma Reial fitted the bill better than any of the others.

It's located just off Las Ramblas, the main street in Barcelona where a lot of the cities drinking establishments are located. The Roma Reial is located in the Placa Reial about 200 meters from the bottom of Las Ramblas. The Placa is quite easy to find and seems to be one of the more popular locations in the city where a number of bars and restaurants ...
...certainly seems to be advisable. If you are looking for a cheap hotel to lay your head this is certainly one I'd recommend, central and ideally located for pretty much everything.

Hotel Roma Reial
Placa Reial, 11
08002
Barcelona
http://www.go2spain.co.uk/accom_html/Roma-Reial.htm
  ... more

Having decided over Christmas that I fancied a trip to Barcelona again I got onto the Ryanair website and started booking up. Having been to Barcelona a few years ago and staying well outside the main centre I decided that this time I wanted something quite central but also at a budget price. After all there was no way I could have afforded one of the posh 5 star hotels. So with those thoughts in mind I trawled all sorts of internet sites and ended up back on the hotel section of the Ryanair site. I had a couple of choices around the Station and dotted over the city but decided that Roma Reial fitted the bill better than any of the others.

It's located just off Las Ramblas, the main street in Barcelona where a lot of the cities drinking establishments are located. The Roma Reial is located in the Placa Reial about 200 meters from the bottom of Las Ramblas. The Placa is quite easy to find and seems to be one of the more popular locations in the city where a number of bars and restaurants are located. The hotel itself is in the South east corner of the Placa hidden away under the arches.

In fact a number of websites describe the hotel as a bit of a hidden gem and I would certainly agree with that. In fact it's so well hidden I ended up doing a trip around the Placa once before I actually found it. In fact that is probably my biggest complaint as the hotel doesn't seem to be too adequately signposted making it quite hard to find unless you know the Placa particularly well. While that is a complaint its really a small issue and one that didn't really have any overall effect on my stay.

The prices for the hotel are incredibly reasonable. I paid £48 a night for a single room, which consisted of 2 single beds. A double room costs a little bit more at just over £60 per night but it still makes it one of the cheapest hotels in the City. Included within your price you also get a continental breakfast in the hotels dining room. I thought it was really rather reasonable considering the location, but it is a hotel you would be best booking a few months in advance as it does seem to get quite a bit of return trade and I would certainly use it again.

Upon arrival at the hotel, having finally found the door, the check in process was quite typically easy. Hand over the print out confirmation to the English speaking Spaniard behind the counter then hand him you passport and he'll hand you back a room key with your confirmation and passport. The hotel has a total of 61 rooms with most rooms offering a balcony view and only a couple, mine being one of them, with either no view or a view of the middle of the building. Although my view was the latter this didn't matter too much as my room was only intended for sleeping in.

There is a lift to get you from the ground floor up to your room unless you are on the first floor in which case it's a short walk up the stairs. The breakfast room was located at the back of reception down some stairs and although the breakfast provided was adequate I ended up opting to have something a little more substantial on Las Ramblas. Also in the reception area are a couple of vending machines selling sweets and cold drinks and another serving coffee. If I was to have a second complaint it would certainly be the lack of anywhere to make a hot drink in the rooms, but again I was literally only there for sleeping so it didn't matter too much.

Having checked in and headed up the stairs I got to my room. Each room is operated with a key card, which also operates all the lights and power as well. In each of the rooms there is a telephone, two single (or one double dependant on your booking), a TV, table and an en-suite bathroom. The hotel seems to be based around the principles of no frills and really caters for people who have come to see the city, not spend time in the room. The bed was relatively comfortable and the shower seemed to be adequately stocked with hot water, which basically meant the hotel fitted all the criteria I needed it to.

The hotel is certainly designed to cater for younger travellers and if you have any objections to a lot of noise in the middle of the night this is certainly a hotel to avoid. I was lucky enough to be there at the same time as a school trip and they certainly could make quite a racket. The best idea seemed to be just get so drunk I got to sleep quickly and it certainly worked. It always seemed to be full and I think that also said a lot for its ability to meet the requirements of most people intending on visiting the City.

The location is perfect and with so many bars, including 4 Irish bars, located within 5 minutes easy walking it worked out quite well. It's also pretty central for the tourist attractions, located within the Gothic Quarter of the city. About 10 minutes walk up Las Ramblas you'll find yourself in Placa Catalunya, where the majority of tourist busses depart from. When you do leave the hotel it's best to keep an eye on your belongings however as the area is quite notorious with pickpockets.

It's also quite an easy hotel to get to in the first place. Just about every taxi driver in the city will know the hotel. My own personal method of getting there consisted of the tube, with the nearest station around about a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Finding the Placa itself is so easy and although I didn't find the hotel this time I do now know exactly where it is and that will help for any future visits.

Overall I found the hotel to be very accommodating. I didn't use it that much but for what I needed it for it was pretty much perfect. There are obviously a few tiny complaints but nothing that really affected my stay. The beds were made every day and fresh towels delivered and that's all you really need from a place like this. It is a hidden gem but it seems to be quite a popular one as well and booking it well in advance certainly seems to be advisable. If you are looking for a cheap hotel to lay your head this is certainly one I'd recommend, central and ideally located for pretty much everything.

Hotel Roma Reial
Placa Reial, 11
08002
Barcelona
http://www.go2spain.co.uk/accom_html/Roma-Reial.htm
 

...less