Tryp Apolo, Barcelona

I booked this hotel through AirMiles and paid for a suite upgrade locally. This hotel has a poor write up elsewhere we were prepared to change hotels but my our experience was much better than anticipated. All staff were polite, helpful and spoke good English.

We had the suite on the 4th floor furthest from the lifts, facing the inner courtyard and heard little street noise: only the occassional emergency services siren. Each of the two rooms had a television and independant air-conditioning. The large bed had split matresses, which my wife always appreciates. The bed linen was changed several times during our short stay.

There was a single en-suite bathroom with the usual porcelain plus a bidet. All was very clean, although a little wear was showing in places. Despite being on the fourth floor the shower-over-bath had good water pressure with hot water delivered quickly. There was a large shaving mirror and the curtesy pack included a razor, comb and feminine hygene items.

Buffet breakfast was included in our basic booking: this was very well stocked with a wide range of foods to cater for most tastes. I would have liked the glasses for the fruit juice to be larger but as there was ad lib access this was not a great issue: it may have been a way to control waste as many people seemed to leave a great deal of the food they had taken. Coffee service was indifferent: the service on the first day was excellent but dropped noticably the rest of the week as staff seemed to be more concerned with clearing tables than serving coffee to remaining guests.

There is a bar on the ground floor and the Restaurant Apolo which can be accessed through a passage way or from the street. Bills here can be settled in cash or added to the room bill: there is none of the compulsion / prohibition either way that happens at some hotels. The meals were well prepared and good value. The menu and wine list were perhaps a little restricted but quite adequate for a short stay when there are abundant alternatives near by.

The hotel is on the main Avenue Paral-lel: there is metro station a few yards from the hotel door which is also the funicular station for Montjuic. The train vibrations can be fealt in the restaurant but not otherwise. La Rambla and the beach are within most people's walking distance. We fealt very safe even in the evenings: there were various types of police walking the area, more for show than need.

I have no hesitation in recommending this hotel and would use it again on another visit to Barcelona. I would also strongly consider another hotel in the Sol Melia group as a consequence.