The Rough Guide to Barcelona 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

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Rembrandt c/Portaferrissa 23 T933 181
011, W
M Liceu. A clean, safe, old-town budget
pension that has been smartened up over
the years by friendly English-speaking
owners, who request “pin-drop silence”
after 11pm. Simple tile-floored rooms (with
or without private bathroom, no TVs) have a
street-side balcony or little patio, while larger
rooms are more versatile and can sleep up
to four. Apartments also available nearby
(c/Canudua 13, W www.apartrembrandt
.com) offering en-suite single and double
rooms with balcony, a/c, satellite TV and
daily housekeeping. From €55, en suite €65,
apartment rooms €70–100.
El Raval
For locations, see map, pp.66–67.
Abba Rambla Rambla de Raval 4 T935 055
400, W ; M Sant
Antoni/Liceu. Three-star style on the Raval’s
up-and-coming rambla. Public areas,
including the bar, are pretty cool and
contemporary, rooms less so, though they
are pleasing enough with wall-mounted flat-
screen TVs and decent bathrooms. Rooms,
bar and coffee shop all face the rambla.
From €105.
Cèntric c/Casanova 13 T 934 267 573 or 902 014
881, W ; M Universitat. A
good upper-budget choice, just a couple of
minutes’ walk from the Raval proper. Most
rooms feature wood panelling and reason-
able furniture, decent beds, and plenty of
light; cheaper ones on the upper floors (no
lift) share bathrooms, while some of the more
expensive en-suite ones also have a/c.
There’s a sunny terrace at the rear. €63, en
suite from €86.
Gat Raval c/Joaquín Costa 44, 2 T934
816 670, W ;
M Universitat. Going for the boutique end of
the budget market, the Gat Raval has done
its fashionable best with a rambling
townhouse. Lime green is a recurring
theme, from doors to bedspreads, while
each room is broken down to fundamentals
– chair, basin, wall-mounted TV, fan and
heating, and signature back-lit street photo-
graph and artwork that doubles as a
reading light. Only six of the twenty-four
rooms are en suite, but communal facilities
are good, and there are internal or street
and MACBA views, Internet access, drinks
machine and staff on duty 24/7. €75, en
suite €85.
Gat Xino c/Hospital 149–155 T933 248
833, W ;
M Sant Antoni. The sister hotel to the Gat
Raval shares the same signature style, facili-
ties and colour scheme, but all 35 rooms
here are en suite, while four suites have
much more space, bigger bathrooms and
less street noise (and one has a terrace).
You also get a coffee, cereal and toast
breakfast served in a patio area; there’s
24hr staff and security. €100, suite €118,
terrace suite €139.
Grau c/Ramelleres 27 T 933 018 135,
W ; M Catalunya. A
really friendly pension, with attractive,
colour-coordinated rooms on several floors
(no lift); renovated superior rooms also have
balconies, a/c, new bathrooms and a touch
of modern Catalan style. There’s a little
rustic-chic lounge area, wireless Internet
access, and breakfast available weekdays in
the adjacent café-bar (included in room
rates in Jan & Feb). Six small private apart-
ments in the same building (sleeping 2 to 5,
available by the night) offer a bit more
independence, and prices out of season for
all rooms drop by quite a bit. €70, en suite
from €90, apartments from €95.
Market c/Comte Borrell 68, at Ptge. Sant
Antoni Abat T 933 251 205, Wwww
M Sant Antoni. Just a
stone’s throw from Sant Antoni market and
the Raval, the designer-budget Market hotel
makes a definite splash with its part-
Japanese, part neo-colonial look. Very
fetching jet-black rooms feature hardwood
floors, wooden screen-cladding and
shutters, bathrooms with a faux-bamboo
towel radiator and boxy wardrobes topped
with travel trunks. It’s a feel that flows
through the building and down into the
impressive restaurant, which is a really
dramatic space in which to dine – and the
food here is exceptionally good value too.
Breakfast included in the rate. From €100.
Meson Castilla c/Valldonzella 5 T933 182 182,
W ; M Universitat. A
throwback to 1950s rural Spain, with every
inch carved, painted and stencilled, from the
grandfather clock in reception to the
wardrobe in your room. Large rooms with
a/c (some with terraces), filled with country-
style furniture, a vast rustic dining room
(buffet breakfast included) and – best of
ACCOMMODATION
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Hotels and pensions