The best Barcelona hotels near La Rambla
An insider's guide to the top Barcelona hotels near La Rambla, including the best for rooftop bars and pools, Catalan cuisine and excellent service.
Reasonably luxurious but unpretentious, the Méridien is comfortable but not frilly, with a restaurant serving excellent food and a location that could not be more central, on La Rambla, close to the Boqueria market. There is also a small spa, certain parts of which are free to guests. These include a large outdoor heated hydromassage bath, next to which is a freezing cold bucket shower, sauna, steam room and a suntrap terrace. The Pop Bar shares the same view through plate-glass windows on to La Rambla. In the light-filled lobby is the Longitude Bar, serving coffee and snacks and the hotel's signature éclairs.
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The bijou Hotel Bagués was once the showroom for a jewellery company, and a forensic attention to materials and details remains evidenced throughout. Bagués enjoys a prime position on La Rambla but after a day's sightseeing guests can retreat to the hotel's rooftop pool or book an in-room massage. The front desk should give masterclasses in warmth and helpfulness to hotel staff everywhere. A small museum on the first floor exhibits jewellery from the original Bagués-Masriera collection.
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Although it is part of the Nú?ez i Navarro Hotels chain, the 1898 feels delightfully original, blending grand architectural features with quirky, colourful decor and a handsome colonial feel. It is also virtually unique in having both an outdoor and indoor pool. Situated on La Rambla, it is nothing if not central. In the summer months, the roof is the place to be, with a wonderful alfresco bar, plenty of stripey sofas and a pool that is small but swimmable. For the colder seasons there is an indoor pool, and there is also a spa and a very well-equipped gym.
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The Espa?a is a much-loved Barcelona institution, which started out as an inn for travellers in the 19th-century. It has been spectacularly restored and thoroughly modernised, the addition of the top-deck sundeck and cocktail bar where you can eat and occasionally listen to live music or DJs. The Fonda Espa?a is worth eating in for the wonderful murals alone, but if traditional Catalan fare is thing, you’ll love the food too.
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Channelling the spirit of Barcelona’s gauche divine period in the 1960s and 1970s, Chic & Basic Ramblas is a sparky, youthful place with the sociable feel of a youth hostel, the trappings of a decent mid-range, and the price of something between the two. The philosophy is fun design at a low price; in the Ramblas branch this means a pale-green Seat 600, retro knick-knacks and Scandi-style beech chairs in the lobby, and a stack of old leather suitcases propping up the reception desk.
