Anyone want to help me find a holiday while MIL minds the kids, Barcelona maybe?

[JKSLtd]

MIL has foolishly offered to mind the 3 DC so me & DH can go away for a few days

Our nearest airport is Southend (aka London Southend!) and we can fly to Barcelona. Neither of is has ever been there and people say it's fun/worth going to.

We're looking at the first week in October possibly.

Budget - ideally as cheap as poss, but, must be a nice hotel. I am not spending my DC-free time in any fleapit

Where is good, which sites to search, etc? I get overwhelmed when I start looking.

What's your budget, for the hotel for a week? Seven nighs? From what I remember, Barcelona is quite expensive but amazing!

Try alpharooms online

Barcelo Raval is the hotel you want

Thanks will have a look at that hotel & that website.

We haven't got a budget as such, just as cheap as possible!
Whilst at the same time staying in a naice hotel as we'll be kid free for the first time in years and i don't want to waste a second of it thinking about how crappy the hotel room is.
Or getting fed up with the noise - we had one night away when i was pg with DS2 and the aircon units were right by our room and sooo noisy, drove me mad!
So no building sites nearby, etc.

Raval gets great reviews, is just off las Ramblas and ultra trendy.

Have been looking at it's website, very nice

Definitely the kind of level I'm aiming at (dunno about DH!) - either ultra modern or I could also go with totally traditional Spanish if there is an upmarket version?

Adding to my list if ideal requirements - i really don't want it to be the kind of place people with pre-schoolers will stay, and Raval doesn't look like it would attract that crowd.

Ooh I can get the Raval through Opodo, with flights for £534 for 3 nights :)

Just need to sort out when we can actually go, think DH has some immovable meetings, grr. Wish we could go for longer now I'm looking at all the things there are to do, it's like going to London for 3 nights and thinking you'll see the whole city in that time. Plus add in some lie-ins & relaxing with cocktails
Think the view of the city from the rooftop may have to count as sight-seeing

Not sure about hotels but i loved barcelona! You must eat at Cuines Santa Catalina. Best food ever - especially the suckling pig with tomato marmalade . It is in the building with the multicoloured roof next to the cathedral. Get there early! Bus tour def worth the money. It is hop on hop off and you get tosee loads.

While we are recommending hotels can I put forward the Duquesa de Cardona.

It has two things going for it - the fantastic location with the twisty lanes of the Barri Gotic right behind it (lots of small bars and restaurants to chose from and small boutique shops) and the lovely view of the Med to the front. You seriously feel like a film star overlooking the palm trees and yachts.
Very easy to get to everywhere (La Ramblas is a 5 min walk and the HoHo bus stops at Port Vell (the harbour right in front). I think Barcelona forgets that a city break with beach and sea is rare thing. Most hotels seem top make a point of facing the hills or other hotels air con units!

Duquesa Cardrona was on our list too, as was the Pullman skipper and grand central but all came massively over budget.

It's nice to have a cool hotel, but I sometimes feel if you are going somewhere like Barcelona and are going to be out 12 hours a day it's a bit of a waste having 5*

If you havent been before you must go to the Font du Majic.

Chatted to Dh a bit more, he's up for a more modern 'posher' hotel which is good.

I think we'll aim to go and see some stuff but tbh we won't be out for 12+ hours of every day.
We'll be aiming for lie-ins, lounging by the pool, reading, etc. It's a lazy approach but we don't want to rush about for hours seeing lots of stuff. Maybe when we go back in the future with DC and have to keep them occupied.

The Duquesa looks lovely too, the Skipper doesn't appeal quite so much. Will see what kind of prices I can find once MIL confirms her dates.

I was thinking 1pm to 1am

Haha those days are behind me - 10pm is pushing it

I'm actually off there on Friday (for the fourth time) so shall report back.

Barcelona is super busy and lots of it has many lanes of traffic cutting through it. The Barri Gotic area is nice as it is largely pedestrian and has lots of history and charm. This lovely hotel with cool pool and private terraces is slap in the middle and close to the "othe"r cathedral so you can say you saw something ! Also right over a Desigual store if you like their stuff.

Geordie - how was it?

So now I'm torn, I've booked the flights & the Raval hotel :)

But then I made the basic error of looking on Trip advisor and I'm worried it's a bad choice :(

The area seems dodgy, prostitutes, etc & some people say it's quite noisy which I wanted to avoid.

Reassurance please!

If you want me to be honest, the Raval is so-so. The hotel is located just borderline. Stay on Carrer Hospital when going to the tube or the Ramblas.
Bit the Barcelo chain is quite famous in Spain and in the world. One of my best holiday ever was in a Barcelo Hotel.
Close to your hotel you'll find the Old Hospital in Carrer (street) Hospital of course , with a nice café in the patio. You may cross it and exit it on the north side and you'll be just minutes from the MACBA. If you are not in the mood for museum, you may still enjoy the Palau Guell on Carrer Nou de La Rambla, but not if it 's raining (not really likely in Bcn) because one of the nicest part is the roof, closed in case of rain.
There is so much to see, and do in Barcelona. Rent a bike and ride the city, enjoy tapas at odd hours, have a romantic dinner at the beach (shoko - villa olympic) ...
The Ramblas are - IMHO - well overrated. I prefer the modernist part, the bohemian atmosphere in Gracia, and the Chiringuitos at la Playa de la Bogatell. I love Casa Battlo, Port Vell, the Born, a picnic in the Ciutadella Parc, ... you name it.
Like any big city you need to be careful with your bag. Keep it on the front, especially on the green line, when eating keep it on your knee.
Hope this helps. You'll have a great time!! If you need more suggestions, do not hesitate!

The Ravel is the rough end of Barcelona. However as a tourist the" working "part of the city drug dealer and prostitutes don't pay you much attention if you don't look like you are interested. We have stayed in this area and it's much like London TBH. It is also the more ethnic end of Barcelona in terms of shops. Less Spanish and lots of Eastern Europeans, Chinese shops and Asian type places.

Anything in TripAdvisors top 100 will be fine! I have been 6 times now in all areas (too far out - Port Olympic, Sagrada Família or in the rough bit at Hotel Principal) and it's always been great.
Stick to the the old town Hotel Neri or Barcelona Cathedral and I promise you will love it.
MOST of the hotels are cool and modern because they have all been built or redone in the last 10 years. Pretty much every hotel has marble bathrooms and laminate floors so clean and fresh (if noisy) even the 2 star ones.
However please try and stay in the old town which is Bari Gotic. It is charming pedestrian has lots of bars and restaurants and it feels like Barcelona!!

DH and I had the most fantastic long weekend there a couple of years ago; Barcelona is officially our Favourite Weekend Break City Ever.

The best thing ever was taking a bike tour with these guys - the most brilliant, funny English guide, who led us round all the sites, ending up at a beach bar. It gave us such an insight into the city, and a lot more fun than a boring old bus.

Las Ramblas is vile, though. Like a Spanish Leicester Square; I couldn't wait to get out of there. There is sooo much more to see.

allthefun - see the 'not paying us attention' part makes me want to cry. I haven't told DH yet, can you imagine his face when i say i've booked us into a hotel with prostitutes & drug dealers around it. I feel sick :(

We could've just stayed in the UK somewhere we know and gone to a country house hotel style place, at least then I could trust the area.

I'm dreading going now, instead of looking forward to it. And from what i've read I can't cancel without losing all the money.

All i can hope now is we are high enough up to not hear too much noise, keep the curtains shut so we don't see the drug deals (as in some photos on tripadvisor), and we're the only ones on the roof terrace, sod the cost of the beer. Not exactly the trip I was hoping for.

NO IT'LL BE FINE! Sorry I didn't realise it was a done deal.
I have stayed two roads along from your hotel at the Hotel Principal actually. There is one street which was defiantly dodgy and the rest were fine if a little less Spanish and more culturally diverse.
There are well recommended restaurants in the neighborhood and the cheapest shops to pick up presents (the rest of Barcelona is relatively expensive).
Saying that hotels usually let you cancel up to 24 hours before - did you get a special rate then? A bargain is a bargain (think of the extra bottle of cava you can buy) and just make sure you email the hotel and let them know you want a high room.

Right mrs, STOP panicking now. We arrived at the hotel this afternoon and it's lovely. Rooms fully spec'ed up (electric curtains, Nespresso machine and iPod dock) reception area is funky, lots of cool kids ( rather fit Italians )

It's less than 10 mins walk from la Ramblas, and I can honestly say, walking back to the hotel at 10.30 tonight I didng see a single drug dealer or prostitute.

It is less touristy but actually it's nice. They are some lovely little bars selling tapas, real "local" places that are half the price and twice as good as the tourist traps. Dp and I had 2 vodka cokes each and it was 11€ compared to 10€ for a glass of wine and a small beer earlier.

Honestly, don't panic, you will love it here. I'm a bit of a snob at times with hotels but feel like I made right choice. Oh and there is free wifi

there not they

OK, ok, I'm calming down & actually starting to look forward to it :)

I'm back!!!!

Had a fab time, absolutely no complaints about the hotel/location/neighbourhood whatsoever.

The roof top bar with 360 degree views of Barcelona is amazing. Infact it was so fecking hot we spent more time up there than anywhere else