arizonawildcat

Looking to use a 7-night travel certificate sometime in 2018. Right now its a Cat 1-5, but I would upgrade to whatever category we need. Will probably just be my spouse and myself. We have travelled a little bit internationally and always like to go somewhere different. (have been to a lot of the bigger Western European cities which we enjoy). As of now, Asia or South America are not preferred destinations.

We would like to stay in a city center and are pretty active (don't enjoy vacations relaxing on a beach for days). Wife likes to visit old churches and I love to explore the local cuisine. To me, 7 days is a long time, so definitely need options to get out and have lots of options to do/see. I am a Marriott Plat and any chance for an upgrade or lounge to save a few dollars is great.

Brussels and Barcelona are on our short list of potential next vacations. For any of you who have been to these cities, does one seem to fit our style more than the other? Any particular hotel that you would suggest we start looking at?

Thanks in advance

ajeleonard

Both are good choices but Barcelona is going to meet your needs better. You will struggle to fill a week in Brussels.

icebox425

Definitely strike Brussels off your list.

Barcelona is a popular destination and there's lots of things to keep you entertained. I personally can't say I liked Barcelona all that much compared to other European cities I've visited, but maybe that's because I was always on guard for the relentless pick-pocketing and bag snatching that goes on there. Some attractions are very pricey too comparatively with the rest of Europe. I remember some museums trying to charge 50eur entry compared with Germany where they're basically all free!

catocony

From Brussels, it's easy to take day trips to Amsterdam (2 hours by train), Paris (less than 2 hours by train) and all the spots in between.

arizonawildcat

Hmm, yeah being in Brussels was considered because we might be able to do a day trip to other destinations fairly easily. Would even consider an overnight to a place like Amsterdam and just burn an extra hotel night separately

windhund

I haven't been to Brussels so can't compare, but I found that Barcelona had plenty of things to do. I enjoyed it even though it was fairly touristy.

If you do stay there, I loved the Cotton House hotel:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...ona-spain.html

There are also day trips from Barcelona, but I didn't do any of them as I was there for about 3-4 days.

C17PSGR

I like Brussels a lot but ... if I was going to do a week, I'd probably go with Barcelona because I spent a week there earlier this year and I think it fits with what you are looking for.

Still, lots of things to do in Belgium. The coast is worth exploring, Bruges, Antwerp, the Dutch countryside, some German towns are an easy train ride. Brussels also has some great museums because of its colonial heritage.

spainlover

I'm biased (Spainlover is my handle), but I would definitely go with Barcelona. I didn't find Brussels fascinating at all. Barcelona has tons to do and is quite affordable compared to many European cities. Cuisine is world-renowned and there are several interesting churches to explore. There are lots of interesting smaller towns a short train ride away, and you could even go to Madrid for a night if you wanted with a 2 1/2 hour train ride from city center to city center.

kdavis0983

I just returned from the Brussels Marriott Grand Place (stayed there June 30-July 2). It's a fantastic hotel in a great location, but you can only spend a few days in Brussels (at least we didn't want to stay longer than 2 days). Great architecture and museums, lots and lots of beer.

I've also spent 9 consecutive weeks in Barcelona and could live there! I would definitely chose Barcelona over Brussels after spending time in both places! Barcelona has so much to offer!

Hope this helps.

Thanks.

Collierkr

Barcelona seems like the best fit. Beware of the thieves. There is a Renaissance in Barcelona that is conveniently located. I highly recommend the Segway tour- it was a blast and good way to see some sites. Of course, you will have to visit the Cathedral, etc.

CCIE_Flyer

I don't even care to visit Brussels on business, let alone personal travel. There're lots of great cities in Spain (Madrid not being one of them, don't have any experience with Barcelona to share) - also consider Andalusian cities such as Seville or Granada. Oh, I would hop on a plane today if I were free to!!

arizonawildcat

So helpful, thanks everyone. Definitely now starting to aggressively find hotel options in Barcelona. Cat 1-5 is my starting point, but I'll gladly upgrade if needed for a better experience. Will for sure check out the Renaissance and Cotton House. Any other hotels that should be on my radar?

I'm already in for 270K Marriott points for the current certificate.

Renaissance is a Cat 8 which would be 360K (90K additional)
Cotton House is a Cat 9 which would be 390K (120 additional)

There is also a Cat 6 hotel which I would consider if it is still centrally enough located and are nice/clean. AC Hotel Diagonal L'Illa. would be 300K (only 30K additional)

bennos

The Ren Fira is a cat 6 with the tradeoff being a bit out of the city center, but on a rail line you might use for day trips out of the city, so the location isn't terrible. More discussion here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...lection-3.html

phb

I would go with the cotton house. We had a great time. Upgraded to a suite (plat). Very friendly staff and a good location. Worth the extra.

SkiAdcock

If staying in Barcelona I'd go w/ Cotton House based on trip reports. It's a boutique property.