Post-cruise hotel suggestion in Barcelona (October)
 

We're ending our cruise in Barcelona (fortunately, not on Costa) and will stay there one night before heading back to Philly. The hotel we used on our previous visit is now over 400 euros/night which is more than we want to pay.

If anyone has a suggestion for a nice hotel (3-star or above) near Las Ramblas (but not on it) or near the water for about 200 euros/night or less, I'd appreciate it. We were about to book the Hotel Miramar until we read on Trip Advisor about the gun club nearby that has shooting that is annoying.

Although a block North of the Plaza de Catalunya and several blocks from the upper Ramblas, we found reasonable, comfortable accommodations anda decent breakfast at the Avenida Palace after a repositioning cruise from FLL in Spring, 2010. Check for Internet specials.

Barcelona has always occupied high rank among my short list of great cities demanding revisits, just as the Ramblas (pl) will always be a grand promenade.

Any suggestions for 250-350 Euros for a March 2012 stay? Thanks

I wouldn't be surprised to see an internet special for the Avenida Palace (certainly 3 stars in my book) for 100 Euros or a bit more. Your price range ought to include some pretty fancy (but little more comfortable and convenient) choices. Hotels on the Ramblas tend to add a bit of a premium for location and come with noise, warts and other diminishing characteristics. This is one of those times in which TripAdvisor, shills, puffery and mean-spirited reviews included, can be your friend.

Especially with a visit of several days, the "Hop-on, Hop-off" buses in Barcelona are (a) a relative bargain and (b) an ideal "first day" choice to evaluate sights for followup visits.

Thanks, TM Oliver. After much deliberation, we're going with the Hotel Murmuri which is in the Gothic Quarter. We got a great rate of 209/euros which includes breakfast and a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter.

We always do the hop-on, hop-off bus when we're going to be in a city for a short time. There are two lines in Barcelona and it's well worth it to do both if you can.

I cut my shore-going teeth in the Barrio Gotico back in 1963, and enjoyed my latest time there 2 years ago. As much as I like the varied sights and sounds of greater Barc, I suspect I could spend a week within the walking area encompassed by it and a couple of blocks on the other side of the Ramblas (inc. a half day with Picasso). I'm sure that Los Caracoles remains all too touristic, a bit over-priced and with no pretense of fine dining, but to lunch in same restaurant almost exactly 47 years after my first lunch there was a warm and comfortable bit of deja vu. While there, I unlimbered my cell pnone and called an old Navy friend in the US to remind him of our long ago luncheon. This time around, I drank less red wine.

First time for me in Barcelona was in 1979 at the end of my semester abroad in Salamanca. We had a budget of $20/day on our way to Amsterdam to get the flight back home, so we traveled by overnight trains using our Eurail passes to avoid hotel costs. When we were in Barcelona in 2010, I felt positively posh remembering how broke my friends and I were back when we were students traveling on a shoestring budget. Looking forward to our next visit in October.

Hotel Constanza is not that far from Las Ramblas, and it's a nice place at a very reasonable price. Bit trendy, boutique style. Nice roof-top terrace.
http://www.hotelconstanza.com/

A favorite hotel for cruisers is the Hotel Majestic. I did a quick check on pricing for March per the hotel's website: 126 euro per person included buffet breakfast. The hotel has packages that include museum admission.

I have stayed at the Hotel Continental Palacete that is above street level-- rooms are non-standard sized, built in wardrobes, pink coverlets, fresh fruit/snack bar/expresso machine ... a gorgeous salon area to relax and plan out your Barcelona visit. Very charming. Affordable, high ratings per tripadvisor review. I liked the location: one block away from Passeig de Gracia where the HOH and other buses travel, easy walk to the Gaudi sites and other Modernista buildings, a few blocks from the Placa Catalunya & the El Cort de Ingles department store.
Very nice staff! We had been caught pre-cruise with the port in an embargo by the Spanish fisherman: the staff found us rooms at a sister property if we were stranded in BCN. The Palacete was fully booked and we were checking out. Our cruiseline got us rooms elsewhere along with other "stranded" cruisers. Definitely fond memories of the service extended to us.