Barcelona Hotel Choice AC Diagonal Mar or Crowne Plaza Fira
 

My options are the AC Marriott Diagonal Mar (out at the end of Avenue Diagonal), or the Crowne Plaza Fira.

The latter seems to be a much better location, but I've never been in either area.

I'm not particularly interested in hanging out at a beach, so I'm definitely leaning towards the CP.

Not an elite for either Marriott or IHG, so no brand "goodies" in either....

Any suggestions?

Thanks

We stayed at the CP last year for a night prior to a cruise. I was a Spire elite at the time so was checked in at the lounge and given lounge privileges. We ate tapas and drank for free while watching a football game on the big screen. So naturally I give it a very positive review. The room was nice, comfortable bed, very dark window treatments (we overslept and woke at 11:00 am the next day). No trouble getting a taxi out front.

If you do select it, it is a couple blocks from an outstanding museum, the museum of Catalan art. Highly recommended. If you're lucky, you arrive on a free admission Saturday as we did. The surrounding plaza is beautiful and very busy with visitors and locals (who came out to celebrate Barca's victory that night).

We did not come back there but stayed another week in the Eixample at a small Spanish owned property that we loved as well.

Crowne Plaza is a better location, imo, for access to good bars and restaurants but there's not a whole lot in it. Taxis are very cheap anyway using the MyTaxi app.

The Fira is not a good area unless you are visiting for a conference! Far better to stay somewhere more central.

I just checked out of the Crowne Plaza earlier today, having stayed twice within a week, as I was transiting Barcelona for a cruise ship.

The hotel itself was superb, from customer service through to amenities. That being said, as other posters have mentioned, besides the cruise port, this hotel is much more business oriented. As a result, its a little ways away from the tourist locations, as well as being a ways away from the beach. There is an active taxi stand right at the hotel, but the Euros will add up quickly commuting to the tourist locations.

But again, the hotel itself was superb and I would strongly consider staying there again if I were to return to Barcelona in the future.