Hostal Balmes Centro

This hotel is located right in Eixample, right in the center of the city. The room was very comfortable, clean spacious and had a balcony. Wifi worked great and it had an AC and small radiator. (I think the refrigerator holders could be cleaned though.) There was no bathroom in this room, but it was down the hall and I never needed to wait to use it because I was one of the few guests on my floor. Reception check-in was quick, friendly and hands-off. The entrance is a bit hard to enter for someone with mobility issues because you need to step through the small door and there are some small stairs to enter the building, but there is an elevator. I would definitely stay here again.

On the plus side, the room was clean with fresh linens every day, bathroom was spotless and cleaned daily, the staff were friendly and non-instrusive, and the place is centrally located so there are great things to see and do with easy access to all transportation. It had air conditioning as well. On the negative side, this tiny room was much more expensive for what you get, compared to anywhere in North America. My first thought was "Geesh, do people in Spain really live like this?" The room was very small, with two single beds squeezed side by side, no chairs, no dresser, just a single desk sitting on top of a mini-fridge. No stove or microwave in the room, you had to share appliances out in the "lobby" of the hotel. My son and I only planned to sleep there, so that was okay, but certainly you would not have a meal in the room or entertain any guests! Very little space in the tiny room. And Spanish people DO live better than this -- our next hotel in Grenada was much, much nicer, with a pool, and at half the price. Soooo... maybe look for a nicer place in Barcelona. Unless all you need is a clean bed and toilet. (But I will say, the staff were very friendly and did a great job keeping the place clean. So kudos to them!)