REVIEW: The Le Meridien Barcelona
This hotel is a little gem in the middle of Las Ramblas. Le Meridien’s are often overlooked by travelers in lieu of larger name chain hotels, but they usually provide the boutique service and luxury that you would expect to find at something comparably higher in price.
I chose this hotel for an extended stay in Barcelona, which resulted in me actually calling this place my home for a bit of time in late Fall a few years back. It is set in a very centralized part of Barcelona – right in the middle of Las Ramblas, which is essentially the main street in the city. This made for extremely easy access to shops, restaurants, bars, cafe’s, and pretty much everything else you could ask for when roaming and getting lost in Spain’s best city metropolis (Madrid just isn’t Barcelona if you ask me).
The lobby was a great place to have an afternoon cocktail, and the rooms were modernly appointed and clean with great attentive staff. Although the property has over 200 rooms it felt much more like a boutique hotel where they knew your name and service was remarkably quick everytime I needed something brought to my room.
The hotel really embodies something which I find to be an epitome of European cities that have been around for centuries but have since grown up with the times, beautiful old world exteriors – but with modern luxurious interiors. This is the city of Gaudi after all, and interior decor and character and soul should be present at any hotel worth its price of admission. I felt as if Miro inspired some of the furnishings, colors, and overall decor of this place.
Of course, the best part of this hotel is and always will be its location. I don’t think Le Meridien will ever let go of this property. I highly recommend it if you’re visiting Barcelona.
PROS:
- Great lobby to socialize in and hang out during nighttime hours
- Rooms were modern but with lots of character and warmth
- Staff was very attentive for what is a relatively large hotel
- The location couldn’t be any better for walking to lots of great destinations
CONS:
- There are certainly many newer choices and I haven’t reviewed some other top hotels in Barcelona but this one is a solid choice
SECRETS:
- Eat breakfast here at the restaurant downstairs, it’s magnificent
THINGS TO DO IN THE AREA:
- I’m biased, but I think everyone should visit the Miro museum while in Barcelona