Spain-giving 2014: Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona
***This is part 4 of my “Spain-giving 2014” trip report detailing a recent trip to Barcelona over Thanksgiving weekend***
1. American Express Centurion Lounge at SFO
2. Korean Air Lounge at LAX
3. KLM Business Class Los Angeles to Barcelona, via Amsterdam
4. Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona
5. Exploring Barcelona in a Motorcycle Sidecar
6. Day trip to Girona for Lunch at El Celler De Can Roca
7. Sala VIP Lounge at BCN, KLM Crown Lounge at AMS
8. KLM Business Class Barcelona to San Francisco, via Amsterdam
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While my wife had been to Barcelona before, this would be my first visit and with just 36 short hours on-land before flying home, it meant that every minute needed to count. Therefore, really my only criteria for selecting a hotel was location. I wanted to be in the middle of all the action.
The chain hotel situation in Barcelona isn’t as strong as in other cities, and nothing really jumped out to me. On the other hand, there are quite a few highly-ranked boutique hotels that piqued my interest. In the end I settled on the Majestic Hotel & Spa which is located smack dab in the middle of the city on the Passeig de Gràcia. The location is perfect as its within walking distance of nearby shopping districts, several historical Gaudi buildlings, and across the street from the Barcelona – Passeig de Gràcia train station.
We jumped in a taxi at BCN airport and it took roughly 30 minutes to arrive at the hotel. Since the location is so central, real estate is at a premium and there isn’t a proper driveway, so cars were simply double-parked on the sidewalk to pick-up or offload passengers.
We were escorted inside to the festively decorated lobby to complete the check-in process. Even though it was just the end of November, the Christmas tree was already on full display. The hotel actually feels quite small when you’re inside, which is funny since there are actually 275 rooms. The hotel couldn’t have been at more than 50% capacity since we barely ran into any other guests.
We made our way up to the 4th floor and past the stylish hallway decor to our room.
Since we didn’t plan to spend a ton of time in our room, I had simply booked the entry-level “Deluxe” room. A consistent theme that came up as part of my research is that square footage is really at a premium in Barcelona. Unless you’re willing to pay an arm and a leg for it, you’re likely to find yourself in shoebox-size accommodations. Our room was no different at roughly 250 square ft. which was cozy but more than adequate for the two of us.
The large king bed basically consumed the entire room, but there was also a small seating area next to the TV.
Where you could admire the stunning views from the room.
Next to the bed was a mini-bar and complimentary coffee and tea.
The rooms were recently refurbished in 2012, and that’s most noticeable in the bathroom which still felt clean and fresh, and was outfitted in white marble. Size was again a factor here, as it was a tight fit for two people to use it at the same time.
The combo shower/tub was interesting as the rain shower head made quite a mess since it wasn’t fully enclosed.
Plenty of amenities were provided, including Bulgari-branded shampoo, soap, and lotion.
While my review may sound neutral or even negative, that simply wasn’t the case. Sure, the room was tiny and had no view, but that’s exactly what we paid for. The other hotel facilities, including the famous rooftop bar, and the service were great and the locations simply can’t be beat. We walked away completely satisfied with the Majestic Hotel and would definitely stay there again.