Things we loved at U232 Hotel

We stayed at Hotel U232 for 3 nights during the first week of September. We chose this hotel because the rates were reasonable and we had arrived by train from Madrid and this hotel is located one easy and short metro ride from the Barcelona Sants Railway Station. As most reviewers have mentioned, the hotel is a little bit outside the heart of the city and it’s a bit of a pain to switch trains plus a hike through some really long corridors at the Diagonal Metro Station to get to La Rambla. But we found the benefits of staying at this hotel far outweighed the cons.

For us, we thought the biggest benefit (besides the proximity to the Sants train station) was the dining options in the area. Our best meals in Barcelona were all at restaurants within walking distance from this hotel, and prices around here were very reasonable compared to the tourist-driven restaurants in the city centre. We particularly loved Maitea Taberna and their wide variety of delicious tapas. Maitea Taberna is located about 2.5 blocks away from the hotel on Carrer de Casanova. The staff at the restaurant was very friendly and patient as we were trying to figure out the whole process. We loved the food there so much that we went back a second time. Another terrific restaurant was Gusto, located 1.5 blocks away and right across the street from the metro station.

I would come back to this hotel just to eat at those establishments again! Other things we loved about the hotel:

• Very quiet, spacious and comfortable rooms for reasonable rates. We stayed on the second floor and had a balcony. Albeit the balcony was right smack dab in the middle of a coutyard in the middle of a network of apartments. But it was nice to step outside on a warm night with a drink and look inside the well-lit apartments all around us!
• Free wi-fi plus there are two desktops and one printer for public use. Very handy as we didn’t bring our laptop with us.
• Room was equipped with a safe and fridge, which I think should be essentials in every hotel room.
• Besides the restaurants I mentioned above, there were also plenty of places where you can grab breakfast, or a quick bite.
• There are a couple of Suma supermarkets and they are both within 2 or 3 blocks from the hotel. Great place to buy snacks and drinks to stock the fridge.
• Even though you need to switch metro trains to get to La Rambla, there are some places that are easily accessible from this hotel, such as Sagrada Familia and the Sants Railway Station.
• Well staffed. Everytime we dealt with the front desk (checking in, checking out, storing luugage, questions), somebody was alway available to help us.

Room Tip: The rooms at the back at the hotel were very quiet. Didn’t hear any traffic during our entire stay.

Experience posted by Yan, October 2011.

Mid Beach Season in Barcelona!

With ‘mid beach season‘ now upon us, most of the seasonal services have now been launched: showers, beach refreshment stands and outdoor lavatories will all be opened to the public.

Over all the weekends in April, the Easter holidays, and from 1 to 29 May, various Red Cross and Guàrdia Urbana [city police] rescue and first-aid services will be activated, along with environmental information services.

Cleaning measures have also been launched, with daily operations and an expected doubling of the number of waste bins.

Security measures include both uniformed and civilian police beach patrols on foot, and various beach-based prevention and response units for muggings, robberies and hawking on the beach.

What’s more, there will be extra patrols from district and specialist units such as: the Administrative and Security Police Unit (UPAS), the Day-Time Support Unit (USD), the Mounted Unit (UM), the Centralised Night-Time Unit (UNOC) and the Traffic Unit (UC).

The Barcelona Beaches website will be providing real-time information over the Easter holidays on sea conditions, flags, temperatures and sunshine (UV index) for each of the beaches. This year the city’s beaches will offer city residents 14 free WiFi hotspots, in addition to the 411 hotspots spread through out the city.

Don’t leave your vacation to the last minute. Make your reservation today, and don’t let your vacation go without you. Sink into Barcelona!!!

B-Hotel: Biggest rooms in Barcelona

Our B-Hotel has been awarded with the ”Biggest Rooms” distinction by venere.com users worldwide.

B-Hotel pays homage to the city of Barcelona, the modernity and design capital, through the giant letter B sculpture which sits atop the building, marking the city skyline.

The innovative and minimalist B-Hotel showcases a perfect balance of avant-garde style and cutting-edge technologies. The building features a blend of the latest architectural trends, and stands eight stories tall. It is home to 84 rooms and a private parking garage. It makes a great meeting place and has a beautiful and impressive lobby, where guests can enjoy drinks at the B-Bar or share some tapas and fine local wines in the B-Celler. Also offers a terrace with solarium, an incredible pool on the eighth floor, and some amazing views overlooking Plaza Espanya, Montjuïc and the Gran Via. It may be the only terrace in town with free Wi-Fi.

Venere.com is a trademark of Expedia, the largest online travel company in the world with presence in over 55 countries.

U232: Definitely recommend this hotel in Barcelona

I stayed in the U232 in September this year with my Fiance.

It was such a lovely hotel and really made an impression compared to some of the hotels we have stayed in before. The rooms were really well furnished and spotlessly clean. The flat screen TV was also a bonus.

The staff was helpful and always courteous which made for a very pleasant stay. Very close to the Metro this made it convenient for sightseeing and heading out in the evening.

Would definitely recommend this hotel to friends and family or indeed anyone going to Barcelona.

Experience added by Peter Graham, Sep 09.

U232 Hotel Business center with free internet 24/7