I needed two hotel nights in Barcelona during my La Première adventure. Initially, I strongly considered the iconic W Barcelona. At 20,000 Starpoints for a room that retailed in excess of €500, that would have made for a nice redemption. But, I found the location a bit lacking. It’s a fantastic beach hotel, but a little far from the rest of Barcelona. Both Hilton and Starwood have other decent hotels in Barcelona, but I found better prices at smaller boutiques. That brought me to the Hotel Granados 83, in the heart of Barcelona’s “Eixample” neighborhood. A cash rate of €141 for an “Individual Executive Room” included a free bottle of wine in the room.
Hotel Granados 83
- Enric Granados 83, 08008 Barcelona, Spain
- Website: http://www.hotelgranados83.com/
- Features: restaurant, lobby bar, rooftop bar, pool, pet friendly, room service
Location: in the “L’Eixample” district of Barcelona, on a centrally located but fairly quiet street. The hotel is a 15-20 minute walk to Plaça Catalunya, and one block from the Provença subway station. Barcelona Airport is 13 km southwest, and takes 15-40 minutes by taxi depending on traffic. If using mass transit, your best bet is to take the “Aerobus” to Plaça Catalunya, then walk or take the subway on the S1, S2, S5, S6, S7, L6, or L7 lines to Provença. I’ll discuss transit options from the airport to central Barcelona in a future post.
Date of Stay: April 27-28, 2018
Check-In
I arrived about a quarter to 9 in the evening, after walking over from Plaça Catalunya. Nobody else was in line at that hour, so an agent helped me immediately. The friendly clerk offered a tourist map of the city, and directions to the nearest metro station. Within a few minutes, I headed up to my room for some much needed rest.
Common Areas
As a small hotel, the Granados 83 also has a compact lobby. The lobby has a clean, modern design, with red marble flooring with some green tile mixed in.
Meanwhile, tucked away in the corner is a comfortable seating area and an…interesting…bearskin.
What makes the lobby unique, though, is the large collection of Indian antiques. I asked the front desk about these. Apparently, the hotel’s owner just likes Indian art, and bought them in India to bring back to the hotel.
In the back of the lobby is G Bar, a small but swanky looking spot for a cocktail. I didn’t see anyone here during my stay. But then again, I called it a night by 9:30, which is seriously early by Barcelona standards.
The hotel has one restaurant, “3 Restaurant”, serving Spanish cuisine and open for lunch and dinner. “3” offers a 3-course, prix fixe menu for lunch for €14.50, which includes a beer or glass of wine. Not a bad deal. Or, you can order a la carte for either lunch or dinner. I didn’t eat at the hotel during my stay, so can’t comment on the food.
Granados 83 also has a rooftop pool. The cool late April weather (upper 60s the day I visited) made it a tad chilly to be up here. But I bet it would be refreshing on a hot summer day.
Guest Rooms
I selected an “Individual Executive Room”, meant for one person. This is indeed a small room, with one double bed. A piece of modern art decorates the side wall. The bed, while a bit firm, was comfortable. Though they perhaps went a bit overboard with all the pillows…
In the corner to the right is a standard flat screen TV. I do appreciate the placement, as it’s easy to watch TV from the bed.
On the right-hand side of the bed is a nightstand with a plug underneath. Outlets are standard European issue, so make sure to bring an adapter if necessary.
In the center of the room is a proper (and long) desk, though with a somewhat uncomfortable chair. Under the desk on the left side is a minibar. The hotel website claims the desk is made of Indonesian tamarind wood. I don’t know if that’s true, but it does look nice.
Waiting on the desk was the promised free bottle of wine for booking on the website. This Viña Pomal Crianza is a surprisingly decent Tempranillo for a freebie. It’s a bit strong bodied, though smooth enough to drink by itself. The wine retails for around $13 for anyone interested.
You’ll find another plug at the end of the desk.
As for storage space, the room contains a small closet by the door. You can also stick a small roll-a-board underneath the bed if you need more space.
Meanwhile, I found the bathroom surprisingly spacious compared to the room itself, with space for both a shower and bathtub. The fresh rose by the sink is also a nice touch. Amenities are provided by The White Company and were quite nice.
The biggest issue I had with the room was the lack of light. The window faces another building across the street, so it’s pretty much always dark inside. Then again, I spent virtually no time in the room except for sleeping, so not a huge deal I guess.
On the whole, the other problem was, I couldn’t really see what justified spending more for the “Executive” version of the single room. From what I can tell, the only difference is the fancy tamarind desk. That’s not worth an extra €10 a night, in my opinion.
General Hotel Location
The Eixample district is an excellent base to explore Barcelona. The hotel itself is on a quiet side street, though just a few blocks west of Rambla de la Catalunya and a couple of blocks south of Avenguda Diagonal.
Within a few minutes walk in any direction are a multitude of shops and restaurants. During my short visit, there’s a decent tapas bar, El Apeadero, just a block to the east. Patatas bravas for an afternoon snack sure hit the spot.
Or if you’re in the mood for a bocadillo, you can get a decent one at Boldú, a well-known Barcelona sandwich shop, a couple of blocks north along Carrer de Balmes.
As mentioned earlier, the Provenςa subway station is just one block east, and provides easy access to the rest of the city. La Sagrada Familia is about a 15-minute walk to the northeast. In short, I like the location as one that’s convenient to most everything, but avoids the crowds and noise of more touristy parts of the city.
Final Thoughts
The Hotel Granados 83 provides decent (if small) rooms at a decent price. It reminds me in some ways of The Renwick in New York City, though not quite as artsy. It offers a good, quiet location for exploring the city, with excellent access to the metro. I’d recommend it if you’re in the market for a boutique hotel in Barcelona.
