Tips on Accommodations

These are all high-season prices, with no discounts applied. But always peruse the category above your target price -- you might just find the perfect match, especially if you follow the advice below. Note to single travelers: Rates for singles may be available in some of the accommodations listed in this chapter -- call the hotel directly and inquire. To lower the cost of your room:

A Pool with a View

If you're looking for a hotel where you can take a swim, consider the following, whose pools also offer beautiful views:

Barcelona's Self-Catering Boom

New hotels, particularly of the three- and four-star caliber, are opening in Barcelona at an astonishing rate, and a further 300 hotels are due to be built by 2008. However, many travelers still opt for quality self-catering accommodations, which allow visitors greater flexibility and independence than hotels.

If you've ever been curious about the cute-looking apartments in the Old City with their curved-beamed ceilings and balconies brimming with ferns, or the tiled-entrance apartments with Art Nouveau facades in L'Eixample, now's your chance to get up close and personal. Wander around the Barri Gòtic these days, and many of the residential apartments you see are available for rent at reasonable prices by the day (normally a 3-day minimum), week, or month, enabling visitors to get a taste of what its really like to live in the city: to shop in its markets, cook its food, and make merry over glasses of wine around the dinner table.

Google "self-catering accommodations Barcelona" and you'll come up with pages of options, with something to suit every whim and budget. The array of apartments on offer ranges from small, practical studios for couples, to luxury apartments and penthouses for families or groups of friends.

If you're looking for something cultural and unconventional, one of the most interesting options is La Casa de les Lletres (House of Letters; tel. 93-226-37-30; www.cru2001.com), a thematic collection of apartments that pays homage to writers like George Orwell and the Catalan journalist and food writer Josep Pla, who had a special relationship with the city. Accommodations mix state-of-the-art facilities with an intellectual bohemian vibe. Poetry and prose are literally written on the walls. Situated in an elegant town house on the handsome Plaza Antonio López, the location couldn't be better, just minutes from Barceloneta and the Barri Gòtic.

More basic accommodations can be found at www.nivellmar.com, which offers seaside apartments -- or at least those that are no more than 200m (600 ft.) from the beach -- all the way from Barceloneta to Poble Nou. The places they offer tend to go after function rather than form, but are reasonably decorated, clean, and fairly priced. They are ideal for young travelers, or those with young children, who just want to be close to the sea.

For apartments with character that won't break the bank, check out www.visit-bcn.com, which offers everything from Barri Gòtic town houses, such as the lovely Dos Amigos in the heart of the Old City to minimalist loft-style apartments.

If it's luxury you're after, try www.friendlyrentals.com; they offer chic properties at a surprisingly good value. Every place on their books is categorized for its artistic personality (for instance, Rembrandt, modernista, Impressionist, Romantic, or Art Deco), and is described and photographed in detail. Many have private terraces and/or swimming pools and are considerably cheaper than a hotel in the same class.

Most self-catering apartments, whether booked through an agency or directly through the owner, require a deposit of 1 night and possibly a security deposit, both of which are paid via credit card or PayPal. Things to be on the lookout for include "hidden" costs such as cleaning and extra-person charges. In general, compared to hotels, apartments are extremely cost-effective, especially for longer stays. Don't forget, though, that you are on your own -- there is no concierge to help you find a drug store in the middle of the night, or direct you to the Picasso Museum.

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Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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				Frommer's Barcelona, 2nd Edition Author: Peter Stone Pub Date: May 07, 2007 Price: $16.99				Related Titles: Frommer's Barcelona Day by Day, 1st Edition Frommer's Madrid, 2nd Edition Frommer's Mediterranean Spain with Your Family: From Tranquil Villages to the Bustling Costas, 1st Edition