We wanted a hotel with a wow factor for a city break in Barcelona, we found it at the Barceló Raval.

Barcelo Raval Reception

Having arrived early in the city, we parked our car at the underground parking next door to the hotel and went out to explore and get some lunch. It was slightly disappointing when we arrived in reception after the standard check in time of 14:00 to find that our rooms weren’t ready. We were surprised also to find a rowdy group of lads also waiting to check in. Our receptionist kindly offered to store our luggage and gave us a ticket for a free drink each on the roof terrace, after which we were promised our rooms would be ready.

Wow! The outdoor 360° terrace on the 11th floor of the hotel offers amazing views over Barcelona. You can walk the whole way around taking in the sights of the city, there’s even binoculars provided for you to zoom in and focus on the landmarks. If you’re looking for a tan, there’s a tiny pool for a dip and sun beds to laze on, as well as a bar which is open from May to November.

Thoughtfully the hotel had provided rooms next door to each other for the family, the room numbers light up through the carpet floor in the corridor. The rooms are staged in darkness, so that you have the full effect of the purple lighting on entrance.

Barcelo Raval Room

The curtains are electric, so with the push of a button, the curtain pulls back to reveal your view. We were allocated rooms 509 & 510 which looked out over the reception area of the hotel. You could pay an extra of €22 per night on arrival to upgrade to a higher floor, but quite honestly there is a mesh style metal front surrounding the hotel, so the best clear view shots are from the roof.

Barcelo Raval Shower
Barcelo Raval Toiletries

There are some nice touches at the Barceló Raval, you can choose your air freshener from green tea, red berries or grapefruit – or none if you prefer. There’s a pillow menu, tea & coffee making facilities, iPhone / iPod docking station, free WiFi, large TV and air conditioning.

Barcelo Raval Ambience

If you’re sharing with friends, colleagues, or children you may not appreciate the frosted shower divide which doesn’t leave much to the imagination, however as a couple we made each other laugh with our shower shadow dancing antics. Rest assured the toilet cubicle is private.

The rain effect shower was lovely, and it’s great to find a proper shelf where you can stash your toiletries in a handy position. The sink is part of the general room space, rather than contained within the bathroom area.

Barcelo Raval Sink

We visited the bar on the roof terrace in the afternoon when it was a chilled out zone with guests enjoying the views. At night it had a great vibe and felt like the in place to be, with beautiful people enjoying the music, watching the sunset and the city lights.

The location was perfect for us, we loved the Bohemian feel of Raval. The hotel was within easy walking distance of Plaza Real, La Boqueria and Las Ramblas with some quirky shops, bars and restaurants along the way.

We would definitely return to stay in this hotel for future visits to Barcelona. The Barceló Raval has 182 rooms and 4 junior suites.

The Sunday brunch sounded like a nice way to spend an afternoon at the hotel, served from 12:00 – 16:00 with a DJ and split between the B-Lounge and 360° Terrace. The hotel has a continental buffet style B-Breakfast priced at €8 per person, per day which can be added to your booking on arrival. The B-Lounge restaurant offers a tapas or a la carte menu dinner service from 19:00-23:00.

We loved our time in Barcelona, do contact us if you’d like to book a city break.