Travel to Barcelona

5 UNIQUE PLACES TO STAY IN BARCELONA

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Traditional architecture in Barcelona

HOTEL 1898

Formerly headquarters of the Philippine Tobacco Company, this exceptional hotel is located in Las Ramblas, in the center of Barcelona, where luxury and small pleasures, in a colonial style, remind you 19th century Spain. Featuring a rooftop seasonal swimming pool, suites with private terraces, a spa and a heated indoor pool as well. Work out your tensions in a well-equipped cardio gym with sauna and steam room, or relax with aromatherapy, massages, or reflexology. The multilingual staff, concierge service, and 24-hour front desk are happy to help you. The hotel also offers an array of amenities to the business traveler. The business center, conference room, meeting rooms, provide ample space to complete business. The facility also offers an audio-visual room and free Wifi. A restaurant, 2 bars and 2 coffee shops are on site for the use of the guests of this 169 room hotel.

LE MERIDIEN BARCELONA

A 231 room hotel situated on the famous Las Ramblas Street in the heart of Barcelona’s bustling and historic district. Relax with a fine selection of cocktails in Le Pop Cocktail Bar or dine in the Centonze Restaurant with products bought from local markets. The non-smoking rooms are family friendly, allow pets, are wheelchair accessible and air conditioned. For the business traveler, laundry services, dry cleaning services, and a business center with internet access are available. The hotel has 7 meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 126 guests as well as a banquet room. After a long business meeting or a day of sightseeing, relax with excellent room service or work of the tension in the fitness center with gym, workout room or spa. The multilingual staff is happy to assist you.

OLIVIA BALMES HOTEL

A modern hotel deemed as an oasis in the heart of Barcelona. The modern amenities are designed to satisfy the most choosy travelers. With soundproof windows and enclosed balconies, you will be able to relax but all the while enjoying Barcelona. This 128, all-exterior, room hotel boasts of modern, cutting edge materials used to made each guest rooms an unforgettable experience. The air-conditioned, family-friendly rooms are wheelchair accessible and spacious. Soak up the Barcelona sun in the rooftop outdoor pool and terrace or work off your tensions in the new 7th-floor fitness room. Business travelers will not be disappointed with the conference rooms and small format meeting rooms with state of the art technology and free Wifi. The Seventeen Restaurant, Bar and Lounge offers a combination of Mediterranean and Catalan cuisine with the tranquility of large windows to let in bountiful natural light and ambiance.

ALMA BARCELONA

This 72-room hotel in located in the heart of bustling Barcelona, in an elegant building that dates back to the start of the 20th Century. Contrary to the exterior, words such as modern, chic, and stylish and used to describe this hotel. Only a 3-minute walk from the Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia metro station, it is easy to navigate the city from here. The individually decorated, modern rooms are air-conditioned, offer free Wifi, and feature stylish furnishings and even bathrobes and slippers. Relax after a hard day in the indoor pool or sauna or arrange a soothing massage. Business travelers will appreciate the meeting rooms, free high-speed internet, and service. The hotel has a restaurant, a café, bar, and a garden terrace.

EL PALACE HOTEL

This 5-star hotel, located in the center of Barcelona, is very close to Las Ramblas and the city’s main attractions. The elegant 125 guest rooms are tastefully and individually decorated with historic significance in mind. This pet-friendly hotel also offers child care and entertainment for younger guests with on-call medical staff. El Palace has a parking service but also offers luxury vehicles with private chauffeurs. The fitness buff will be awed by the fitness center, gym, and workout rooms. The business traveler will be inspired by the 24 business center with free internet, printers and materials.

 

Barcelona- The City Showcasing Spain’s Known Festivals

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La Mercè Festival

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Barcelona,located on the northeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain is Spain’s second largest city, has gained popularity amongst tourists post hosting the 1992 Olympic Games. The city, though modern still preserves its ancient routes and is known for its outdoor markets, museums, churches and the Ciutat Vella (“Old City”), which is the core centre of town.

Retaining its traditional routes, the city besides its historic architectural wonders and warm weather is known for the various festivals it celebrates giving an insight into Spain’s culture and history.  Some of the known annual fiestas include:

  • Cavalcade de Reis
    Celebrated every year on January 5th involves a float parade of the Three Wise Men. The event is popular among families due to the presence of decorative floats.
  • Sonar
    Known as the festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art is celebrated over a period of 3 days in the third week of June to celebrate music.
  • Festes de Gràcia
    Celebrated on the 15th of August annually, it is a Catalonian celebration conducted to commemorate the Assumption. Marked as one of Barcelona’s most important fiestas, the city is decorated with colour, music, food, fireworks, parties, fun and excitement. The Festes de Santos is a small version of this festival which is celebrated in late August.
  • Monegros Desert Festival
    Conducted in the desert of Fraga, 200 Km from Barcelona, it is the biggest and most popular 20 hour nonstop electronic music festival in Spain drawing a crowd of over 40,000 people every July to celebrate electronic music with the best DJs playing styles like techno, house, electro, drum, bass, hip-hop and dubstep.
  • Sant Jordi
    Celebrated on April, 23rd like Valentine’s Day, is one of the famous celebrations in Catalonia. People give books and roses around the streets.
  • Corpus
    Known as the Corpus Christi day and celebrated in Late May, an egg is placed over churches’ fountains and ‘magically dances’ over the water. Some of the fountains include the Cathedral’s cloister, Casa de l’Ardiaca, Santa Anna and others at the city centre.
  • Fira de Santa Llúcia
    A celebration to commemorate Sta.Lucia on 13th December is celebrated from December 2nd to December 23rd. Christmas objects and trees are sold in front of the Cathedral, as well as elements required to make pessebres (Nativity scenes) such as small sculptures and wooden pieces. December 13th is known as the feast day of Santa Lucia who was the saint of fashion designers and blind people.
  • Revetlla de Sant Joan
    A mid-summer solstice celebration done annually on June 23rd is signified by fireworks displayed all night.
  • La Mercè
    The annual festival of Barcelona celebrated on September 24th is an official holiday established to celebrate the Roman Catholic feast day of Our Lady of Mercy. The day is marked with various activities, including a gigantic parade and ‘castellers’ competing to form the highest human tower and the Magic Fountain and Fireworks show. People indulge themselves in Cava, the national drink of Catalonia.

Besides the above, Barcelona has trade fests throughout the year known as Fira de Barcelona which welcomes more than 70000 visitors to the city.