Principal Hotel - Barcelona

1 - no frigobar 2 - internet too much expensive 3 - bad woman as receceptionist 4 - breakfast too much expensive 5 - bad and poor furniture (dir2ctly from 80's year)

Excellent location! Staff extremely helpful! Rooms were very large with two front balconies. Will stay there again when we return to Barcelona.

Great experience & loved the hotel & staff especially the morning greeter very involved.No carpet on the floors made for a little more noise @ peak times but not bad. Suggestion..an ice bucket available for the room as bags didn't stay frozen long. Have & will continue to recommend.Booked on line but have recommended to our travel agent for future clients. Bravo

The hotel is good provided we were attending a large mobile conference and it was easy to commute by metro to the Fira conference site. It is close to Ramblas a very entertaining location. The hotel needs to provide basic hotel needs such as slippers for walking, facoal cream,water..But overall is ok.

A very clean and centrally located hotel, very pleasant and helpful staff, albeit I did expect a higher standard for the price. A very family friendly hotel - quiet and undisturbing unlike some others that I have visited.

I booked the trip to Barcelona and hotel for a surprise for my husbands birthday, and we certainly were not disappointed in either the City or the Hotel.

Location is good. But there are some ants in the room. Wifi is excellent.

My wife and I stayed here on our honeymoon. We enjoyed the hotel as it is fairly modern and very clean. The beds are not the best and the showers don't have a curtain so you ahve to take care when showering so that you don't flood the bathroom. Also, the hotel had soft water, which made showering annoying since you never really are able to wash off all the soap. However, the rooms are big and very clean and had a balcony, which was a nice feature. However, our room faced the street and it was very loud due to late night revellers and street cleaners that come through seemingly througout the night.

My wife and I used the hotel simply as somewhere to sleep or return to, in the afternoon, for a rest. This is our second time using Hotel Principal and, again, we were not disappointed. It's proximity to Las Ramblas made our stay so much easier. The Barcelona Metro is so handy, Liceu station is only 3 mins stroll away. A few late night party revellers disturbed us, in the early hours, but this is to be expected in such a vibrant city. Our main, but 'very petty', complaint was that there was no coffee supplied in the room - only tea... so with so little to complain about our stay was very pleasant.

There are many 4* hotels which could learn a lot from this hotel. Beautifully furnished and decorated, spotlessly clean and comfortable room with excellent bathroom and very comfortable big beds. The location is OK albeit on a backstreet. However its only a couple of minutes walk from Liceu metro, so its very convenient. The maids get a bit noisy after 8:30am, but there's so much to see and do in Barcelona, you should just get up anyway! (Note to hotel: Its a pity the hotel doesn't have a little bar of its own. Its such a nice hotel, it would be a pleasant place for a drink either before heading out for dinner or at the end of the evening) Will stay here again!

I even had a birthday present from the hotel!

Friendly staff, good room overviewing the alley, excellent location, breakfast a little too expensive. All in all very nice hotel !

The location was excellent, only a couple of blocks away from La Rambla. Some might think these are "worse" quarters but we found the area nice and relaxed with lots of locals. The streets were lively in the evenings, we felt good and safe. And there is an excellent restaurant just next to the hotel (La Biblioteca)! The service at the hotel was not extremely warm but we got all the help we needed. The room was nice and clean. Good value for the price.

The neighborhood where this hotel was located was not the best. It was a few blocks west of La Rambla and walking back to the hotel at night was a little unsettling. All of the businesses along the route back to the hotel were closed and dark. I would not stay in this section of town again.

Good location. Clean hotel. Bed was very poor. Like sleeping on a board. price was good, but sound proofing in the rooms makes one careful of talking too loud.

Good hotel; it is more a three stars than two for me. I had a huge room. The only bad thing is the surroundings; if you get the wrong way, instead of going to las Ramblas, you go to a terrible block with horrible faces. Take care... bring with you a city map.

The noise (from the street or from other bathrooms)is the main bad point. Nevertheless, we would recommend this hotel.

The hotel was centrally located and close to La Rambla. We felt safe and comfortable in the area, even at late evenings. The staff were friendly, and booked restaurants for us whenever we asked. All in all, the hotel was perfect to us, related to the price we paid.

The best 2 star hotel we have ever stayed at. A small refrigirator in the room will bring it to a top even among 3 star hotels

This was our first visit to Spain and so our impressions may or may not be a good comparison to our experience in Italy. The staff were competent, but not overly welcoming. The rooms we had were good, and the price was fair. The breakfast at 10 Euros is not worth it - you can get better coffee and food cheaper just down the street at the corner bar. As others have indicated, the surrounding area of the hotel can be quite seedy. If you stay on the main path over to the Ramblas you are fine (take a left as you exit hotel), but if you go right and wander down some of the side streets it is VERY seedy with many prostitutes, etc. The actual geographical location to the Ramblas (and metro) is good - central and easy. Don't think I would stay at this particular hotel again, but as I mentioned above, maybe my expectations were a bit too high.

The location was close to what we were looking for = about at the middle of the Rambla. The street was silent.

Hotel is really good. It is central and far just 5 minutes from les Ramblas...so you can reach easily all most popular places of Barcelona. Rooms really clean and good staff. I reccomend it.

We stayed i Roma for 3 nights. 4 adults and 5 children aged 1,12,14,16 and 16. The hotel is close to La Rambla in a quiet street. Location is good and the hotel is nearby everything.

Rooms were fine, slightly gloomy but clean and comfortable.Bathrooms surprisingly good but could do with a box of tissues. Excellent location. We had a case stolen from the lobby as we were checking out. This was tracked down (very slowly) on CCTV and reception called the police for us and did all they could to help.

This was my first stay in Barcelona. A colleague at work, Mark Giberson, had recommended the hotel highly. We had a warm welcome when we arrived very early in the morning,after a midnight bus ride from Madrid. Our comfortable double room faced the inner courtyard; the rooms facing the street had balconies and looked wonderful. The shower was state-of-the art. Their location is ideal--close to La Rambla and the metro, but on the working class side, with easy access to superb restaurants near the Market and a standup coffee bar just down from the hotel. Staff are attentive, the sitting room and library offer magazines and newspapers in many languages, and there is free internet usage. My friend was unable to access wireless service from our room but did so in the sitting room.

excellent hotel in bcn,let's book it

Fine hotel in an excellent location to a very good value.

Convenient and comfortable At theprice we could not have asked for more Breakfast was excellent The kettle in the room was a most welcome addition

The relationship between price and quality was very good, the place is very near to ramblas and also to an nice market. For some days city-visiting very good.

Room according to expectation. Possible to improve bathroom function by extending splashguard (glass-wall) to avoid water all over bathroom floor when using the shower.

Stayed in a tripple room. The hotel was very comfortable and in a great location, you could walk every where.

I have stayed at this hotel several times and am always very pleased with the service. The only reservation I had on this occcasion was that the computers they are using are too open and need to be locked down immediately. There were several browser settings which could have allowed passwords to be obtained. This really needs urgent attention. Otherwise highly recommended.

When I booked the hotel I didn't realise that it was quite so far back from the Ramblas. The walk to it from the hotel was not pleasant - it was a little intimidating especially as on the first afternoon we witnessed a horendous fight in one of the alleyways.

Albergo consigliato

A clean well maintained hotel with a good breakfast each morning, we will come again. The location is very good near the Ramblas.

Check-in was 1 hour delayed

Struttura di livello superiore a 2 stelle. Le camere standard sono di dimensioni contenute, ma con spazi ben organizzati e arredi nuovi. La posizione è strategica e comoda per visitare la città. Ci siamo trovati molto bene e sicuramente lo raccomandiamo.

Good Location, near to Las Rambla and Gothic quarter.

We were a bit unlucky as the weekend we planned to be in Barcelona turned out to be the F1 weekend and all the hotel rates were ridiculously high. That is why we had to settle for this hotel. The big negative is that although it is close to La Ramblas, the side street this hotel is located on is very seedy. The rooms are average at best. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

great organic place round the corner

Very nice place, only 5 minutes walk to the Ramblas and the Liceu, directly in the heart of Barcelona. Excellent breakfast is served. We stayed there 8 days.

It took 3 people to connect and get the television to work. The availability of 3 computers was a plus but two of their keyboards were seriously defective and some connections quite slow. While the immediate area is a bit dicey, the property is very close to La Rambla, a major thoroughfare. The directions from the subway station were woefully incomplete.

Excellent value for money, great location (2 minute walk from Ramblas and Liceu Metro station. Great breakfast and rooms are clean and perfectly adequate for somewhere to crash at night. Would go back again.

The hotel was generally very good, but rooms at the front are VERY noisy and prevent a good night's sleep. The area around the hotel is very seedy and in the evening quite threatening. There are many - including me - who would not wish to walk through this area to the hotel at night.

barcelona is great! And this hotel is great too. It really is. Really worth more than 2 stars. Though I had a bad view out of the window (well, I had no view at all it was a wall just in 2 meters) the room was awesome. Small and cosy. Great TV by the way =) I don't know why people wrote about bad location. The location is perfect just 2 min away from Ramblas. I had a great vocation there and will recommend it to my friends and will stay there again if I am in Bcn.

The property exceeded our expectations. We did not partake of the breakfast.

Overall satisfied, however the room was not spacious and 2 people with 2 suitcases leaves no space for anything else. The bed is small and the mattress keeps sliding. Location and hotel interior is nice and

Una habitacion tal y como se muestra en las fotos, pequeña pero con un baño muy grande y limpio. El hotel esta situado justo en medio de las ramblas, con parada de metro al lado. Muy centrico para ir de tiendas. Silencioso, buen servicio y si vuelvo a ir a barcelona, sin duda repetire.

Hotel was great. I traveled to Barcelona with my Mom (age 72). She was a bit nervous walking to and from Las Ramblas at night. For me it was not better or worse than walking in any strange city in the evening. The hotel was clean and convienent. We loved going to La Boqueria every morning for a bite to eat.

Our short stay in Barcelona was a very pleasant one, in this really insipiring city. Hotel Principal was very practical in its location, we were in walking distance next to a lot of hot spots.The street's not really beautiful, but El Raval has a lot of charming cafes and hidden places to relax. Our room was clean, nice beds, but very, very loud , we could hear everything from the gasts above us, whether our window was open or not. If you need silence it's not the best option (at least this room). The personal wasn't really enthusiatic in helping us with touristic information, but the price was okay. Internet available and a nice roof place.

Very pleased with stay and would recommend hotel however location may not be ideal for some.

I wanted a room convenient to La Rambla and this proved to be an excellent choice on a quiet street a couple of minutes away. The hotel was quite satisfactory even though I was in a room without a view of anything and while it wasn't huge it was just fine for a single gent. Great bathroom! The staff was very accommodating and breakfast was quite satisfactory. I would happily stay here again and recommend it to anyone looking for similar requirements. I also very much appreciated the free Internet access in the lobby.

Friendly and well informed staff. I hope the next time I want to stay there is a room for me!

very clean, quiet and functional room, excellent location, helpful staff

Really great service, which I had stayed longer. Was expecting a smaller room but this was great and even with a balcony. It was so close to everything too. Thanks very much

Very good hotel, excellent breakfast! Not very service-minded staff and a little creepy surroundings - but otherwise perfect located!

The neighborhood was a little seedy, but the quaint little restaurants/bars nearby made up for this.

I felt the actual hotel matched it's online info very well, no surprises. The area it's in seems a little seedy, but it's only a 3 min walk off La Rambla, and I didn't have any experiences that made me uneasy. I was very happy with the hotel and my room. The staff seemed a little cold though.

The room was fine and clean, although we had a window that faced a wall that we could not even see the sky. The Hotel is surrounded by store where alcohol is dispensed on the sidewalk. Returning late at night to the Hotel made me feel insecure due to the men sleeping on the floor on the nearby plaza and others consuming alcohol on the streets. We were treated very well by personnel.

Nice location in the center of the city near to all places of interest but also near the splendid market (Boqueria)… It is not agreeable to return to the hotel at night alone due to the market. The room (#312) is clean with a small balcony; the bathroom is spacious enough with all accessories – hairdryer, shampoo, bath form etc. The internet is working well except of the computer in the center of the table :) To turn the internet – press “Enter” or call for a receptionist. We had breakfast at the café at the corner - “Les 6 portes” (it will be closed for vacation till the 27th of October) – about 12 euros for 2 persons.

It was a very nice hotel and great location!

great place. amazing location. very very helpful staff - we left a pair of sandals in the room when we flew back to Australia and they organised to mail them back to us.

really really nice...

Nice clean hotel. Not far from the Rambla - however, the area is not Barcelona's most beautiful.

Very good Hotel in a strategic area of the beautiful Barcellona . Within 200 meters from the hotel you walk on the Rambla and the main attractions. Overlooking the Rambla, you're middle way (about 15 walk) from Catalonia Square and Colombo's column along the sea side. Hotel is very clean and employees kind and discreet. We were a couple and really appreciated our stay here.

Really nice service and they where wery helpfull

We spent 6 days in Barcelona. The hotel is very central and close to Placa Reial and the main shopping area and also within walking distance of beach, port, Sagrada Familia, Casa Batilo and many other attractions. Although the street is slightly shabby, the hotel itself is modern, clean and comfortable and the staff were very helpful. We would certainly use it again. A great way to see the city is to get the 2 day pass for the hop-on, hop-off tourist bus.

We ended up in a room on the 5th floor which meant going to the 4th floor in the lift, winding our way around very small corridors until arriving at a tiny, tiny lift to the 5th floor! Ridiculous, but I think they are in the process of doing the hotel up by stages. The availability to the internet was definitely a highlight. The hotel is very close to the Ramblas without being noisy. The room was very pokey, but we didn't spend much time there so that was bearable. Overall, quite good

It was our first time in Barcelona and we really enjoyed it!! The location of hotel is perfect! Though our plane was late, we still were able to get a bus and when we came in hotel at about 1-00 am, we were friendly welcomed. The receptionist (unfortunately we don`t remember his name), checked us quickly in and also gave us a lot of valuable information about Barcelona, provided us with a map and marked on it the main sightseeing. Thank you very much!!! The breakfast was perfect for almost every taste. Also we liked the interiors of the hotel - it`s indeed very stylish. Free internet access was positively surprising. I hope we could visit Pricipal hotel again!

The Hotel Principal was ok. Nothing special, but nothing too terrible. I felt it was a bit expensive for what you got, but the location of the hotel speaks to that so I can't really complain too much about that. There was some remodeling going on during our stay so there was a lot of load construction noises throughout our stay, however they were considerate enough to begin this work a bit later in the morning and stop it before it got too late in the evening. I wouldn't say DON'T stay there, but I wouldn't say you HAVE to stay there, either.

Great location, just short walk to the Rambla. Room was "standard" and small, but very clean. Breakfast was a huge buffet with a lot of choice, but not included in price. Great value for the money.

Perfect located for nearly everything in Barcelona. We were a bit concerned about the area because of what we had read from former visitors at venere.com, but there was nothing to worry about at all. There is lots of "normal" people walking the streets until late at night, and you feel safe. It was even closer to the whole city center than we thought, so we would definitely stay here again! The walls on the hotel is a bit thin, so you should consider bringing earplugs for sleeping.

Our stay at the Principal was very comfortable. We had a large room and bathroom, and free internet access which is very convenient when travelling. It was just behind the Ramblas, so we could wander there very easily, and always took a walk through the market La Boqueria on our way. There was a laundromat very close by in the same street and a good little supermarket. It is close to everything and in walking distance to most things. The only thing we didn't like was that the shower head had no holder on the wall, so when you had a shower you had to hold it up above you with one hand. Strange!! The price seemed to be reasonable given the location.

Nice and clean hotel near main Barcelona attractions. A bit hot and with the air bit noisy. Recomended

wonderfull days in barcelona, the hotel in a super location, friendly, very comforatable room, my daughte and me enjoued in staying there....

Hi myself and my girlfreind stayed at the princible,the map location was excelent,we found it with no problems,the location is excelent,the hotel is 2 star but very clean and modern,would deffently stay their again,regards keith ,n.ireland

Hotel is okay and clean. Location is not the best but acceptable being only abouty 500 meters from La Rambla. Room was spaceous and staff friendly. Parking is a big problem and dropping luggage, due to narrow road, caused need to keep moving car as other cars wanted to get by. Overall, the hotel is acceptable and a relatively good value for the cost.

Hotel location is great, just a few meters away from the Ramblas (Liceu), yet it was quiet. Room was spacious and clean. Hall is rather impersonnel, but there is free access to Internet. We did not take breakfast at the hotel as there is a large choice of places for a coffee and pastry in the immediate vicinity of the hotel. We were especailly with the various good hotel rate, however we understood this varies a lot depending on season and events in town.

The Hotel is just EXCELLENT.. Definetely, it was the best hotel from my trip. The location couldn't be better. It's very close to a metro station and next to Las Ramblas, which is a great place, with many restaurants! The rooms are big, modern and clean.. Actually, the whole hotel is very modern and he offers internet FREE. The people were friendly and really helpful. If I come back to Barcelona, that's my hotel, for sure.

Great location. Good room. Free internet in lobby. Overall great value for money.

Just read the rest of the comments - excellent hotel just a stone's throw from the Ramblas for a VERY reasonable price. Would definitely stay there again on our next visit to Barcelona. Room was fairly small but we had a little balcony at the back. Our room was very modern, clean and perfect for a quick break. We can't comment on the breakfast because we went to a local cafe (excellent again) but overall I would certainly recommend this hotel.

First room had smell of stale stagnant water. Water was lodged under marble bathroom floor.Reception did not liked being asked for new room but I got one. Asked for wake up call and did not get it.Loud talking at 4.45 a m. Rooms not sound proof.

We stayed for 3 nights and found the hotel exactly as described: clean and friendly room, large bed, nice bathroom, friendly and professional staff. Happy to recommend, very good price/quality relationship, i think. Very near to Ramblas, Liceu, Tapa Bars, Flamenco Bars (5 minutes by foot). Street environment around the hotel a bit scary (as described by others).

Very good situation / Rambla, metro, Rambla de mar (Aquarium), theatre Liceu, Barrio Gotico

The quality of the room depends on the position within the building: the backyard is really ugly but rooms to the front are noisy. But I liked the little balcony to the street.

This is a nicely renovated hotel situated only 5 minutes walk to about half-way up Las Ramblas. Breakfast in the hotel is superb value, with cereal, pastries and some cooked options like bacon, eggs, and beans. The staff in the hotel are all very friendly and helpful. The hotel would suit any sort of traveller. We had a toddler with us, and he enjoyed the whole trip. Barcelona probably doesn't have enough parkland for his liking though! The street the hotel is on is quiet and we got three great nights' sleep there. The walk to Las Ramblas feels a little seedy but we had no problems. Avoid the coffee shop en route - one of our coffee cups hadn't been rinsed properly and the dishwashing solution blistered my mouth! The area behind the hotel was distinctly seedy. Turn right at the top of the street and you'll be fine.

Very nice breakfast!

We stayed in a room with Large beds, Very quiet room. The free internet was very useful. We used the desk to reserve places at restaurants a few times and they were very helpful. We did not have the chance to try the 8-euro breakfast, instead we walked (5 min.) to the La Boqueria market and ate there every morning.

We were in Barcelona for four nights. This location is great--about three blocks off the Ramblas, and close to the center of the Barri Gotic--very walkable to everything including the Mercado San Miguel which is a great place to go for breakfast or fruit (and meats too, if you have a way to cook them). It is on a narrow street and therefore quiet even though it is very close to the center of Barcelona pedestrian night life. Our room was very clean and well appointed--not luxurious--just right for the budget traveller. We had the breakfast the first day. It was decent food and adequate variety and all-you-can-eat so a good value, but we wanted to get out of the hotel and experience breakfast with the locals so we only had the hotel breakfast that first morning. The staff were all helpful at calling for reservations for us, helping with transportation info, calling cabs. The all spoke English well.We would recommend this hotel to anyone travelling to Barcelona on a budget.

++ very good location ++ good breakfast ++ very nice people -- you have to wait enough in order to find an available computer with internet conection -- some of the people from the reception are not very friendly.

Pricipal hotel is really good place for weekend in Barcelona - close to Ramblas and Barrio Gotico makes this place excellent for visitng city and get the atmosphere.. The rooms are really spacious.

Good value for money as hotels in Barcelona are very expensive. It is just off Las Ramblas and a few minutes walk to Placa Catalunya where you can catch the Hop-on, Hop-off Tourist Buses that take you to some really amazing sites. It is not a spectacular hotel but if you just need somewhere to sleep when you are not out, this is a good place. One word of caution to light sleepers - this is not the place for you as it is not the quietest neighbourhood!!

Fine hotel , nothing too fancy , close by everything . Not sure though If I would stay there again.

We thoroughly enjoyed staying here - perfect location, 2 minutes to La Rambla and the market. The room was very nice, lovely bathroom, modern decor, clean and comfortable. Overall we thought this hotel was excellent quality at a very good price and we'd stay there again.

New refurbishment, clean, modern (LCD TV in the room and stylish washroom). Free internet access in the lobby. Location is convenient. Just abit small for the room. But its a 2 stars hotel, what do u expect? Definitely will stay in this hotel next time!!

Very good standard for a two star hotel. Almost in the middle of the center of Barcelona, just a hundred meters from the Ramblas.

big works in the street: is being reniewed with new pavement and trees. Will be fine. Easy to park the car. Near the Ramblas (150m) and metro and bus.

clean, basic rooms. Ideal base yourself for a few nights to see Barcelona.

Cheap and great location. 300 meters from La Rambla. A lot of hookers nearby, so be aware when returning to the hotel after midnight. Whatever you do, do NOT bring your own car to this hotel. Parking alone costs you around 25 euros each night, and the standard of the parking houses in this area is below everything.