5-Star hotels in Barcelona

As in all cities, 5-star hotels in Barcelona vary from the truly luxurious to just not worth spending your money on.

Hotel Arts, for example, has received many awards for its service and many people consider it to be the very best of the 5-star hotels in Barcelona -- really it's a very impersonal hotel, located in an inconvenient site and nothing more than a glass and steel monolith.

Although some rooms have a sea view, our opinion is that you'd do much better off staying in one of the really grand hotels in the centre of the city -- the Majestic absolutely lives up to its name and is close to two of Gaudì's masterpieces, Casa Batllo and La Pedrera. Also worthwhile are the Claris, again satisfyingly close to the Gaudì sites.

Le Meridien is excellent but let down by its proximity to the tourist infested Ramblas and one regular visitor to Barcelona we know has stopped staying at the Princesa Sofia due to the high level of prostitution there.

The Gran Hotel La Florida has a fantastic vista of the city, but is just too far away to really enjoy Barcelona, and like Hotel Arts, its too impersonal -- not at all our idea of luxury. If a 15 minute taxi drive is your thing though, the hotel could be your cup of tea.

One recent addition to the list of 5-star hotels in Barcelona is the Grand Marina, in the World Trade Centre complex. This ultra-modern hotel is located close to the ferry docks and although our preference is for more architectural appeal, the hotel does offer good service to its guests and is a five-minute walk from the bottom of the Ramblas.

Check rates and availability of 5-Star hotels in Barcelona with Hotel Pronto