Axel Hotel

We spent almost a week there before new year, 2005 and that was one of the best hotel experience we ever had in Europe. Its clean, lovely, cozy, modern design, freindly staff, kind clientele and very stlyish all together. It completely fits the need of an urban traveller. The hotel has just perfectly sized pool on the roof, its a shame its not heated, and has a jacuzzi which is heated (!), sauna and steam room. Its a great place to chill out after a long day spent in Barcelona, and also really close to some funky bars, and clubs... more

I've stayed here on half a dozen occasions now. The hotel is well located in the Eixample, a short walk from Passeig de Gracia, perfect for shopping. I booked the Axel suite at around $320E /night. The suite is quite comfortable, although not huge, it has a very functional sitting area with a small tv. The bathroom is a triumph of style over common sense. There isn't anywhere to put anything in the shower, and those glass screens present a bitof an assault course for getting to the loo. I surfaced at 1115, and asked for some... more

Simply the best "gay" hotel I have ever stayed in. We stayed in one of the superior rooms which was spacious, spotlessly clean, had an adorable balcony, jacuzzi bath, and unbelievably comfortable king bed. The overall design is very cool and trendy. The roof top pool/gym/spa area is wonderful. Unfortunately the Sky Bar was closed in March as it was still rather chilly at night. The staff are very friendly and full of helpful tips on where to go, what to see, and how to get there. I highly recommend the metro system. It is fairly... more

Excellent hotel: gay-oriented but straight-friendly, as their handsome website asserts in a nice challenge to good old-fashioned heteronormativity. And friendly it is: cool rooms, friendly helpful staff, nice city breakfast, great location in the heart of the Eixample, excellent food nearby. Lovely comfortable rooms, stayed in February so hard to know how much it heats up (literally and otherwise) in the summer. Very relaxed feel - nice for homosexualists and for straights with sense as well. 15mins walk to the Barri Gotic, Raval etc.... more

This was actually booked as a Christmas present for my parents but I ended up joining them in the end. My initial reservations re. it being a 'gay' hotel and their website being overtly gay were unnecessary. The hotel is in a fantastic location with las Ramblas and Passeig de Gracia just 10 mins walk away. The building itself is beautiful with two columns of stunning windows which form part of the more expensive rooms. The lobby is very cool with a trendy bar and restaurant/chill out area and adjoining clothing shop.<br... more

Just back from a week long first-time stay at the Axel and it was great. Excellent location, lovely room and immaculately clean. The Axel is a gay-oriented hotel, but this was so low key that it couldn't alienate anyone. The staff were really friendly, there was a decent restaurant and good limited room service. My room was in the middle-range in terms of size and was perfect, although I'm sure a smaller room would be OK for a shorter stay. The Axel is great value for money and a stylish and comfortable base for any stay in Barcelona.

We booked this hotel for over the Valentines period and where extremely pleased with our choice. We arrived early to checkin and the staff on reception were brill, giving us a map and giving suggestions as to where to go to start our sightseening. The hotel staff were always happy to give us directions and recommend places to see. Our hotel room was fresh clean and breezy. The quality of this hotel is impeccable. It's professional service, modern upbeat vibe and standard of rooms and services would definitely make us want to return.... more

having checked out the cheesy graphics ont he website, I had some trepidation about the Axel. I was booked into this for a conference, so granted that it probably wasn't the typical mix of guests, but I found this to be a friendly, largely competent, above-average 3-star. Good location, rooms were clean and bright with wifi (shame no bath :-( after days walking exhibition halls. To me the defining characteristic of this hotel is the friendliness of the staff. The chaps working on the front desk and in the bar were most helpful - eg. I... more

I stayed at the Axel Hotel at the end of October and I have to say that it was probably the best "gay oriented" hotel I have ever stayed in. The room were modern and very spacious, especially nice were the ameneties like the CD player in room, flat screen TV's, free bottled water and the plush bedding. I never recieved any attitude what so ever from the staff nor did I see anyone ever receiving any either. For gay travelers--the hotel is right in the middle of everything---bars, restaurants, etc. Most touristy... more

We stayed at the Axel for a big birthday celebration with a number of friends. The superiour rooms are excellent and crisp and cool (though definitely not cheap). Centrally located and all the sights of Barcelona are within walking distance. The leisure facilities are great and overall one of the better hotels I stayed in recently. My only gripe is with the bar staff who were less then interested in the customers and more interested in chatting to eachother. On several occasions they had to be reminded that they may want to serve waiting... more