Hotel Principal

I have just returned from the Hotel Principal after a weekend stay. How this hotel only has two stars baffles me. Therefore, this is the BEST two star hotel I have ever stayed in. Here is why : * Location - You could not have been more central unless you were staying on La Rambla itself (2 minute walk) * Clean! - The hotel was spotless from top to bottom. Including the reception area, rooms & lounges. * Rooms - The rooms look like they have been recently renovated. We had a plasma TV, jet power shower & clock radio. Although a little small, they were more than adequate seen as we were only in it to sleep. * Breakfast - This was included in our price (or was 7 euros payable at reception). A great selection of cooked meats cheeses, cereals, fruit, pastries & even bacon & sausages! * Staff - The reception staff were excellent. From providing us information about the city to ordering us a taxi to the airport on checkout - brilliant, & maid service everyday. * Other - The hotel has 2 computers that offer FREE internet access! Brilliant! It also has 2 lounge areas for relaxing with books & newspapers and a snack area with vending machines. That is why I think this hotel is great! We will be going back next time we are in Barcelona.

My friends and I spent New Years 2006 in Barcelona and were not disappointed with this brilliantly located hotel. Clean basic rooms (these were cleaned even after 17.00pm) with free internet access in the lobby and friendly and approachable staff who offered valuable advice to 3 travelling girls. There is only one lift which is a bit small but we never encountered a long wait. The room we stayed in was also quite small but had all the adequate fittings we needed to enjoy our stay. There were occasional echoes from people coming and going but not enough to disturb any sleep. Las Ramblas is approx 5mins walk away (this was extremely beneficial when we headed out at 23.45pm new years eve to enjoy the champagne celebrations at short notice) and the Liceu metro station is visible as soon as you turn onto it. There are some cool quirky jewellery shops right by the hotel as you head towards Las Ramblas and once you're onto the busy street, head to the right for some shopping by the Marina and onto the left for Catalunya/L'Eixample (some cools bars, clubs). If you don't take the breakfast option, there are some nearby cafes you can go to for a quick munch. 'La Fonda', located just off Placa Reial offers a value for money evening meal with bars nearby to wind down. We found it safe to walk to even late at night so don't be put off because it's on a side street. Hotel Principal is tucked away enough to avoid the congestion but near enough for you to still enjoy the vibe and atmosphere of a very happening city and for a very reasonable price! We plan to return on our next visit and would recommend this to various groups of travellers.

We are staying here over Christmas 2005. The hotel is better than your reviews. The room is large, fully equipped and clean, the staff are friendly and the breakfasts are great. Great price too. Location is 5 minutes walk from La Ramblas, so it is ideally situated for the city centre and a quiet nights sleep. However, avoid the streets at the back of the hotel. I would highly recommend it to others and would stay here again. It is definately worthy of more stars***

We stayed at the Hotel Principal for 6 nights in November.It was great for all our needs.Our room on the second floor was modern,clean and comfortable with a lovely bathroom.We had a tiny balcony overlooking the street and whilst its not the most picturesque of views it was good to get the atmosphere. It was quiet at night and the room was cleaned every day with new towels etc. Breakfasts were good with a varied choice which set us up for the day. Some of the streets at the back of the hotel, farther away from the Ramblas looked like they were best avoided but the main areas seemed fine.We would certainly stay here again

We stayed here for 3 nights. The hotel is about 2 blocks off the Ramblas. Easy to get to. We took the train/metro from the airport (~4 Euro/person) When we arrived it took them a few minutes to find our paperwork ( prepaid voucher ). We got a great room on the 3rd floor. Nice big room with flat-screen TV and plenty of room. The view wasn't all that great but we weren't there to sit in the room. Hotel has free internet and a Wifi zone downstairs in the lounge. The breakfast was 4Eruo (if you book it with your reservation) and was worth it. We would definitely stay here when in Barcelona. (Oh and don't miss dinner at La Fonda, the only good restaurant around the Ramblas. Avoid the Attic)

We were so influenced by reviews about the Hotel Principal on Trip Advisor that we booked it even though we were generally booking hotels one category higher than this one. We can only thank all those previous guests for their advice as we can confirm that it was a very pleasant hotel, great free internet, helpful staff, good breakfast and handy to La Ramblas without the noise. The only disadvantage to us was the very small room, but then who spends very long in their room in Barcelona. In our opinion it was better than most of the higher rated hotels we stayed in around Europe.

This hotel has 2 stars. Compared to other 3-stars hotels in other big cities they really deserve an extra star. Staff is super friendly, they speak other languages like french and english quite good. The rooms are tidy and are cleaned every day. The bathroom has what it needs. The breakfast was very good. Hot and cold buffet and a variety of drinks. What i really liked was the free internet access. No hassle of getting registered or getting a card to surf. But just wait until a pc got free and you could get on the net without a problem. The location couldn't be better. A block away from the busy Ramblas, and only a 10-min. walk to the waterside or the place catalunya. Some very nice restaurants and bars in the neighbourhood (Rita Blue i.e. has very very taste cocktails for a good price 4-5 €). We usually pay 5-6 here in our town. Next time i visit BCN i'll surely come back to this hotel and will recommend this to people i know who want to visit bcn as well.

I chose the Principal because I found some pretty good reviews for it, and it was reasonable. By and large, I think it was a good choice. My room was fairly basic, but was clean, as was the bathroom. Importantly, the air conditioning worked well and took only five minutes to cool the room down to a comfortable level on the hot days I was there (I believe that air conditioning should be used sparingly). Breakfast was good value. The Principal is centrally located, just off the Ramblas, about a 10-minute walk to Catalunya. It's not luxurious, but I would recommend it to anybody who wants value for their money in Barcelona.

I've just returned from a 2 night stay at the Hotel Principal and was very impressed! My friend booked the room and I was pretty apprehensive as I usually don't stay anywhere less than 3*. I wasn't expecting much but this hotel really surprised me. OK, it wasn't The Plaza, but it was great value for money. It was basic but the beds were comfortable, room was big and everything was spotlessly clean. We had a room on the 4th floor facing the front with a small balcony. I really liked the location, there were several small supermarkets and cafes within a minutes walk and the main buzz of La Ramblas was 5 minutes walk. All the staff very very friendly and helpful. They also have a few PCs you can surf with for free and a wifi area. The only niggle is that the lift is tiny and only holds 4 people, but hey, what's the rush? I'm already planning my return visit!

This hotel is just off one the main squares in the city. It is a basic tourist hotel offering all that you need for a stay in Barcelona. Good clean accommodation, excellent continental breakfast, and all at a very fair charge. We had an old style room, the newer rooms looked very good.