"To say that Hotel Arts in Barcelona is the BEST hotel we have ever stayed in, is quite an understatement. We never knew that hotel staff could make your stay more amazing!! This hotel hires people from around the world, thus making people from around the world feel more comfortable. They are trained to think of things that you would never think of.
From the moment we checked in until after we checked out, they made us feel special and cared for. As a busy full-time working mom, to not have to think about anything was amazing. We traveled from the US on an overnight flight and landed around 9am, exhausted and disoriented. When we checked in, the gentleman at the front desk could see we were in rough shape, and he granted us a room while we waited for our room! We were able to have a temporary room to nap, clean up, change, etc. We felt badly making the cleaning people clean an extra room but to them, it is no problem. They truly want to make you as comfortable as possible.
Knowing it was our 10-year anniversary, I suspected they may give us a bottle of champagne or something. But with the champagne, they also gave us this beautiful and decadent assortment of chocolates, along with the most lovely and personal handwritten note. Our first day was simply amazing!
I don’t want to spoil all the little things that they did, because there is something to be said for being surprised by their creativity and thoughtfulness. And really, the “little things” are big things. But I do want to give a special shout out to the staff at Bites downstairs, specifically Gabriel, Romina, and Eirena – while everyone was amazing, these 3 are a power trio of awesomeness!! They are incredibly thoughtful, generous, and just lovely. When you talk to them, they listen, and they make sure you feel cared for as customers. They made an effort to get to know us. Who knew a café could be such an experience. Additionally, a big thank you to Blanca for her thoughtfulness 😊She is just lovely!!
A few things about the hotel: there is a huge family pool that overlooks the ocean. You simply cannot beat the views. There is an adults-only pool as well that felt so relaxing since we didn’t bring our daughter with us. Some people by the adult pool complained about the construction. But honestly, it didn’t bother us. Knowing they are investing in major upgrades to make the hotel even nicer was great! We will benefit when we go back someday. They are redoing the gym and spa. As an interim solution, they took a few rooms on the 4th floor and converted them into the gym and spa. Difficult to explain, but it just works. One room was the cardio room, one was weight room, and one room was for stretching. They have the best smelling cold towels for your face after your workout (great to walk in from the hot sun after touring around). I asked what the scent was and the lovely girl who helped me went as far as to email me the recipe and invite me back down to smell the essential oils so that I could make my own at home. So thoughtful!
We loved the small café off the lobby so much (Bites) that we didn’t try the main restaurant for breakfast until the last day. The spread was INCREDIBLE. Gorgeous fresh fruit, every pastry on the planet, every beverage (including healthy juice shots!), incredible coffee and hot buffet – you name it! What a way to try everything (and all so good)!
We tried Enotecha as our big anniversary dinner and a special treat. It was amazing! Every taste was a delight, and we had 3 people waiting on us from 3 different countries! They knew so much about the dishes and made sure I was safe with my food allergies (red shellfish).
The location is walkable to the beach and Barceloneta. It is a little further from the main tourist attractions, but there is a metro stop nearby, one of the main train stations about a mile away, and cabs are ALWAYS waiting out front. We never had to plan extra time for dinner reservations for transport. The cabbies know the hotel and are there. Most expensive cab ride was to Park Guell, and if I remember correctly, it was maybe 20 Euros (everything else closer to 10 Euros, give or take). My only complaint was that a few of the cab drivers took advantage of us and took the long way. One even went to the further train station when we did a day trip. So frustrating - but I don’t know how to prevent it. Maybe you could have the hotel staff (several out front) tell the cab where you want to go and ask for the most direct route? The Gothic Quarter was about a mile walking (and we loved it so much we spent a lot of time there), so we would often take a cab to dinner and stroll home.
This place was truly home while we were away. As I get older, I generally don’t love being away from home. I like the comforts of my home and things, and this was the first trip in YEARS that I didn’t feel out of sorts. Yes, you are still living out of a bag with your toiletries in small bottles, but literally, everything else is amazing. You have a filtered water faucet in your room! And if that doesn’t work, they give you bottles (and if you want more bottles to refrigerate them, you can stock up at the gym). Shampoo/conditioner/shower gel provided, along with some smaller toiletries that you may have forgotten (like toothpaste). I am sure if you forget anything you could call the front desk and they would bring it up.
I don’t think I mentioned that we used points for this stay. There have been times in the US where we have been used our Marriott points and there has been an attitude signaling that because we didn’t “pay” for the hotel, we didn’t get certain things or were not treated the same way as a “paying” customer would. This was not the case here. This hotel is so appreciative of your business, and every customer is treated like royalty. They recognize that as customers, we have a choice on where to stay and they love that you have chosen them!! The experience was so special and we will be back. If you are thinking of staying here, do it! This is a 5-star hotel that lives up to the experience!"
