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| (Above 3 photo's from Acta Atrium Palace website) |
After spending three nights in Barcelona and writing a lot in a blog post here, I thought that a separate review of the hotel would be more ideal to go into more depth.
THE HOTEL
Upon arriving at the hotel you are greeted by a long lined avenue filled with tall trees which are perfectly shaded. The building itself is grand, tall and tidy with cute balconies. Flags are hung outside with Acta atrium wrote on them, as the Acta chain includes hotels in Madrid and Andorra.
The staff on the front desk were most helpful, speak excellent english and supply you with maps and suggested places to visit. Our room was not ready and the gentlemen on the desk let us freshen up in the spa bathrooms and offered to look after our luggage whilst we explored Barcelona for a few hours. The decor is wonderful, very clean, crisp and you always spot something new whilst leaving and entering during your stay.
LOCATION
The location is something I found most appealing when booking the accommodation and It's what i struggled to find whilst booking this surprise trip. I first spent much of my time on Air b&b but found it hard to locate one close to almost everything. I stumbled upon this hotel on the web and found it an ideal location for the reasons below.
The hotel is within walking distance to Placa de Catalunya, which is where the main transport routes are for the aerobus, metro and tour bus. If it's a taxi you'd like, there is a taxi rank directly outside the hotel, prices are reasonable and they have card machines. If you are arriving my plane however and are on a budget, i would suggest the aerobus which is €6 and arrives at Place Catalunya. Walking with your cases from here to the hotel would take around 10minutes. Alternatively a taxi was around £20, this may change depending on the taxi rank you get into outside the airport.By foot, you are just around the corner from La Rambla and the high end shopping area Passeig de Gracia. There are many food places around the hotel which offer a fantastic range of food. I would recommend 'Bitte! Wurst' and 'El Fornet' for lunch'
The hotel provides a great location and is very easy to find, you won't get lost!
ROOM
I had chosen a Suite room, which came with a large balcony with outside jacuzzi, sun lounger and table. Inside there was a very large bedroom and lounge with two tvs, two minibars, large wardrobe, sofa and chairs, desk, safe, espesso machine, kettle and other instant coffees. The bathroom includes a corner jacuzzi bath and corner shower with bathrobe and slippers. Also provided were the normal toiletries of toothbrush, shaver, shoe polish, shampoo etc, if it were needed. These rooms on face a very busy area of Barcelona and an area which in fact, never sleeps. The roads are noisy and this can make sunbathing a little uncomfortable. As you can see we were also unfortunately greeted by a small building site as improvements were made to a building opposite.
As you face other buildings, the balcony doors have been mirrored for privacy. However, in our room which i believe was 702, the bathroom window is not mirrored. In the evening when the lights are on and its dark outside, the buildings opposite will see inside...
The suite overall was incredibly spacious, however some rooms as you can see below were a little dark and artificial lighting didn't always help. Everything we were provided was fab and a feature we especially liked was the plug inside the safe. Giving the option to leave items on charge such as cameras or phones whilst out in the day or evening. I would say however that our balcony to be a little overdue a revamp. The jacuzzi was very well used and some buttons didn't work, such as heat and lightning.
OTHER FACILITIES
There is free wifi all across the hotel which offers a great connection. We were able to watch Game of Thrones one night without any interruptions or buffering. There is also a small internet room provided close to reception if you were to need a computer during your stay. Along with a sitting room if you wanted to relax at any time waiting for transport.
The hotel provides a free spa with sauna and small pool, with the option to book a treatment. I personally didn't get the chance to use these facilities during my stay but reviews of them on TripAdvisor are positive.
Breakfast is also an option to your stay. I had already opted out of this as there are cheaper alternatives a short walk away from the hotel, so again i cannot comment on the food or hygiene.
The hotel reception also provides a FREE sweet corner which of course I put to good use!
COST
If i were to book these rooms tonight for one stay at a standard rate without food or extras, they would cost...
Double room for one: €153.22
Double room: €163
Double room with terrace: €183
Triple room with child: € 199.68
Triple room for three adults: €239.61
Suite: €250
These prices all include the cancelation option which bumps the price up slightly. Booking in advance can also bring the prices down slightly. Personally, if I were to return to this hotel I would opt for the Double room with terrace, or take my changes with a Double room and hope to get a small balcony like the ones featured outside the hotel entrance.
See more reviews on TripAdvisor of Acta Atrium Palace here.
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