Our blogger and Travel TV Presenter, Becky Hayes, has just returned from a short break to Barcelona. In this article she talks about a “chilled out” break and her experience on the 26th floor of the W Hotel !
If you are looking for a cheap summer getaway then Barcelona cannot be beaten! Full of culture, history, fantastic architecture, beaches, shopping and fantastic nightlife it’s one of my favourite short haul destinations.
This is the 2nd time I’ve been this year and this time went with my husband so it was a little more chilled out compared to my weekend with the girls there back in February!
We stayed at the 3* B-Hotel right in the centre. I cannot rate this hotel highly enough. The location is fantastic; its right next to the Metro has a direct bus to the airport across the road and is next to a modern shopping centre. It also has some fab tapas restaurants alongside it. It’s great in the summer especially as it has a very chic rooftop pool that is reminiscent of Ibiza. We spent most afternoons there with a chilled bottle of cava, watching the hustle and bustle below.
I took my husband for cocktails at Eclipse, which is a bar on the 26th floor of The W Hotel. It’s exactly the kind of swish atmosphere he likes with a very cool crowd and a DJ playing. However I have to say I was disappointed by it this time. Even though the views are fantastic, you don’t get much chance to see them as they pack the bar too full. We could barely move in there at one point and it became very uncomfortable. Also we noticed (and I’d heard rumours beforehand) that there were a lot of call girls in there. It became obvious because as we were trying to take pictures of the views, they would all cover their faces! There were no tables free to sit at because the call girls were sat at them drinking champagne. We didn’t stay very long.
A new bar that we discovered is Club Pipa. This is like no other bar I’ve ever been to before! It is also called the secret bar as it’s hard to find and with no signage outside. It’s in a square just off La Ramblas and you find the door with a buzzer on it. You then have to ring the buzzer to be let in. You then walk up 2 flights of stairs in darkness (we thought it was all a hoax and we might get mugged at this point) and arrive at a small, funky bar. It’s dedicated to Sherlock Holmes and has old pipes and memorabilia everywhere. It is definitely worth finding!
Generally most restaurants you find in Barcelona do great food, all reasonably priced too. As my husband and I are big foodies, we decided to treat ourselves on our last evening and go out for a nice dinner in the Gothic Quarter. Firstly, the Gothic Quarter or el Gotic or Barri Gottic as its known, is a beautiful place to spend your evening. It’s like a film set from an old movie and there are so many gorgeous little bars and restaurants to be found amongst the winding alleyways. We went to PLA, which had great reviews on trip advisor. It’s intimate and romantic inside with great service. We had Pork Carpaccio and Foie Gras Pate to start followed by Fillet Steak.
During the summer months you can go to Barcelona for under £300 each; that includes flights and a hotel in the centre. I would definitely recommend a short break there!
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