Our taxi ride from Barcelona Airport to the W Barcelona was a quick 25 minutes, and cost 30 Euros. If you are traveling alone, you may find the Aerobus to be a cheaper option between the two.
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Introduction: Spring break in Spain
British Airways Club World DFW-LHR
British Airways T5 Galleries South Lounge @ Heathrow
The Westin Palace Madrid
Renfe Preferred Class Madrid-Seville
Renfe Preferred Class Lounge – Seville St. Justa
Hotel Alfonso XII Seville
Strolling through Seville
Sights and Sounds of Majestic Madrid
Iberia Business Class Lounge Madrid Barajas
Iberia Business Class Madrid-Barcelona
The W Barcelona
Exploring Gaudi’s Barcelona
The Hilton London Heathrow Airport T5
American Airlines New Business Class LHR-DFW
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W Barcelona
Plaça de la Rosa dels Vents,
1 Final Passeig de Joan de Borbó
Barcelona, Spain
SPG Category 6 –> 20,000 points per night
Initially I was a bit hesitant to book the hotel after having read about Lucky’s mom getting robbed, but I gave in after seeing that most hotels in the area reported similar incidents on TripAdvisor.
Since this is a SPG Category 6 property and I value my SPG points at around 2 cents/point, I chose to pay for 1 night in both my rooms using cash @ 200 Euros per night + taxes.
The hotel is located at the edge of Sant Sebastià Beach, which is popularized by a lot of movies and shows. For those of us Shakira fans, it was featured in her music video for her single, “Loca.”:
Anyway, the locals sensibly call it the Hotel Vela (translated as “sail hotel”) owing to its exterior facade.
Upon arrival, we were promptly helped with our luggage by the bell boys and directed to the Platinum check in counter. Check in was an efficient process with the receptionist quickly explaining our Platinum benefits (free breakfast, suite upgrade, and free WIFI), and handing us the keys to one of our rooms. The double bed room was still being cleaned apparently. No issue there since we were headed out anyway.
The decor of the hotel, as you can see below, is rather glitzy and airy compared to other Ws where the lounge area was dark and moody.
I for one absolutely loved the decor and furniture in the lobby. I couldn’t get enough of those egg-shaped swing chairs, which brought back memories of my childhood.
Overall, I’m not a nightlife sort of guy, but I do enjoy the modern and trendy decor that W hotels offer. But I can see how it isn’t for everyone.
The Rooms
Our rooms were located on the 6th floor of the hotel down a rather oddly carpeted hallway with doors, which appeared to be part of the wall. The carpet was a bit much for me, but I guess it could help drunk people stay oriented? How are they supposed to find their rooms? Because those just look like they are part of the wall lol.
The Studio Suite
I didn’t know what kind of suite it would actually be until I walked in because the SPG app hadn’t been updated as of yet. It turned out that the upgrade was to the Studio Suite, which is quite spacious, but quirky in its own way. The room featured a bedroom attached to a completely open bathroom. There was not a door or curtain in sight separating the two spaces. My picture of the bedroom itself was corrupted so I had to borrow from the hotel’s website for this one:
The room featured a sitting room with some “hip” seating, and a window bench. There was a big screen TV and a desk across from it. Though the room felt stylish, it wasn’t in the best of shape with the carpet showing clear signs of age.
The bathroom featured a shower and toilet separated by semi-transparent glass doors. Oh yeah, if you like Bliss’s bubble gum smelling toiletries (I’m not a fan), this is your room because they were in full sized bottles.
The views from the room itself were expansive with most of Barcelona visible through the windows in the living room. The unobstructed views were probably the highlight of the room.
The Wonderful Room
Upon arriving back in the hotel after our trip to Parc Guell, we were given the keys to our double bed “Wonderful Room.” The room featured a nice comfy bed, a desk, a average sized television, and another window seat. As soon as you walked in, you could easily see the boardwalk and the calm Mediterranean waters beyond.
The Wonderful Room was superior in design to the Studio Suite with a decent level of cover between the restroom and bedroom. But if someone were to walk through the front door, there really wasn’t much stopping them from seeing who or what was inside. I understand having a jacuzzi exposed to the room, but I definitely don’t appreciate a shower being exposed to the rest of the room. My sister and I pretty much took turns sitting outside while the other got ready.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served at the Wave, from 7-10am every morning. As SPG Platinum Guests we were allowed to have anything from the buffet for free along with anything off the small a la carte menu pictured below:
Though the buffet is quite pricey at 33 Euros, I can definitely say that you are getting a lot more value out of this buffet as compared to other European hotels I’ve stayed at recently. For us, it presents a decent amount of savings for continued loyalty with Starwood.
The restaurant itself is barely segregated from the rest of the lobby and lounge area.
As soon as you start seeing an arrangement of tables, you know you are in the Wave.
Some of the tables featured spectacular views of the boardwalk along the Mediterranean.
In the middle of the restaurant was yet another set of patio swings. A nice place to sit and read normally, but oddly placed in the middle of what I thought to be the restaurant.
There was also an infinity pool and wrap around patio visible in the foreground.
Breakfast at the W Barcelona features a fantastic spread which included all kinds of pastries, rolls, breads, cereals, fruits, nuts, cold cuts, and more. It was not only great in quantity, but quality as well.
I absolutely loved the mini Carrot Cakes offered in the buffet, and enjoyed the cake pop. I know a lot of sugar in the morning.
However the highlight of the meal had to be the Mediterranean Foccacia Sandwich where both the fresh bread and veggies were just phenomenal. I guess this turned out to be more of a brunch than breakfast in the end 🙂
After breakfast, we headed out to see Sagrada Familia and some more of Barcelona’s iconic architecture (later post).
Bottom Line
The W Barcelona is not one of the best W hotels I’ve stayed at in terms of accommodations, but the location, views, and breakfast buffet more than make up for the weird room design. In my opinion the quality of the breakfast spread was among the best I’ve had at a chain hotel in Europe especially with the made to order items. Service at the hotel is rather good for a W, and staff for prompt in helping guests out in any way that they could. At the end of the day, you come to Barcelona to check out what the city has to offer and not to sit in a hotel room. In terms of that, nothing beats being steps away from the beaches of the Mediterranean and having those sweeping views of Barcelona. And if I were back in Barcelona, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here once more (if the rates were reasonable).
Have you stayed at the W Barcelona? What was your experience like?
