After countless hours poring through websites and agonizing about location, price, and amenities, I finally decided on the Soho Hotel in Barcelona for our trip in the fall of last year. I won’t even bother posting pictures of the room because they wouldn’t do it justice… the hotel really does look like the pictures on the site (shocking, I know).

What I liked about this hotel was the fact that it’s relatively new, the location is convenient to practically everything in the city, the décor and amenities are clean and modern, the service is friendly, and the price tag was surprisingly affordable. I would highly recommend it to travelers with a moderate budget who want a comfortable, attractive place to stay. The metro station is just a block or two from the front door.

Here are a few general tips for travel to Barcelona and this hotel in particular:

1. If you arrive in Terminal 1 of the airport, get some cash at the ATM (usually much cheaper than exchanging dollars at the kiosks). Take the Aerobus A1 to Gran-Via Urgell (about €5 per person), and request a stop near the Soho Hotel, which is number 543-545.
2. Las Ramblas is within walking distance (about 10-15 minutes), or you can take the metro to the Liceu station. There are plenty of stations around that area, but that one is close to La Boqueria, which is an incredible fresh market. If you plan to use the metro a lot, it’s worth getting the T-10 ticket.
3. Visit Montserrat. It has an incredible old monastery built into the mountains about one hour from Barcelona. Take L1/red line toward Hospital de Bellvitge to Espanya station; once at Espanya look for FGC Line R5 headed towards Manresa. Choose the Montserrat-Aeri option to take the cable car from the metro to the mountain. This costs roughly €17 round-trip per person (includes train ride and cable car). Check the train timetable in advance, because they only run about once per hour, and not necessarily on the hour. Here is a pdf file to the current timetable. If that doesn’t work, the main site is here.
4. Do some research in advance and figure out what architectural and historic sites are most important to you. Unless you’re planning to stay for at least a week, you probably won’t be able to see as many as you think… the lines are long and the entrance fees can be pretty steep. Sagrada Familia is probably one of the most stunning sites, even if you only get to see it from the outside.
5. If you’re in Barcelona to grab a cruise, visit this site for information on transportation to and from the terminals. If you need transportation directly to or from the airport, go to this page.

I hope this information is helpful! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page.

Link to my Trip Advisor Review and others for this hotel.

Link to my Trip Advisor Review and others’ of Montserrat.

Link to Trip Advisor Profile: http://www.tripadvisor.com/members/venesueca