Banense
Google
This establishment (not quite a hotel but not quite a hostal IMO) is located on part of a floor inside a historic building, so it’s not the entire "hostal" taking up the whole building. We checked in and were greeted by a gentleman at reception named Adam. He took payment right then and there at check-in, instead of at check-out as I was used to. He then showed us to our room, the breakfast area, and on to the large terrace. Adam gave some helpful advice on what’s around and how to get to the main tourist sights, as well as some good restaurant recommendations nearby which we used eventually. ||The hostal itself was very small and homely with only 9 rooms, like staying at someone's house. It was very quiet and we hardly ever saw anyone else there other than Adam and the housekeeper, and the occasional guests in the breakfast area or terrace. Often it felt like we were the only ones there. Nobody was at the reception desk after hours or early in the morning, you just get a number to call in case you need anything urgent. When we checked out early in the morning, there was nobody there (hence why we paid upon check in) and we just left the keys on the counter. The lobby is just a sofa and a reception desk, and nobody was ever hanging out there that I saw. ||The terrace was the highlight of the property, however, we didn’t use it much as it was either too hot when the sun was out, or the furniture was wet from rain, and at night it was pitch black out there. It would have been nice to have some string lights or any other type of lighting out there. Also the Wi-Fi out there was often pretty bad.||The Wi-Fi in the hostal was generally really bad for us and very spotty. It was sometimes better in the breakfast room but not completely reliable. We ended up going to the bakery café next door instead to use their much better Wi-Fi. In fact, of all the 4 hotels we stayed in during our trip to Spain, this one had by far the very worst Wi-Fi. ||The room was average with a double bed, a single bed, a wardrobe, and some storage cubbies. The bathroom was small and narrow and unfortunately not very well equipped with toiletries. For example, for shampoo/conditioner/body wash (3-in-1) there were just small packs, so we had to go buy bottles of them at a convenience store. There was also no lotion, no tissues, no shower cap, etc. (however they do have a hair dryer). The shower did not have hot water at first, it had to run for a few minutes to get it. The pillows on the bed were two very flat pillows, so I had to ask for more. Even though on the room door there is a sign that mentions a laundry service, it's outdated and they don’t. However, the nearest self-serve laundry is only a couple of minutes' walk away (Tina Express), which worked fine for us. ||There was a basic continental breakfast in the small breakfast area which is 5 EUR extra per person, per day (paid on the honor system upon checkout). It was basic but enough variety for us and included fruit, hard boiled eggs, toast, pastries, lunch meat, yogurt, cheese, milk, juice, and coffee. There were also free water refills and coffee/tea available for free anytime (the free water cooler was great so we could fill up our bottles every day before going sightseeing). Even though it was small, there was always seating available as the area was nearly always empty or people would just take food back to their room to eat, so our family often had the whole thing to ourselves without seeing another soul around, which was nice for me. ||The location was the best thing. Tons of cafes and restaurants around. Safe, upscale, leafy neighbourhood. There was a great bakery café called 365 Obrador right next door with good Wi-Fi and reasonably priced lunches (empanadas, sandwiches, salads, etc.), drinks, coffees, and delicious treats where we had dessert almost every night. La Pedrera and the beautiful, shady, busy boulevard Passeig de Gracia is only a 5 minute walk away. You can also walk to Sagrada Familia in 20-30 minutes. Very easy home base for sightseeing. ||Ultimately, the best part was the location. The worst part for me was the value for the price. We stayed 4 nights here and it cost just over 1,000 EUR. I've heard Barcelona is the most expensive city for hotel stays in Spain, but this was the most expensive hotel we stayed at during our whole trip, and we stayed at much better ones for less in Madrid, Sevilla, and Granada. Also, the fact that for that price breakfast is not included, the Wi-Fi was pretty dismal, the pillows very flat, waiting for hot water in the shower, and the lack of amenities (decent sized shampoo and body wash) in the bathroom, I would not whole-heartedly recommend or return here.
