Barcelona - The Experience

The most memorable experience of my days in Barcelona were discovering the city. For instance, there's the Plaza Real, which is secretly tucked away towards the southern part of Las Ramblas.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way I got around Barcelona was walking and the Metro. Barcelona is an incredibly easy city to navigate through. Bari Gotic and Las Ramblas. The metro is a quick way to get to Barcelona beach or the Puerto Olympico.

The NH Calderon is Europe's version of the W or Ian Schrager hotels. It is very contemporary, very urban, and centrally located.

The rooms at the Calderon were spacious. The hardwood floors and the decor (navy blue and gold linens) could easily be someone's apartment. The bathrooms seemed a bit industrial.

If you choose to stay in the Calderon, please be aware that they do not provide irons or ironing boards in the rooms(you may want to confirm this) before you travel.

I've said it once and I'll say it again: The best way to dine in Spain (for your money's worth) is by having the Menu del Dia (Menu of the Day).

Through my experience in Barcelona, on our way to the Bari Gotic, we stumbled upon Rosa Negra (Black Rose). The name may scare you at first, but the food will easily change your mind.

The restaurant serves Mexican fare in what seems to be not-so-Mexican surroundings. The colors of the restaurant are vibrant, tropical colors; however, they have an interesting decor piece: a bunch of dolls side by side, hanging from the wall. The dolls were created by a woman in Mexico, hence their connection to that country.

The beef quesadilla is excellent! For only 8€, it is worth every bite.

4Gats, as any Samantha Brown-watching Travel Channel Fan can tell you, is the restaurant where Picasso used to hang out.

The dining experience was great! For my appetizer, I had a seafood masterpiece (mussels, oyster, etc.) with pasta. My main course was salmon with cottage cheese. It may sound funny, but I found it to be a tasty treat for my taste buds. Finally, I ended the evening with dessert, which wasn't that memorable.

The server was very attentive. I found the sommelier to be insensitive to what the dining guests would like.

Overall, it is a dining experience I will treasure fondly. The surroundings have so much history that you can't help but be taken in by them.

Club Fellini is located in Las Ramblas. It was my first club experience in Barcelona.

The atmosphere of Club Fellini is something that you can find in any club, locals, tourists, and wannabe VIP's all hanging out together.

The club has three dance halls, all playing a different kind of music. One thing that does stick out is the relaxed nature of the Barcelonites. The men and women were dressed very casually, and some women wore no makeup. These individuals looked like they had rolled out of bed. It was refreshing to see that there were no restrictions on how you can express yourself by your attire.

Barcelona is amazing!

The city is so diverse in what it has to offer: the people, the food, and the sights.

One of my favorite sights was Montjuc. Montjuc is a museum that sits on a mountain. I had the pleasure of going here during one of my evenings.

The fountains move to the music (a la Bellagio), but it is grander than that. It is one of the most breathtaking and romantic spots on my entire trip through Spain. From the moment, I walked by the fountains an instant feeling of amazement fell over me. The music, lights and the water transport you to a "happy" place. Montjuc was such an incredible site to see, I will return to Barcelona to re-visit this old friend.

The hotel experience was an interesting one.

I found the front desk staff to be rude and uncaring. There was only two individuals in that hotel that made an impact during my stay, the bellman and one of the Front Desk Agents. Upon arrival to our guest room, the noise from the renovation going on was unbearable.

The NH Hotels website stated the renovation noise, would not cause any inconveniences. This proved to be false.

We considered moving hotels, since our stay in Barcelona was a lengthy one (10 days), but we opted not to. It made another memory to add to the trip.

Having heard such wonderful things about the service of the NH hotels across Europe I was baffled by the service that I received.

The only part of the hotel, that I enjoyed was the rooftop pool, with its wraparound view of Barcelona.

As a hotelier, I have learned to give places second chances, however, I will certainly consider returning the NH Calderon. The rooms were great; however, the service needed a renovation.