PRICE:
Frommer's Recommended

Although the guest rooms at this cost-conscious hotel have none of the architectural modernista grandeur that characterizes the foyer and splendidly elegant dining room, they're well scrubbed, comfortably sized, and outfitted with functional furniture and neatly kept bathrooms containing tub/shower combos. The building itself is a relic of the city's turn-of-the-20th-century splendor, constructed in 1902 by fabled architect Doménech i Montaner, designer and architect of the Palau de la Música, and formerly patronized by the likes of Salvador Dalí. A somewhat aging elevator serves the building's four floors, and the hardworking staff is comfortable with non-Spanish-speaking visitors. The lower Rambla, near where this hotel sits, evokes either cultural fascination or indignation, depending on how urbanized you are. Anyway, overall the Hotel España is an acceptable, historically rich, and well-managed choice for a relatively reasonable price.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Barcelona, 3rd Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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