Icaria Barcelona

Had left message when booking that we'd be arriving late, and requested a non-smoking room with a terrace on a high floor. On arrival, offered standard room on first floor, (which we later noticed was a smoking floor). I pointed out my message and request; reception phoned housekeeping requesting a higher floor, and we ended up in what we thought was the best room in the hotel. Whether this had been held back for us or it was pure fluke we'll never know. It was one of only two rooms in the hotel with enormous terraces. Ours had a panoramic view from the Olympic Village to Montjuic; over the old city; Tibidabo in the background; to Sagrada Familia; and the "Gherkin" quite close. None of the standard rooms have balconies. Our air con didn't work. Facilities generally good. Breakfast plentiful but no decent orange juice - fruit squashes and juices all very sweet; good coffee; hot side of buffet poorly cooked, particularly the eggs. Buses, supermarket and beach very convenient. On the whole excellent value with a terrace (chance of getting one probably remote); couldn't recommend a standard room, but possibly just about OK for the money.

Geoffrey Wilkins, Cheshire
Mature Couple (36+)

Excellent hotel in a very good position that is close to the beach. Added bonus of having a pool at the hotel, albeit a little small. There is building work going on but this did not spoil our enjoyment. Staff very friendly and room was modern and of a high standard. Good selection at breakfast, only complaint being that cooked food was warm. Hop on hop off buses stopped very close to hotel and are well worth experiencing. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this hotel and can't wait to return next year.

Colin Galloway, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Mature Couple (36+)

Icaria is a lovely hotel, probably about 15 mins walk outside the city or 5 euro in a taxi or if u are getting the tourist bus, there is a stop just down the street.
The hotel is quite young and trendy as are the people who work there.
Bedrooms are spacious and spotlessly clean with heat and airconditioning that you can adjust yourself.
Swimming pool area is gorgeous,decked and with big leather sofas and squashy cushions that you can sit on by the pool...very hip.
Breakfast is plentiful, cereals,fruit juice,fruit and yogurts,cheeses and cold meats, bacon,eggs and beans and of course the lovely buns and pastries....served from 7am until 11am.
I wouls recommend this hotel and would stay there again.

Brenda Reeves, N Ireland
Group of Mature Friends/Couples

I stayed at Hotel Icaria in the first week of June of 2006, and enjoyed myself immensley. The hotel was trés chic and modern, it was always clean, and the staff was very friendly.  There were times that I couldn't get the use of a working iron, and had to ask about 4 times for one, but was rectified quickly afterwards.  The hotel is an "ok" location as it's a bit of a walk from Las Ramblas or the center, but a short walk to the beach area and Port Olympic.  Port Olympic has numerous bars and and restaurants, which specialize in any type of seafood you desire.  If you don't mind walking, Las Ramblas is about a 25 - 35 min walk.  I would definitely stay here again!

C. Montague, Toronto, Canada
Solo Traveller

Stayed here for weekend to see  barcelona football match. Excellent hotel, very modern, pool, sauna etc good spot near beach/marina .

Paul Summerson, durham, england
Family with teenagers 12+

On this a second visit to Barcelona we wanted even nearer to Barcelona's beaches and the Icaria delivered 4* luxury but was just a 5 minute walk to Port Olympic and its adjoining beach. The hotel is very modern with free internet access as well as flat screen TV's in the bedrooms.While the staff are slightly offhand they provide info when asked and are relatively efficient. The breakfast is buffet style with a range of hot and cold foods to suit all palates although sometimes due to number of guests ran out of juice coffee or whatever and staff needed prompting to replenish but invariably did. Metro is a 10 minute walk but bus into city centre is outside and frequent with the T10 or T50 metro tickets being able to be used on bus or metro and costing less than 50p each trip. Near the hotel is a small shopping centre with supermarket and selection of restuarants including mexican and chinese (cheap cheeful and tasty)For upmarket eating Port Olympic is the place especially for seafood but the steaks are also good.Barcelona has it all shopping beaches and excellent museums to visit as well as bus or rail trips to great holiday spots e.g. monserrat or Port Adventura-even a visit to the local markets are fun-only one word of warning watch out at all times for pickpockets and thieves who target tourists and despite police presence still seem to get away with it

tony connell, Aberdeen/Scotland
Family with teenagers 12+

Reluctantly returned from a ten day stay in Hotel Icaria, a smart,contemporary hotel with a welcome outdoor pool,patio and small fitness centre.The self service breakfast had a wide variety of hot and cold foods.At night we didn't dine in, preferring to walk along the coast and take in a beach front restaurant,however, the hotel prices looked reasonable and one could eat in or outdoors.The hotel's location was brilliant for a combination of beautiful beaches(10 min. walk away)and city sightseeing(twenty minutes by bus from outside the front door),however rather far out for a short visit. Buy a ten-journey bus/metro ticket for Eur6.65.and enjoy this artistic,vibrant city at your leisure. Fantastic value for money,we loved the hotel, thanks alpharooms.
Be careful if approached by strangers!There was a clever scam being done-'2 plain clothed policemen' asked to see ID in my husband's wallet.Be sensible,leave valuables in the hotel safe,as we did,so it came to nothing- the only blip in ten days. We even escaped the wrath of the airport baggage handlers who had resolved their dispute three days before we left!Great timing!

Mary Smith, Newcastle
Group of Mature Friends/Couples

ICARIA HOTEL IN BARCELONA WAS CONTEMPORARY, CHIC AND VERY COMFORTABLE.  THE ROOM WAS CLEAN AND NICE AND STAFF VERY FRIENDLY.  THE LOCATION WAS PERFECT FOR US, NEAR THE BEACH AND A NICE WALK TO THE CENTRE OF BARCELONA.

SIDSEL HORNBY, SHEFFIELD / ENGLAND
Other

We stayed in this hotel for three nights and found it to be the best hotel of our trip to Spain.  The rooms were larger, well decorated and the service was good.  We purchased the bed and breakfast package.  The breakfast offered a good variety of food.
The proximity to the beach was great but the hotel is a bit away from the city center.  We took the Metro line L4 at Ciutadella Via Olimpica a few blocks from the hotel and had a very easy time accessing the city center and the areas of interest.

Russ Carley, Barcelona, Spain
Other

I booked the hotel quite late about a week before and wasn't expecting too much. I was overjoyed to find a very modern hotel with out any problems in the room at all. We didn't see the maids at all and yet every day the room was cleaned. Location was perfect 5 minutes from Port Olimpic and 1 minute from the tourist bus. Would definitely go back.

DAVID ODWELL, RUGBY/ENGLAND
Young Couple (18-35)

Great hotel within easy walking distance of the port and its fish restaurants. Rooms were comfortable and we included breakfast within our cost - a decent variety of food which set us up for the day and is recommended. Whilst Las Ramblas is within walking distance,there were two couples in our party and the taxis were cheap so we tended to use these. The Tourist bus is good but and goes on a one way route so allow plenty of time to get back to the starting point. Fasciniating city with plenty to do, looking forward to going back.

Malcolm Baker, Bournemouth,England
Mature Couple (36+)

Hotel Icaria is a very modern and stylish hotel. Rooms are excellent even though we had some problems with the air condition. Internet access is free in your room if you bring your own laptop and there are also PCs available in the reception area. Buffet breakfast is alright but not exceptional.

Location is great if you want to spend time on the beach but a bit off from the city centre. Just 5 mins walk to the beach but 30+ mins to the Ramblas. Nearest tube station is 10-15 min away and there is no supermarket nearby.

If you want to spend the majority of your time on the beach this is definitely the place to stay at, but I would recommend another hotel if you value a central location more.

Bengt Hellstrom, Stockholm, Sweden
Mature Couple (36+)

this is probably the best location for a hotel and i am very pleased with the choice i made. close to the beach, clubs, bars and restaurants, not oo far from the city centre. situated in a quiet area which is more preferable to those in the city center. everyones said it all. i would definately choose this hotel again.

sahin, lancaster/uk
Group of Young Friends/Couples

This hotel is superb and the prices make it an absolute bargain. The rooms are extremely well equipped with flat screen TV's and DVD players. The pool area and terrace are also both excellent and staff are extremely helpful. Ideally situated for the beach and Port Olimpic areas but also with easy access to the Ramblas and other tourist areas.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone and would definitely go back.

Andy Mayman, Peterborough/England
Group of Young Friends/Couples

Have to say that this was one of the better hotels that I have stayed in. Fantastic value for money, have recommended this hotel to all my friends and family. Definitely deserves its 4 stars rating.

The staff were friendly and helpful. The hotel itself was very stylish, modern and clean. The bedrooms were of a high standard, clean and comfortable with all the latest gadgets, flat screen TV, DVD-CD player, air conditioning and plenty of storage space for all them flip flops.

The hotel is in a great location, 5 mins walk to the beach, 10 mins walk to the Olympic Port down the promenade. If you like seafood the restaurants are great at the Olympic Port.

The Ramblas and old port is a 20 min walk down the promenade. Don't forget to take the cable car to Montjunic and visit the old castle and Olympic stadium.

If you feel like you've got your sea legs on take a boat trip round the harbour and out to sea along the Barcelona coastline.

If your going to Barcelona this is the hotel to stay in, great location and a great base to explore Barcelona from. Barcelona is a great city. I will definitely be retuning to Barcelona and the Icaria.

Joanne Rowicki, Blackpool/England
Young Couple (18-35)

The check in was without problem. Although the room allocated on arrival did have problems with the air conditioning, it was dealt with very efficiently and cheerfully.The hotel facilities was excellent. The areas were modern and clean. The staff were very friendly. The location was good too, with beaches, bars, restaurants, within walking distance. Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel. I do not think you could better the location and facilities.

Frankie Freeland, Sussex/England
Mature Couple (36+)

This really was a lovely modern four star hotel that came up to the expectations of its rating.  From the moment our party of eleven arrived at 2am in the morning we were impressed by the efficiency of the 24 hour reception staff and the room service staff, in fact all the staff were a credit to the hotel and the Reception even arranged a return transport to Girona aiport for our party to give us more time on our last day.  All our rooms were very comfortable and spotless with all the facilities you would expect from this standard hotel.  The buffet breakfast served a wide variety of good fruit, cheese, meats, bread, cereal and hot food and drink.  The hotel pool is situated in the centre of the hotel and has a good area for sunbathing with free beds, with the jacuzzi, gym and sauna in the same area.  There is also a nice outdoor area for eating and relaxing.

The quiet location was great for the beach which is just a ten minute stroll away, as is the Casino and the beach restaurants, bars and night life, which are open till about 6am.  

The centre of Barcelona (the main shopping and the Ramblas) is about a ten minute taxi ride which cost around seven euros for four people or if you want to be more adventurous the nearest metro station is a ten minute walk away.  If you visit the city make sure you take the open top bus and visit the unfinished cathedral which is wonderful.

All in all we loved Barcelona and this hotel and will definitely return on our next visit.  Thanks Alpha Rooms for a great trouble free booking, you will be our first stop next time too.

Toni's Top Totty Team, Blackpool/England
Other