4 star worthy
A little story on how things always work out!
Upon arriving at this hand picked, perfectly selected apartment through Airbnb, my trusted go-to for authentic accommodations, we had the unfortunate welcoming of what sounded like a full-on excavation crew practically in our living room.
Now I don't mean to discriminate but living on a construction site for a week is not what I think of when I think of vacation. Also since I'm a work from location type of gal, I needed a spot that was not only going to provide relaxation but also a cohesive work environment. That said, and with Tinkerbell shaking in her fur boots by all the sledgehammering, wall banging, and high frequency drilling, my boyfriend and I decided this was no bueno and it was time to hunt for a new solution- fast!
Being the little treasure hunter I am I got to searching, this time looking for a hotel to ensure there were no other surprises. To my relief there were actually 100's of available hotels, however the one that got my "click here for more details" was the 4 star Catalonia Magdalenes.
First it was the pet friendly, 4 star rating and great reviews that got my attention, but when I saw it offered a rooftop terrace + pool, spa, gym, full service breakfast and my fave, free endless snacks + drinks from 2pm until midnight, my AMEX got to swipin'. And just like that in a matter of 30 minutes between a mild accommodation catastrophe to arriving at a hotel haven, we were ready to begin our Spanish vacation!
For me, one of the key factors in knowing I've selected a quality hotel is upon arrival I'm greeted by friendly staff who demonstrate that they are paying attention to detail. That said, I knew we made the right choice when I asked if I could have some dog bowls delivered to the room and the reply was, "Yes Ms. Brunacini, in fact they are already in the room waiting for you." Impressed!
From there we were personally shown to our room where we quickly put down our bags and headed to the top floor to scope out the rooftop terrace.
Ding! 6th floor elevator doors open and our first sight is an intimately sized sun bathed terrace tastefully decorated with both stylish and welcoming sunbeds accompanied by a glistening blue, sunken rooftop pool. Now this is vacation!
Looking to our right our eyes feasted on the plethora of the hotel's free daily snacks. Now when I think of free all day snacks at a hotel, I think chips, nuts, cookies, you know- the usual. But ohhh nooo, the Catalonia Magdalenes wasn't messing around in the snack department. Their snacks were to the level of what I would consider my every 3 hours meal- ha! Various hot plates (sausage, sauteed mushrooms or tomatoes depending on the day), mini sandwiches, mini chicken wraps, mini ham and cheese croissants, pasta salad, green salad, daily soup, daily chef's cake, mason jarred fruit, yogurts, brownies, pastries, OH- MY-GOD, I walked into snack heaven! And if that wasn't enough, the hotel also included bottomless free drinks all day: coffee, tea, water, soda and yes even alcohol, whattt?
With us both now beyond impressed, it was clear in that moment that we were exactly where we were meant to be. So being the good guests we are, we proceeded to grab some snacks and headed out to go explore the city.
The hotel was very well located about 2 minutes from the gorgeous Basilica de Santa Maria in the Gothic Quarter but also right on the cusp of El Born, Gràcia and the well known Las Ramblas, making it easy to find all the great eats, main attractions, cute side streets and places we wanted to discover no matter which direction we went.
We were enjoying our stay so much that rather than go to Sitges, we decided to extend a couple days here to fully embrace all of the hotel's amenities which included an entire day dedicated solely to sunbathing and snacking at the rooftop pool.
Upon the conclusion of our week long stay, there was no denying that the Catalonia Magdalenes was a 4 star worthy hotel and one we'd stay at time and time again. Everything from the genuinely friendly staff, a decent hotel gym, (which I had to use after all this snack business), comfortable rooms, tastefully decorated decor, lovely breakfast service which was hand prepared and open until noon everyday and of course the obvious piece of star worthy material- that rooftop terrace.
Moral of the story...
After having what seemed like a rough start, one we could have allowed to dictate the rest of our vacation, we ended up being pleasantly surprised by this beautiful gem. It rewarded us with way more than we had expected reminding us that even when things may look a bit dreadful at first, don't lose hope, for it always works out and often better than we ever expected!
If you're planning a trip to Barcelona and enjoy having a star like experience, here's the link to book this treasure of a hotel for your stay: www.cataloniahotels.com
