Barcelona

I stayed at Raco from the 20th to 24th November with my sister and mum so age range 22 to 57.First things first, the hotel was great, good location, clean and well presented. Upon arrival, staff were helpful and accomodating - we were given our free glass of Cava and shown around the hotel ammenities, free internet access was great for me and free pastries, coffee and tea served during the day. The hotel did have some downfalls, my sister was given a box room with a skylight for the same price as the double I shared with my mum - which was booked as a twin. The smaller room had a constant dripping noise which no engineer seemed to be able to sort out but in all honesty, these factors did little to discourage my overall impression of the place. The rooms were clean and well stocked with shampoo's, bath gels, shower caps etc which were replenished every day. We didn't venture into the restaurant so I have no review of there other than 30 odd euros seemed expensive for a breakfast when there are a plethora of fantastic pastry shops within easy walking distance. At night, it can be somewhat scary going through small streets but for our four nights there we didn't encounter any problems.

To anyone travelling to this hotel, I would strongly suggest putting all your valuables in the safe at only 2 euros per night(plus tax) and take as little out as need be. Despite warnings everywhere about pick pockets, I had my purse stolen as I was jumping on the metro. Be very aware that these people are professinals.

Barcelona on the whole was a fantastic place, I was strongly suggest taking the 2 day pass on the bus turistic however, once you get the hang of the bus and metro system, it's really not hard to navigate your way to the sights. The Sagrada Familia is an absolute must! If you are brave enough there are some great places to be found off the beaten track - Hotel Senetor has a fantastic spa open to the public - 3 hours of relaxation, floating in pools with oranges in and a whole host of crazy but fantastic experiences - and at only 15 euros, it is well worth it!

In terms of food, Barcelona is not as far as I could tell a vegetarian friendly city. I often found it hard to find something I fancied but experimentation opened my eyes to a world of things I never would have tried. There is a great Veggie restaurant called Organic which is well worth a visit. And Sinatra's round the corner from Placa Real does fab Tapas if you want to try something new.

This city is a great place to visit but do invest in a good tourist guide. As a supplement and if you are a bit daring - buy LeCools guide to Barcelona which has some great non-touristy suggestions.

Hope this helps anyone contemplating a trip to Barcelona - DO IT!