My husband and I recently returned from our vacation in Barcelona with our 16-month old daughter. We were very pleased with our stay at the Apartaments Marina. We stayed in a 2-BR apartment that was the perfect size for our small family. It was very convenient to have a clean kitchen with upgraded appliances and decent supplies. The master bedroom was spacious enough for us to have our daughter's inflatable travel mattress next to our bed. It was a little tight, but manageable. The 2nd bedroom was a small twin room, but it was used by us mostly for storage of our luggage and extra closet space. Bathroom was upgraded nicely. The living room and dining area were very comfortable also. It was good not to feel cramped living in a small hotel room with a very active toddler.

There was a major glitch when we arrived to learn that there was no electricity. There was a blackout that had affected much of the Barcelona area. It was quite disconcerting to be handed a flashlight upon check-in and we were very concerned about our selection of hotels at first. However, the staff was very accommodating and we did realize that it was not their fault. They carried our luggage up the stairs for us since the elevators were not working. When the electricity did not come back on in our neighborhood by the next day, the hotel's management brought in a generator to the building, which provided electricity for the rest of our stay.

We found the location of the hotel to be great. We were 2 blocks away from the Sagrada Familia and the Metro and buses. Also, the Sagrada Familia was a stop for the "hop on, hop off" bus tours that we did for 2 days. The Metro was very easy to use and we had no problems getting anywhere we wanted from our "home" location. It only took 15 - 20 minutes to get to most of the key tourist locations. We liked the idea of being in more of a neighborhood, instead of the busy tourist stomping grounds of the city's center. There is a plaza the next block over from the hotel that has several restaurants with outdoor cafe seating. We had a few very good meals on that plaza and sat outside on the benches a couple of times to enjoy breakfast (with the Sagrada Familia looming as the backdrop). Also, there is a tourist information booth across from the Sagrada Familia which we stopped by often to chart our course for the day.

The rooms that face the street can be quite noisy from the street traffic. Although, there was a lot of extra horn honking since the traffic lights were not working due to the blackout. It may not be as bad under regular circumstances. However, I believe there will always be some noise from all of the mopeds driving by. We were willing to deal with the noise since we live in the city and are used to it. But, when the noisy generator came in, we knew we had to request a change. They moved us to an inner room facing a courtyard on our second day with no problem. This was a much better situation - very quiet and peaceful. I would recommend requesting an inner room, if possible.

Wi-fi Internet access was available for 4 euro per 24-hour period.

This was not a luxury hotel, but it had nice amenities and met all of our needs. And, it was more affordable than the popular hotels.

Touristy things we enjoyed the most: walking along La Rambla, Hop-on/Hop-off Bus Turistic, Tibidabo - spectacular views and amusement park; Port Olimpico/Barcenoleta Beach (nice beach, restaurants, lots of energy), National Museum, Barrio Gotic walking tour, Farggi ice cream place

My wife and I stayed here early Oct of 06. I used TripAdvisor to research this place and was a bit worried if it would be ok. I turned out to be a great decision. It tuely is an apartment with all the amenities. Two bedrooms, although we only used one. Complete kitchen facilities. Comfy livingroom, and what we always love, a balcony. We were there for about 10 nights, with a break in the middle to go to Gerona. The apartment is very modern with motorized window coverings. All this, and within a block and a half of the Sagrada Familia and the metro. This turns out to be a real blessing in Barcelona. You can get to any part of the city within 20 minutes. It's a very nice relatively quiet area. Always felt safe, day or night. The people at the hotel were very nice and knew enough English to be helpful.
The first half of our stay was on the exterior, with the balcony facing the street. This was quite nice, as we had an obstructed view of the Sagrada, and can watch the Barcelonians pass by. It can be a bit noisy, but once the windows were closed and we were in for the night, it certainly was quiet for sleeping.
After coming back from Gerona, we were in an interior apartment.
This was brilliant. Our balcony also had a huge patio in front of it, as we were on the lowest level. It overlooked a huge courtyard with apartment buildings forming the perimeter. It was so quiet and was a nice change from the exterior room we had previously.
I strongly recommend this hotel for just about anyone and would love to come back again.

Fantastic appartments situated next door to late night supermarket which proved very useful.
Very friendly staff and good location to Metro, Tour Bus etc.

This very clean, new, and modern apartment hotel is located two blocks from the famous Sagrada Familia church and the Metro station in a quiet residential neighborhood.

Barcelona's famous La Ramlas is about 15 minutes away by subway. If you're more adventurous, you can walk there in about an hour.
Each apartment has living room with dining area, fully-equipped kitchen, bathroom with tub/shower, and two bedrooms (one with a king bed, one with a twin), and a balcony large enough to accomodate a couple of chairs. All have central AC and heat.

There are 5 floors, each with 4 apartments, accessible by elevator or stairs. Daily maid service is provided at no extra charge. This was one of the nicest apartment hotels we have ever stayed in, and definitely added to the pleasure of our visit. The staff was very nice and helpful, and reasonably fluent in English. It is a bargain and I recommend it highly.