Sunday 25 November 2012

Barcelona - day one

We landed in Barcelona just after lunch. It was a little gloomy on the first day - plus it was already starting to get dark so we didn't have a lot of day light left to sight see. From the airport we got on a bus transfer to the other terminal, from which we could get a train direct to the hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Torre Catalunya which is right next to one of the main stations (Barcelo Sants). You can read other reviews for it hereHonestly, the room was one of the most spacious European hotels I've ever stayed in. The room was like having your own flat. With a ridiculously inviting looking bed:



And wooden panelling everywhere, giving the room a lovely minimalist feel:


The bathroom was stocked with goodies and was hands down, the biggest bathroom I've ever had in a hotel before. As well as a bath tub with shower attachment, there were two sinks:


... and two other separate rooms behind doors as you can see:


One of these was yet another shower (and it was huge). The other was the loo (not that you really wanted to know this!). The seating area (below) was perfect for breakfast we purchased daily from the supermarket:



The supermarket was literally two minutes away from the hotel and as we arrived late afternoon and were starving by that time, we grabbed some snacks there and brought it all back to the room:


We feasted on freshly baked bread, black olives and chorizo. With some chocolate afterwards as the perfect pick-me-up. It was extremely muggy in Barcelona so big two litre bottles of water rarely lasted long!



If you haven't tried piling up bread with chorizo and olives, you're missing out - the flavours work together so well. After a well deserved lunch, we explored the local area:



So many stairs! My legs really took a beating and this was only the first day! 
We finished up at the Olympic stadium in the Montjuic region:



We spotted these cats lazing around in the balmy heat of the day:



For dinner, we stumbled across this cute little place called Pura Brasa which was near to Plaça d'Espanya:



With over-sized sunflowers outside, cheese grater lighting hanging from the ceiling, and comedy sized bottles of wine gracing the windows, this was one quirky place you wouldn't forget in a hurry.



We ordered paella on the very first day - as no one does a paella quite like the Spaniards do. Also, sangria:



Compared to the other sangrias we tried, we found this one quite fruity. You couldn't really taste the wine in it, but it was still nice and refreshing after a day of travelling.

Stay tuned folks for Barcelona - day two! 

15 comments:

  1. I stayed in the hotel directly next to yours! Absolutely loved barcelona, I miss Paella and Sangria so much, have a lovely time! xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh the one with the swimming pool? That hotel looked nice! I miss a decent tasting sangria... the tapas places in London never compare! x x

      Delete
  2. It looks amazing! I really want to visit Barcelona :)
    x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gorgeous photos! The hotel looks so lovely! I really want to visit - especially now when it is getting so cold!
    http://shopaholiconashoestring.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, right? I'd gladly swap gloves and scarves to be back in Barcelona's heat! x x

      Delete
  4. Beautiful photos! I'd absolutely love to visit. :- ) Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your holiday!

    Xx. Emma @ ever—so.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow thats beautiful!! great photos!

    shygirlloudvoice.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. WOW!
    Love your blog! Following you on Bloglovin, hope you'll follow me back! <3

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks Marella! :) I'm going to have a little nose of your blog in a mo x x

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your hotel looks amazing! I could so have a kip in that bed right now. xxx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gosh you're sooo lucky you got to go to Barcelona, I'm definitely jealous! Your hotel room looks really nice, I know travelling isn't about staying in a hotel room but I do love a good one, haha.

    ReplyDelete


I am forever grateful for each and every comment I receive, and try my best to reply to them all.

If you leave a comment, I will check out your blog / Twitter and say hi in some capacity

Select "Name/URL" or "anon" from the "comment as" drop-down if you aren't visiting via a blog