The Hostelz.com Review
Pension Mari-Luz is located in the Barri Gotic in Barcelona, with a great location for strolling Las Ramblas and exploring the district. It's a bit far from the nearest metro stop if you're carrying luggage. The hostel is thoroughly cleaned every day, so everything is nice and tidy.
The Location
This hostel is located right in the Barri Gotic, about two minutes from Las Ramblas (the part between Placa Catalunya and the Columbus Monument), and ten from the nearest metro station. To get here from the direction of the Liceau station (the nearest metro stop), head down Las Ramblas towards the sea/Columbus monument. Turn left at Carrer de Ferran (it's the street between the McDonald's and KFC). Make a right at the alley after Hotel Rialto and you'll reach a small square with a large modern building. Pass the building, and you should be on Palau Street; Number 4 will be on your right, with a very small yellow sign on the door frame. The hostel itself is on the third floor of the building, and there is no elevator.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There are a variety of rooms, ranging from private doubles to six-bed dorms (the latter of which are made up of three bunk beds, and have sinks and mirrors in each). The beds are fully made up and quite comfortable, although the bunks are a little too close together to be entirely comfortable. Each bed comes with its own locker, with locks and keys provided by the hostel, and the doors lock very securely, so all of your things are safe.
There are two toilet stalls, two shower stalls, and one toilet/shower combo. The showers have good heat and water pressure, but the water gets all over the shower floor in the stalls, so if you leave anything on the ground it may get wet. There are two hooks for hanging your things, but no soap dish, which is a bit inconvenient. If you like to take morning showers, you may want to switch to night-time ones, as there is sometimes a line of people waiting around 8:30 a.m. for the shower.
Common Spaces
There is a very small kitchen, which can accommodate one person comfortably, three people maximum, and a small dining room attached. The dining room has two tables and three chairs, so it isn't really a place for hanging out or socializing. Despite the kitchen's small size, it has a full stove and oven and all the other kitchen amenities. There is also a book exchange in the kitchen area.
This hostel seems to attract an older crowd and families more than young backpackers. Since there isn't a common room, people don't interact too much outside of their rooms, so you'll socialize mostly with those in your dorm. But, between the lack of a common area and the older crowd, the hostel has a much more subdued vibe than you might expect.
Summary
This place is a really good deal for the price. The accommodation is clean, with plenty of modern amenities, the staff is incredibly nice, and the location is decent. Although the lack of an elevator and distance from the metro isn't great if you have luggage, all the other pros make this a good place to stay.
The Location
This hostel is located right in the Barri Gotic, about two minutes from Las Ramblas (the part between Placa Catalunya and the Columbus Monument), and ten from the nearest metro station. To get here from the direction of the Liceau station (the nearest metro stop), head down Las Ramblas towards the sea/Columbus monument. Turn left at Carrer de Ferran (it's the street between the McDonald's and KFC). Make a right at the alley after Hotel Rialto and you'll reach a small square with a large modern building. Pass the building, and you should be on Palau Street; Number 4 will be on your right, with a very small yellow sign on the door frame. The hostel itself is on the third floor of the building, and there is no elevator.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There are a variety of rooms, ranging from private doubles to six-bed dorms (the latter of which are made up of three bunk beds, and have sinks and mirrors in each). The beds are fully made up and quite comfortable, although the bunks are a little too close together to be entirely comfortable. Each bed comes with its own locker, with locks and keys provided by the hostel, and the doors lock very securely, so all of your things are safe.
There are two toilet stalls, two shower stalls, and one toilet/shower combo. The showers have good heat and water pressure, but the water gets all over the shower floor in the stalls, so if you leave anything on the ground it may get wet. There are two hooks for hanging your things, but no soap dish, which is a bit inconvenient. If you like to take morning showers, you may want to switch to night-time ones, as there is sometimes a line of people waiting around 8:30 a.m. for the shower.
Common Spaces
There is a very small kitchen, which can accommodate one person comfortably, three people maximum, and a small dining room attached. The dining room has two tables and three chairs, so it isn't really a place for hanging out or socializing. Despite the kitchen's small size, it has a full stove and oven and all the other kitchen amenities. There is also a book exchange in the kitchen area.
This hostel seems to attract an older crowd and families more than young backpackers. Since there isn't a common room, people don't interact too much outside of their rooms, so you'll socialize mostly with those in your dorm. But, between the lack of a common area and the older crowd, the hostel has a much more subdued vibe than you might expect.
Summary
This place is a really good deal for the price. The accommodation is clean, with plenty of modern amenities, the staff is incredibly nice, and the location is decent. Although the lack of an elevator and distance from the metro isn't great if you have luggage, all the other pros make this a good place to stay.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
April 2012
Their Description
Pension Mari-Luz Details
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Pension Mari-Luz Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Perfect Because you don't need a large room when traveling but simply a bed, Mari-Luz is perfect. It was clean, staff, very helpful, and very cute place in a great location. Once you are done climbing the thousand stairs, it's worth it! — 819 , Québec (2009-10-02) Wonderful hostel in the Barri Gotic After two nights in the Barcelona summer without air conditioning -- my stay at Mari-Luz was the first solid night of sleep during my vacation. I recommend air conditioning for any hostel stay during the summer -- it makes a huge difference (even if you have to stay in a shared dorm). The air conditioning and the location are the two main selling points for Mari-Luz -- you can walk to Carrer de Ferren which is the main bisecting street through the Gothic Quarter in less than a minute and then connect to Las Ramblas soon after that. At the same time, you are insulated away from the noise of the late-night revelry. It truly is a great location. Lastly, front desk worker Eva is a godsend. She truly cares about the customers and makes an effort to help you navigate the city's transportation system. I would stay here again in a heartbeat. — Nelson , United States (2009-07-07) Great location Everything was fine, the room was a bit small, but actually you don't need bigger. More importantly, it was clean and comfortable. Very good location in a calm street of city center. — Joanne Just , Ireland (2008-12-02) We stayed at this hostel in January 2007 and although Barcelona was pretty warm, the room was freezing. Bring your own tissues. The hostel is quiet and clean and the staff was very helpful -- maybe even too much because he flirted with my roommate. It's safe but is a climb to the top and rooms are quite small but if you're looking for somewhere quiet to just sleep, it's perfect. Beware the creepy man if you get the far left end of the hall because he stares into your room. Keep the blinds closed. — Laura (2007-01-15) I stayed in this hostel in May 2006 and I recommend it. The location is fantastic -- in the barri gotic, five minutes walk to Las ramblas. The staff is very helpful. The dorms (with a big locker) and bathrooms are clean. It is very quiet. However, the kitchen is very small (but not crowded) and there is no common areas and there is no lift to reach the floor where the hostel is located. — Elodie (2006-08-20) This was not the best place. It's located on the fifth floor technically and there is no elevator. Right after we checked in at around twelve, the electricity failed and didn't come back till very late in the afternoon. The halls were very dark and with no light, I managed to trip on some piece of wood covering up a hole where they were fixing a pipe. There is no common room and the office is pretty much a tiny nook in the tiny kitchen. Tight squeeze. Not conducive to meeting the other hostelers at all. — MARIA (2006-07-25) Me and my friends we were at this place on the New Year's Eve. It was fantastic. The hostel is very well located, calm, clean, and the boys and girl who works there very helpful. Air France lost one of my friend's bag and they help us to get it back. Also, the building is a jewel. — Anne Gelabert (2006-01-27) Excellent!!! I stayed at this hostel for a week in June 2005! It was wonderful, close to the beach, grocery, restaurants, clubs and bars, and five minutes from Las Ramblas. The staff are very, very friendly, the dorms are nice and clean, quiet at night, and come with a big locker for free (great for backpackers!!) There is also a kitchen that you can use! I recommend this hostel for sure, I had such a great time there!!! — Amelie, Canada (2005-07-22) This hostel was really perfect! Staff were friendly and we felt very comfortable! Bath and toilets always were clean and we were able to use the kitchen. Rooms were clean (including the wash bowl) and quiet. The hostel is located very centrally. Las Ramblas, the beach, restaurants, bars, shops (and the famous market hall "La Boqueria") and most of the sights were within a walking distance. I definitely will recommend this hostel to my friends! — Susi (2005-06-01) Incredible!!! Unbelievable!!! On the Rambla, turn left; pass Mirella's pub. You'll arrive into a square where you can have a breakfast for free. Continue straight, before the Catalan's cabaret, turn left. It's only on the 4th floor. They're very kind. If you are 6 people, ask for a triple. Great!!! LA BORRA!!! — Alberto Leccese (2005-05-05) This pension was fabulous. It was very clean, and the staff were excellent. I would highly recommend this pension to people who are looking for a quiet, peaceful place to hang out in Barcelona that is close to everything! — Hilaria (2004-10-01) I stayed here last spring. The staff was very helpful and friendly. The Pension is located five minutes away from La Rambla, the rooms were clean and bright, and the toilets and shower were, too. There was a little kitchen to cook in. I liked it. — Froeggle (2004-08-08) i stayed there in February with two friends. The room was clean and bright with a washbowl inside. The shower and the bathroom were always clean. There's no breakfast included, but you have the possibility to use the kitchen from 8am till 10 pm. The staff were always friendly and made our stay very comfortable. — Froeggle (2004-02-22)