The one thing that makes Rambla & Catalunya Hostel a good place to stay is its location. It is right in the middle of the city, and everywhere is accessible by foot if you're fairly healthy.
The shock that we got was that it is a very, very tiny place. We were greeted by this reception area which is like a tiny storeroom under the stairs! And as the lift was not working for the duration of our stay, we had to walk up three floors to our room, dragging our huge luggages, as the staff did not even offer to assist us.
Although it is written that after midnight, occupants should be quiet, there was a rowdy bunch who was making ridiculous noises just to irritate others, and nothing was done about it by the staff. And on one of the nights, some of them were fighting and throwing glass bottles. There was even a guy who was arguing with a gal, whom we assume is his girlfriend back home, on his mobile in the toilet, which is just next to our hostel room, and we could hear every single word he said at 1 a.m.! This place does not have any other place where you can hang out a bit, unless you want to sit at the stairs.
The rooms are relatively clean with white bedsheets, but they are very cramped. The beds are a foot apart in the room we were staying in. We checked out others -- some bunked beds were placed next to each other, and to get some privacy, the occupants have hung a towel across as a curtain in between.
Breakfast consists of bread, some cakes, jam, butter, cocoa drink, tea, and if you're lucky, juice. There is a kitchen, but because they prepare breakfast there, it is not open till 8 a.m. -- which means that you can't start making your lunch if you want to head out early.
The toilets often do not have locks, or can't close properly. And showers have varying water pressure, thus making the water suddenly hot and then cold and it was a nightmare having showers. Even then, not everything functions in this place. Some toilets have basins with no taps. As much as they try to keep the place clean (we assume so since we think we saw cleaners), the toilets smell.
So, unless you're really on a tight budget, this place may sound nice on the websites, but there are better hostels in Barcelona. And in general, it does not have adequate facilities (kitchen, showers, toilet). It is also not an non-smoking hostel, so, if you're very particular about being a passive smoker, you might want to look for another hostel.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
March 2007
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