Sant Jordi Sagrada Familia is great. The extremely good price, the quality of the accommodations, and the location of the hostel itself can't be beat. The apartment-style setup allows for a good mix of social time and relaxation in private, which is important on an action-packed trip to Barcelona.
The Location
Despite its name, the hostel is actually several blocks away from Sagrada Familia. It's still a fairly quick walk, but it's not as close to the cathedral as someone would assume. The neighborhood is decent -- nothing to rave about, but we felt safe walking around at all hours of the day and night. There's a Consum (Spanish grocery store chain) right across the street, which is really convenient for picking up snacks and toiletry items. The hostel is located just two blocks away from the Hospital de Sant Pau metro stop, and the L5 metro line is just a connection or two away from nearly everything in the city. Also, there's an internet café within two blocks from the hostel, and the computers there have microphones for making Skype phone calls to international friends and family. The neighborhood is fairly quiet, as it's removed from many of the main attractions of the city, which can be nice after a day in the hustle-and-bustle of the more crowded areas of Barcelona.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There are a variety of room types, most of which have multiple beds. The hostel itself is arranged in an apartment style, with four apartments on each floor. Each apartment has three rooms (with varying numbers of beds each), a bathroom, a living room, a kitchen, and usually a balcony. There are no in-room lockers, though each room in the apartment has keyed entry for just the residents of that particular room. All in all, there are three keys at Sant Jordi Sagrada Família (one for the main door on the street, one to the apartment, and one to the individual room), so the only people who have access to your belongings are the people sharing your room. The four-bed rooms have two bunk beds with two wardrobes and two nightstands, and the hostel provides bed linens (some do not). The bathrooms are clean and pretty modern, with a shower, sink, and bidet, though they don't have a separate room to change. There's ample shelf space for residents' toiletries, and two towel hooks on the door.
The living room and kitchen are both nicely furnished. The kitchen includes an assortment of plates/bowls, silverware, and cooking pots and dishes, as well as a refrigerator and a stove with oven. There is also a washing machine on the small balcony off the kitchen, but you have to provide your own detergent. The one insect we saw in the entire time at the hostel was in the soap dish by the kitchen sink, and it was tiny. The living room in the apartment has an entertainment center with a small TV, two couches, and a dining room set for eating meals. The main balcony is also off the living room, where residents can look out at the city or have a smoke.
Common Spaces
There is an area near the main office with a huge flat-screen TV, a few couches, six computers, books for exchange, and an assortment of DVDs. At any time throughout the day, you can find other residents there enjoying some TV or checking e-mail on the computers. There's a pretty social atmosphere in the hostel, and you're likely to meet other cool people right from the start. They hostel also organizes group outings with free entry and drink specials to cultivate this social environment. There were a mix of residents (Americans, Swedes, Poles, British, French, Belgians, just to name a few), and all of them seem completely normal. If the social thing isn't for you, you can always just retreat to your apartment or room, which are nice and quiet. The hostel doesn't have smoking indoors, just outside and on balconies, so there's no stale cigarette smell lingering around as in some other hostels. The hostel doesn't have any luggage storage that we're aware of.
Summary
All in all, the decent location, great price, and very comfortable accommodations make this hostel a good choice for budget-conscious backpackers visiting the great city of Barcelona. We would absolutely stay here again if we return to Barcelona.
— Informe exclusivo de Hostelz.com
March 2009
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