Hotel Montecarlo: Entrance
If walls could talk, the ones at Hotel Montecarlo may have interesting tales to tell.

The four-star hotel at the top of La Rambla, a couple of blocks from Plaça Catalunya, had at one point in it's history been home to a 19th Century palace, and headquarters for two newspapers, "Las Noticias" and "El Correo Catalán." It was converted into a hotel in 1945.

The façade - something right out of the traditional Barcelona design book with curved balconies and superb detail in its stonework - along with elegant interior featuring white marble staircases and floors, and columned arches plays up its opulent past. While its single and standard rooms have a more functionary, sterile feel, the Montecarlo's superior and deluxe rooms impart the upscale style you'd be looking for in a hotel of this category. The amenities found in all rooms are not too shabby either. There are ensuite jacuzzis, bathrobes, slippers, scales, hair dyers, high-speed broadband and Wi-fi Internet connections, and, the hotel's biggest selling point, electronically adjustable beds. The beds, and their quality, were of such importance, in fact, that hotel has created a separate page on its Web site to brag about them.

When you're done touring, plop down onto one of the terrace/solarium lounge chairs and take in views of the nearby Cathedral and the rest of the downtown. There's also on-site parking (fee not included in room price), a well-stocked bar/lounge and a buffet breakfast, if you want to throw in an extra 11€.

Room rates vary by size and season, so it's worth asking about special offers or discounts. For 2008, the maximum price for a single room is 144€; standard, 220€; superior, 259€; deluxe, 307€, and junior suite, 386€.

Metro: L1 and L3 Catalunya
Location

La Rambla, 124

Barri Gòtic/Raval

Barcelona, 08002

Spain (Espana)