6 Best Barcelona Hotels with Private Pool Rooms

644

Check the room name first. A private pool belongs to specific room types and sits on that room’s own terrace. Book the wrong category and you pay for a room with no pool. Central Barcelona hotels sell rooms with a pool of their own, from the Gothic Quarter up to the Eixample. I’d book the Gothic Quarter hotel for its heated terrace pools, or the Pelai street hotel for the biggest suites.

Barcelona Hotels with Private Pool Rooms

Plunge Pools and Terrace Extras

The hotels’ own sites describe the terraces in detail and say very little about the pools.

• Unlisted Pool Sizes: The hotel sites give no pool length or depth. Catalonia Square calls its pool a plunge pool, and Catalonia Passeig de Gràcia describes a small pool beside loungers.
• What Sits on the Terrace: Catalonia Ramblas covers part of the Superior room’s pool with an adjustable canopy. Catalonia Catedral gives its Superior terrace hammocks and a solar shower, and the Deluxe terrace has the solar shower too.
• Balinese Beds on Two Terraces: A Balinese bed stands on the Deluxe terrace at Catalonia Catedral, in a lounge area with sun beds. At Catalonia Ramblas it stands on the sun deck of the largest suite.

Views From the Terrace

Views differ by room type, even within one hotel.

• Looking Over the Pedestrian Avenue: The Superior terrace at Catalonia Catedral looks over the main pedestrian avenue. The Deluxe terrace has city views.
• Pelai Street From the Top Suite: Views over Pelai street come with the top-floor suite at Catalonia Ramblas. The Panoramic Deluxe Junior Suite has city views from its terrace, and the largest suite looks over the hotel gardens.

Pool Rooms Sorted by Size

Each hotel’s own site gives the room sizes.

• Compact Rooms in Two Hotels: The Deluxe room at Catalonia Plaza Catalunya is 26 m², and the Superior room at Catalonia Catedral is 28 m². Both open onto a terrace with the pool.
• Mid-Size Suites in the Eixample: Catalonia Square has a 30 m² Junior Suite, and Catalonia Passeig de Gràcia a 35 m² Suite. Catalonia Plaza Catalunya sells a 42 m² Junior Suite and a 44 m² Suite.
• How Big Ramblas Gets: At Catalonia Ramblas the Deluxe Junior Suite is 87 m², the Panoramic Deluxe Junior Suite is 86 m² and the largest suite is 105 m². The plain Junior Suite is 50 m².

Eating and Drinking Downstairs

Food and drink range from gastrobars to charcoal-oven cooking.

• Seasonal Catalan Cooking: Local, seasonal dishes come from the restaurant in Catalonia Eixample 1864. The hotel also has a rooftop bar on the seventh floor.
• Rice From a Charcoal Oven: The restaurant at Catalonia Catedral cooks rice dishes in a charcoal oven and meat and fish in a Josper oven. The hotel’s gastrobar covers snacks and cocktails.
• Dining in the Ramblas Garden: A garden terrace restaurant at Catalonia Ramblas cooks on a Josper oven, and the main restaurant serves traditional Catalan food. The hotel also has a rooftop terrace with city views.
• Gastrobars and a Mediterranean Menu: Catalonia Plaza Catalunya, Catalonia Square and Catalonia Passeig de Gràcia each run a gastrobar, and the last adds a Mediterranean restaurant. The gastrobar at Catalonia Square is on the first floor, and the one at Catalonia Plaza Catalunya is on the ground floor.

Shared Pools and the Spa

The shared pools are separate from the pools on the room terraces.

• Heated Patio Pools: Catalonia Plaza Catalunya has a heated outdoor pool in its landscaped interior patio. Catalonia Square describes its interior patio pool as heated too.
• Where the Garden Pool Sits: The shared pool at Catalonia Ramblas sits in the inner garden terrace, beside a chill-out area and a solarium with hammocks. The pages for Catalonia Catedral and Catalonia Passeig de Gràcia list a hotel pool without saying where it is.
• A Spa at Ramblas: A spa runs at Catalonia Ramblas, with a water area and sauna. It also has a Turkish bath and offers massages and à la carte treatments.

Getting In From the Airport

El Prat airport is around 12 km from the centre, and the Aerobús links both terminals to Plaça de Catalunya.

• Taking the Aerobús: The Aerobús runs between terminals T1 and T2 and the centre every day. Its central stops include Plaça de Catalunya, Plaça d’Espanya, Gran Via and Plaça Universitat.
• Rail and Metro From the Terminals: Metro line L9 Sud stops at both T1 and T2. The Rodalies R2 Nord train also serves the airport.

FAQs

1. Is the private pool heated in winter?

Catalonia Catedral heats both of its pool room types all year, according to the hotel’s site. Catalonia Square lists a heated pool for its Imperial Suite and says nothing about heating for the Junior Suite. The sites for Catalonia Ramblas, Catalonia Plaza Catalunya, Catalonia Passeig de Gràcia and Catalonia Eixample 1864 don’t mention heating for the room pools, so write to those hotels before a cold-weather stay.

2. Which pool rooms have a separate living room?

Several do. At Catalonia Plaza Catalunya the Junior Suite has a large living room with armchairs, and the Suite divides bedroom and living room with a sliding door. The Junior Suite at Catalonia Ramblas has a living room with a TV, and the Imperial Suite at Catalonia Square has an independent dining and living area.

3. Is there a room with a private terrace but no pool?

Yes. Catalonia Square lists a Junior Suite with Terrace, Catalonia Passeig de Gràcia a Double Room with Terrace and Catalonia Plaza Catalunya a Premium Room with Terrace. These sit in the same room lists as the pool rooms at those hotels. Check that the room name includes both Private and Pool before you pay.

4. Do the pool rooms come with a coffee machine?

Some do. Nespresso machines appear on the pages for the Deluxe room at Catalonia Catedral, the Deluxe Room and Suite at Catalonia Plaza Catalunya, the Suite at Catalonia Passeig de Gràcia and the Deluxe room at Catalonia Eixample 1864, and the Catalonia Eixample 1864 room adds complimentary capsules. The pages for Catalonia Ramblas and Catalonia Square don’t mention one.

5. Which hotels with pool rooms are in the Eixample?

Four hotels have Eixample addresses: Catalonia Plaza Catalunya, Catalonia Square, Catalonia Passeig de Gràcia and Catalonia Eixample 1864. Catalonia Catedral is on Carrer dels Arcs in Ciutat Vella, and Catalonia Ramblas is on Pelai street in the same district. Catalonia Eixample 1864 is on Roger de Llúria, higher up the grid, and Catalonia Plaza Catalunya is on Bergara street.

6. How old do you need to be to use the spa?

Sixteen. The spa at Catalonia Ramblas sets a minimum age of 16, and guests aged 16 to 18 must come with an adult, including into the treatment cabins. The spa at Catalonia Plaza Catalunya sets the same limits. Guests under 16 are not admitted to either one, whichever room they book.

7. Do the pool rooms have a bathtub?

At Catalonia Catedral, the Superior room does, with a large marble bathroom that has a shower and a tub. The Imperial Suite at Catalonia Square has a designer bathroom with a shower and an extra toilet, and the Suite at Catalonia Passeig de Gràcia has a bidet. The pages for the other pool rooms don’t mention a tub.