I was turned on to Hostal Martina by MadridMan and it does look like a winner. My only reservation is that I have found VERY few other reviews or even mentions of this place -- OK, basically no other reviews. I can't figure out why that's the case if it's so great -- and it does look great. I wrote to them and they have a double room for 65 euros. My boyfriend and I are going in mid-June. One other issue: no A/C. Will we be uncomfortable/is noise an issue, especially if the windows are open? They said it was quiet, and my impression is that this part of L'Eixample is quieter, but I'd like confirmation from an independent party.

OR...For 90 euros, we can have a room (with twin beds, no less!) at the Hostal Goya Principal, which seems to be bookng up fast. It does look quite clean and nice, if a little less charming than Hostal Martina.

So, I'm wondering if either one of these two wins out for location, service, or anything else. Please share any experiences and/or insights you deem relevant.

Thanks so much.

Hi robotcoupe! Say, is the Hostal Goya Principal you mention above different from the Hostal Goya ?

If so, Hostal Goya is located a bit closer to Las Ramblas, on the Placa Urquinaona, than is Hostal Martina Bailen - which is 3 blocks to the "right" and two blocks "higher" - a bit deeper in L'Eixample than Goya.

In mid-June you might need the A/C to take away the humidity which is bound to be present. Hostal Martina Bailen does not have A/C but they do have super-high ceilings - which won't help with the humidity but should help with the heat. Hostal Martin Bailen does not have many reviews, that's true, mainly because (I believe) it's not located along the Ramblas nor in the Gothic Quarter which is where the majority of people choose to stay.

A French woman was asking be about Hostal Martin Bailen recently and I'd emailed her some photos I'd taken. If you like, I can forward you the same email with those photos attached (about 6mb of photos, I'm estimating).

As for services, again, I can only recount the experience I had at Hostal Martin Bailen because I have not (yet) stayed at or seen Hostal Goya (Principal?), but they have a water cooler and instant coffee maker (no milk milk, though, just powdered) in the foyer. I can't think of any other services they offered. Some rooms had bathrooms but others had shared bathrooms. The place really is charming. Maybe you've already found and read my review here in this forum category. No doubt you can conduct a search to find it.

I'm pretty sure Hostal Goya has been pretty extensively reviewed on the internet. They've been around a long time whereas, I think, Hostal Martina Bailen has been online only a couple of years.

Saludos, MadridMan/ BarcelonaMan

Hello MadridMan (What an honor!)

The Hostal Goya and Goya Principal are the same thing, if I understand them correctly. They said that they just use the names to distinguish between different floors. Not sure why or if I've got that exactly right, but that's what they said. Goya, when I checked for my dates, was sold out, so I'm thinking there is something to that, but anyway...

I did see your review of Martin Bailen -- that's how I discovered it. And I would love to see photos. You can send them to me at mobecky@gmail.com.

One question about location. You mentioned in your review that Martin was a little far from the center of the city. What kind of a walk are we talking about -- in terms of length, pleasurability, and safety?

Thanks.

Ah yes. Here, they say on their Hostal Goya website :

Now I get it.

Regarding safety of the area around Hostal Martina Bailen in Eixample, it's quite safe because (I imagine because) it's somewhat of a ritzy area. It's not THE Ritziest but quite elegant.

Regarding distance: It's a bit of a walk TO, say, the middle of Las Ramblas, say if you were going to the Placa Reial or the Mercado Boquería. If you look at Hostal Martina Bailen webite you'll see it's location. As I mentioned above, it's about 5 blocks to the "right" and 2 blocks "up" from the Hostal Goya. Only guessing, I'd imagine you could walk from one to the other in about 7-10 minutes depending on the Walk-Signals. Add another 15 minutes to the middle of Las Ramblas and you have roughly 25 minutes from door-to-Market. It's a nice walk, though. When I went from my Hostal Marenostrum (nearly next to La Boquería) TO the Hostal Martina Bailen I took a taxi because I had luggage. I wouldn't try walking it that far all loaded down.

You can take a Virtual Walk in photos from the hostel's door to, say, the Placa de Catalunya by plugging in the start address at http://www.qdq.com/indexfotos.asp?city=Barcelona . There, at QDQ.com, they have a BRAND NEW FEATURE (which I just now found) called "Barcelona 3D". That might give you a good idea of the distance too - although I've yet to try this Shockwave-heavy feature. Might be interesting though.

I'll send you the photos very soon - hopefully today.

Saludos, MadridMan

Got the photos. It looks completely charming. I guess we would be paying a bit more for convenience if we went with Hostal Goya instead, as well as the A/C factor. On the other hand, we're NYers, so walking is what we do. Thanks for adding some insight to this decision.

If anyone else wants to weigh in on either place, please do!

Hi MadridMan
Hostal Martina Bailen does indeed look lovely.
I wonder, could you possibly email me the photos as well. I'm hoping to book for the end of September.

Thanks

Jan D wrote: Done! I've sent them to your @hotmail account. Hope they don't get filtered out as spam.

Saludos, MadridMan