noplasticshowers

First things first, Hotel Alma is a five star hotel.  So you kind of know what to expect.  The Alma Barcelona feels Japanese on entry and in its design sensibility.  And it is similarly quiet and a little stayed.  Ultimately, it could use a splash of life and fewer hoity-toity guests.  But then again, it is perfectly suited to its slightly snooty demographic.  You will not find any hipsters here.  In fact, after midnight at the bar you won’t find anyone at all.

But it is nice to be overly pampered, have a room where the A/C is beyond sufficient, and have lots of room to spread out.  So all told, the Alma fits the bill this time.  Note that its location is about 10 minutes from the heart of tourist-land.  So plan to taxi.

The staff at the Alma is trying hard to be five star worthy and they almost achieve it.  Almost all are friendly and helpful, but attention to detail and followthrough is lacking.  Perhaps counterintuitively, relaxing a notch and having more fun by loosening up would probably help everyone.

The Madrid train station (at Atocha) gave us a taste of green before our fast train to Barcelona (and a drop of 10 degrees Fahrenheit).

We were situated in room 301 (a “superior executive suite” in the grade inflated nomenclature of the hotel).

This room is nicely appointed, large, airy and a good place to camp for a few days.  The street below is not noisy, and the A/C is up to the task.

The bathroom in 301 is large and marble-lined with tall ceilings, a tub large enough for two, a beautiful shower, and tons of hot water.  Yes please. But we had to bring our own bluetooth device to stream music (well, we had to buy one on La Rambla), and the TV would not stream content from the computer without an HDMI cable.

All told the Alma is a great base of operations for a visit to Barcelona.  It is conveniently close to la Pedrera (Casa Milà), good retail in l’Eixample, and plenty of great food.  Walking is possible if you are up for 2 km at a time.  Since we were taking it easy during COVID recovery, we appreciated all the aspects of the Alma.

Speaking of which, the garden is magical and serene.  If only there were a pool.  But there are snacks and Negronis.

The food at the Alma is delicious and carefully prepared.

On Sunday night, we had dinner outside in the garden at Jardín del Alma, a restaurant that is trying very hard to be upscale, but not quite getting over the threshold.  The food in Barcelona is so good that unless you are staying in the hotel, a visit to the restaurant may not be in the cards.

Ingredients are fresh and service is OK.

Much better is the vaunted hotel breakfast.  Everything about the breakfast situation at the Alma is top notch.  Only the service could be improved.  Once again allowing the staff to relax and maybe have a little fun would likely help.

Total chaos and nervous energy @HotelAlmaBcn bar tonight. Like they didn't miss the advance troop arrival yesterday?

Chef not happy. Staff running around with not enough leadership.

Meanwhile film guys grabbing bits with their phone cameras.

Just another day in barca.

— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) July 25, 2022

We enjoyed wandering the gothic district after a walk down to the sea on La Rambla.

After a swing by the Cathedral, we chanced up on a hotel rooftop bar of Hotel Colon.  Go up to the seventh floor, the view is great and the food is delicious.

Why, they even have an Aperol spritz available.

La Rambla flowers.

Perfume.

Just by Gaudi.

Speaking of which, a night visit to La Pedrera is definitely something to do.  We had an excellent dinner afterwards at La Bodegueta Provença.

One night we attempted to visit Park Güell, but were turned away at the entrance because it was “full.”  No guidebook has anything to say about that.  Do not plan to go there for sunset without a ticket.

Fortunately, all was made well with a fantastic visit to Toma Ya Street Food, which was homey, friendly and delicious.  We topped that off with a stop in for some world class cocktails at 14 de la rosa.  Just superior in all respects.  We had a Liberal together as well as an Industry Sour.

We also made a leisurely visit to the Picasso Museum and had some Ramen for lunch one day.  We skipped the sagrada familia after battling their website for tickets.  Spanish websites really need some attention.

All in all, our visit to Barcelona was very relaxing and low key.  We’ll be back for sure to see more sights and experience more night life.  Next time no COVID.

Five showerheads and a wish for the staff to have more fun for Hotel Alma.