Accommodation
LUXURY AND LOCATION AT HOTEL GRANVIA, BARCELONA
Checking into Hotel Granvia was bittersweet. It was our final night in Europe and we were fortunate enough to be spending it in a 19th century palace.
Commissioned in the late 1800s by the owners of the Bank of Barcelona, it became one of the few palaces in Barcelona’s city center. It was weird to think of a palace being located just a three minute walk from Passeig de Gràcia and Placa Cataluña, but I couldn’t have asked for a better location.
Hotel Granvía first opened its doors in 1935, although since then the hotel has undergone multiple renovations. Despite these various renovations, the integrity of the original façade, grand staircase, and main lobby have always been preserved.
It’s because of its exquisite architecture and interior design that the hotel has also been featured in a number of movies and TV series.
Walking inside, no surprise, we were instantly struck by the hotel’s bright, airy décor.
Handing our bags to the bellman, we proceeded to the desk for check-in. The receptionist kindly informed us that our stay included breakfast the following morning, but unfortunately we had to turn it down as we would be heading to the airport way before breakfast even began.
He felt bad that we wouldn’t be able to experience breakfast with them, but since it was still breakfast hours for the day he asked if we’d like to have breakfast right then and there. Needless to say I was impressed by their hospitality since most hotels where this situation arose couldn’t care less that we would be missing breakfast.
So of course we said yes, because who turns down food, especially in Barcelona.
Walking upstairs to go eat, I loved the breakfast room (and the subtle Asian touches)!
It had rustic tables and giant comfy sofas instead of chairs. And the food? Yum!
Just be careful as the tables don’t adjust. My mother learned this the hard way when the table top came crashing down, scattering all of her dishes everywhere.
Connected to the breakfast room they also had a large outdoor terrace and garden. If we hadn’t been pressed for time to get to our photography tour, we would have eaten out there! Such a shame as there was practically no one around to use it.
Leaving breakfast full and satisfied, we were now ready to begin our last day in Europe.
By the time we returned we were more than ready to take our afternoon nap. We quickly finished checking in and headed up to our room.
Much like the rest of the hotel it was very modern and spotlessly clean. It came with all of the amenities that you would hope for– a desk, TV, safe, mini-fridge and super fast WiFi.
Our room had a small terrace of its own and overlooked the street down below. I was worried that overlooking the street meant the room would be noisy, but that wasn’t the case at all.
Heading out for one final romp around Barcelona, we took a night bus tour in order to see the city while all lit up. We returned just after 1am, so I figured there was no point in going to sleep since the taxi was coming for us at 4am.
I can only imagine the good night’s sleep one would have on that bed, but relaxing while watching some TV was a good second choice.
Honestly, I was more gutted about not being able to use their spacious study than the bed. Filled with books to borrow and fine leather sofas, it looked like the perfect space to get some work done. Such a shame!
Even though our stay at Hotel Granvia was insanely short, as was our stay in all of Barcelona, I wouldn’t hesitate to return to such a thoughtful and luxe hotel in the heart of the city.