Review of Le Meridien Barcelona 5*

Stayed over at Le Meridien La Ramblas around the Christmas holidays. The hotel is located on the top end of La Ramblas which makes the hotel right at the heart of Barcelona, almost like staying on Barcelona's version of Times Square. Within the same building there's a Carrefour for groceries, and there's a spa and pool which I tried one evening. Location wise, it's in between 2 metro stations on the same line, Catalunya and Liceu. There's a Starbucks just in the building next door, as well as a good restaurant opposite called Luzia as well as one inside the hotel called Centonze. Centonze in particular was a favourite of mine. An amazing serving of dishes that I would consider one the best I had in Barcelona and that's not an easy thing to achieve considering the dizzying array of choices on the gourmet front. Plus, while I was there they had a SPG promotion that made the meal really value for money. The place is on the higher-end scale but comparable or better value then the more touristy fare you get near the harbour. One note is that Barcelona has strict laws on occupancy and that caught me by surprise as the hotel could not check my family in. There was 4 of us and 2 of them are kids. Luckily, there was a family room available which I had to pay additional for (if only I've been upgraded! ). So if you're bringing kids, look out for this requirement in case you get stranded. After the initial distress, we were delighted when we got into our family room. There was a living room with a convertible sofa, the bedroom was huge and the bathroom equally as huge. Totally loved the bathroom. It had a large separate shower and a bath. The best surprise of all was the outdoor patio that greeted us when we pull open the blinds. Running the length of the room from the living room to the bedroom, there were sunbeds and and outdoor dining table. We were really blessed with a warm weather over Christmas which meant we could enjoy ice-cream out on the patio and enjoy the outdoors while we were there. On one of the evenings, I ventured into the spa and got myself a treatment. I didn't had my swim trunks with me (didn't think I needed one in winter) and was unable to take advantage of the spa, pool and saunas. The massage I received was pleasant and the hour went by too quickly. In the lobby itself there's a waiting area that has been designed like a living room, complete with a piano. It was really nice hanging out here while waiting for the rest of the family to get ready before heading out. Overall, the central location of the hotel meant that I didn't had to go far to explore Barcelona attractions, get food or shopping. We walked almost everywhere, supplemented by the metro and the bus which was extremely convenient.