Detailed Review
The Hotel Meson Castilla is a simple two-star hotel, but for
those who are watching their budget, it is not only moderately priced, but also well located and offers an old-world ambience. It is on a small side street, just off the Plaza Catalunya and steps from Barcelona’s popular Las Ramblas street.
The mood is set when you enter into the reception lounge, witch is panelled (walls and ceiling) with a dark wood. Torch-like wall lamps give the room an almost mock-medieval look. A larger guest lounge and breakfast room are located one level up where the mood of days gone by continues. Here you find colourful antique wooden chairs with gilt trim, large wall murals, and stained-glass window. A lighter note appears in arched windows that open off the breakfast room to a small inner garden courtyard. The bedrooms display the same style each is individual in decor, but with similar furnishings of ornate painted headboards and coordinating chairs and chests.
Although this is a "budget" hotel, the bathrooms are newly remodelled and the rooms all have air conditioning, mini bars, TVs, hairdryers, and direct dial telephones. Another bonus: There’s a parking garage in the building.
Press Quotes
"A few steps up Carrer Tallers from the top of the Rambla, this hotel is well positioned for exploring medieval Barcelona and the Moderniste Eixample. Just around the corner from Richard Meier’s MACB (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona) and the rest of the Raval, rooms here are quiet, comfortable, and generally flawless, especially considering the price. 56 rooms. Cafeteria, bar." Fodors
"This two-star hotel, in a former apartment building, has a Castilian facade, with a wealth of Art Nouveau detailing, and its high-ceilinged lobby is filled with cabriole-legged chairs. Owned and operated by the Spanish hotel chain HUSA, the Castilla is clean, charming, and well maintained. Its nearest rival is the Regencia Colon, to which it is comparable in atmosphere and government ratings. It is far superior to either the Cortes or the Continental. The rooms are comfortable--beds have ornate Catalan-style headboards--and some open onto large terraces. All units have well-kept bathrooms with shower-tub combinations. Breakfast is the only meal served, but it is a fine buffet, with ham, cheese, and eggs. One reader found the location of the hotel "fantastic," right in the centre of Barcelona, close to the Rambles." Frommers
"In the Raval, the spacious and well-kept Meson Castilla is removed from the Ramblas rush and ideally located right behind the Museum of Contemporary Art. A lovely breakfast is served on the terrace."
Conde Nast 03
Independent Reviews
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"Family run, good value two-star near the Ramblas"
Wood panelling, stained glass, judicious antiques, some painted wooden headboards and a walled garden give this simple hostelry lashings of charm.
Meson Castilla
By Jamie Dunford Wood
Friendly, family run three-star in a central but relatively quiet location on the edge of the gothic quarter. Traditional spanish furnishings, with portraits of the royal family in the lobby, wth clean tiled floors, painted furniture and ceilings and ornate headboards. The first floor public and dining rooms are an electic mixture of a spanish abbey and fake arizona lodge. There’s a fine outdoor breakfast terrace, while ten rooms have their own. Bathrooms are basic. This hotel offers simple but friendly comforts in a traditional Spanish setting.
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