|
Quite affordable in light of its extremely central location on Las Ramblas, Hotel Cuatro Naciones has been providing basic rooms on La Rambla for more than 200 years. Turn-of-the-last century style unfolds in a lobby decked out with high crown molding, wrought ironwork, and marble galore, all in a low-key The overall impression is a bit worn, though perhaps only in comparison to Barcelona's more recent breed of sophisticated, tech-savvy hotels.
A sweeping staircase leads to 55 simplistic rooms with white walls and restrained pink bedspreads and curtains. Floors are smooth stone mosaic. Fourteen of the rooms offer sweeping views of La Rambla, along with tiny balconies. We'd expect these to be quite noisy and suggest that those who value deep sleep take back-facing rooms.
Rooms are perfectly fine, though they're also perfectly unremarkable. Pink provides the dominant color palette. Against Barcelona's new wave of boutique hotels, Cuatro Naciones is a tame and basic option. That said, Cuatro Naciones has an appealing style of its own, and rooms are spotlessly clean.
The first floor salon is a must-see, featuring hotel-related news clippings through the ages and signed photos and memorabilia of the hotel's most famous guests. The fancy guest history includes Stendahl, Frederic-Francois Chopin, Ulysses S. Grant, and Buffalo Bill.
|
