This train was not a high-speed train, but it was still a very comfortable and pleasant journey. It took about three hours, and for much of the trip we skirted the Mediterranean. From the Barcelona-Sants Station we took a taxi to our hotel, "Aparthotel Silver", which is located in the pleasant neighborhood of Gracia, a short subway ride from the central city.
I assume that it is because of Barcelona's glamorous reputation and popularity as a tourist destination that its hotels are so expensive. When I travel, I generally try to stay at places that cost under $100 per night. I am usually able to find a very pleasant place in that price range. (Our hotels in Segovia and Valencia were very attractive and reasonably priced.) Finding a nice, moderately priced hotel in Barcelona, however, can be a problem.
I discovered the "Aparthotel Silver" back in 2004 when I traveled to Barcelona with a friend. At that time it fit within my preferred price range. We had a very pleasant double room with a kitchen (that's why they call it "aparthotel") and a nice terrace.
Four years later, the next time that I traveled to Barcelona, a weak dollar had made the Silver more expensive than I wanted to pay. I ended up staying at an "hostal". (An "hostal" is not a youth hostel, but a basic, inexpensive hotel that occupies one floor of a building. Often in Spanish cities, you will find several "hostales" occupying different floors of the same building.) My room was spartan and cramped and I paid nearly $100. Admittedly it was located right on Barcelona's most famous boulevard, Las Ramblas.
For this trip I didn't want Phyllis to have to put up with "hostal" accommodations, so I looked into the Silver once again. Our single rooms cost just over $100 per night, although they are not as spacious as the one I had back in 2004, and there is no terrace. But the rooms are clean and comfortable, and for Barcelona the price is not bad.
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