Excellent stay, the service is top notch & the rooms are immaculately clean. The hotel is newer, in…read morea great location in the l'eixample district near the high end shopping, and far enough away from the touristy pickpocket las ramblas street (still close enough to walk there if you feel like you want to). there is a nice rooftop area where you can sit and lounge. They leave you waters in your room and will call in a masseuses if you want one. We would definitely recommend this hotel and would stay it again.

I loved this hotel - modern, clean, roomy (beautiful bathroom). The staff couldn't have been…read morenicer. And the restaurant downstairs was very good. The breakfast was outstanding but it was also nice for tapas and drinks.

The only thing they know how to do is passports (and apparently they do those well), and have…read moreadmitted, in writing, to a complete lack of competence for other standard services in US citizen services, so they keep trying to push passport applications for everything. Renunciation (removing US citizenship voluntarily and by request of a dual citizen) IS NOT a passport application. They've delayed a basic completed (on my side) and paid for renunciation procedure for over two years this time (8 years in total so far) because they do not know how to send it to the US for processing because its standard form is several more pages than a passport application. That's $2350 I paid, plus all the airfare, visits, documentation (completed to their specifications with appointments attended at their specified times, etc.). They have cost me well over $50,000 (I'm being kind with that number, the cumulative has exceeded 1/4 million in reality) so far in expenses due to their delays that often come with random copy paste emails with a variety of random excuses. I'm actually not rich and this is going to bury me for life. I'm being buried so someone can be lazy and feel that they can be because they have unchecked power over others.

Some of the best government workers are in the State Department, and when you need an American…read moreconsulate, you NEED AN AMERICAN CONSULATE. This one is also located with a nice view overlooking Barcelona below.

Getting your residence card in Spain can be difficult if you don't speak Spanish so if you can,…read morebring a friend with you. Since arriving in Spain, the first step is to make an appointment at the ajumente de Barcelona to get the padron document. This requires an original contract of your lease and passport or id. My boyfriend is a resident here and I'm not on the lease but they will accept it. You're allowed to check in at the earliest 10 minutes before your allotted time. Go to the second Red machine and enter your confirmation number. It will give you a ticket and then it's like a DMV - wait for your number to be called and then present your documents. Then you have to fill out an el padró municipal form which is in Catalan. They will provide you two copies of your padrón document.

Ugh. Catalonian bureaucrats. Come in. Take a number. Sit…read more Wait. Wait. Wait... This brightly lit post office wasn't as good as many post offices I've been in. When I came to a teller, we explained in Spanish that we needed stamps to send postcards to the USA, and how I'm a stamp collector and I'm looking for smaller denominations of stamps so I could use multiple stamps to send a single postcard. The teller looks at us blankly, like why would anyone want to collect these stamps? He gets confused, or there's a mistranslation, I dunno, but we ended up with only one stamp per postcard, which we later found out was inadequate postage to get to the USA. He sold us the wrong stamps. I had to use two of them to cover the postage, leaving me with fewer postcards' postage than intended. The whole transaction got fumbled, but the postcards I put the stamps on made it back to the USA. The post office was clean, and the numbers were clearly displayed on a computer screen to indicate when it's your turn to speak with a postal employee. It was conveniently located. Once I figured out the postage amount, it was a bummer that the clerk sold us the wrong stamps. This post office does not sell sangria, wine or beer. And what kind of post office closes at 2:30 every day? These lazy postal punks...

Corrupt - STAY AWAY The postal service in Spain/Madrid is a…read morehorrible and corrupt organization. STAY AWAY from shipping to SPAIN. Tried shipping a used bike for my son, living in Madrid, they charged a 350 euro FEE to deliver it to him, and told him they would destroy the bike if not paid. This is ridiculous, and no one there seems to care. I am sure somone in the Spanish customs department is now riding around on my son's bike. The fee was almost the total cost of the bike, which was several years old. I plan on letting everyone I can know about this horrible system. with the hope that it may help change it and at the least help others avoid the same issue.

This is one of the legs/methods of transportation to Montserrat. I would say it is the most…read moreinteresting method. As part of our tour, we took a Bus to the Cremallera station. One of the original cars from the 1800s is on display. A small cafe is available for coffee/snacks. Cars have bigger windows to take in the breathtaking views on the way up or down. It's about a 10 minute ride to the top so it goes fast. Ticket process was quick and seamless although I can see it getting busy during peak. We were here early on a Friday morning. Take the Cremallera not only for the views but for a cool step back in time.

Get your tickets in Espana station, this is the way to get up to Montserrat. One of the most…read morescenic rides I've ever been on, it's fun and exciting. As I age, my fear of heights gets worse, but the scenery unfolding is just so beautiful I swallowed my queasiness. Well worth the price, very punctual, make sure you know the timetable to you aren't waiting too long on either end.

I love cinema, and when I was in LA I used to go to the Aero in Sta Monica. Here in Barcelona you…read morehave to go to the FilmoTeca de Catalunya. The new location was opened 4-6 ago. It is completely new and the new theaters are amazing. The chairs are super comfortable and the big theater is huge, I think it can it 500 people, with a huge screen. Sound quality is also top notch. Don't expect to see blockbusters. You will have old movies, or new movies that don't get to the normal theaters. Also they host thematic movies, for instance, they showed a selection of german movies with the help of the Goethe institute. Don't look for popcorn, you wont find them in the FilmoTeca. ON the other side look for a great cultural experience.

Went here for the free exhibition. Amazing pictures of Hollywood history, movies, and…read moreactors/actresses. Yet another free attraction in Barcelona that is definitely worth going to. I do want to mention the exhibition plaques/explanations are not in English.