Before you go these are some things about the hotel you should know: The hotel is very small: only about 36 rooms. We made a request for two double beds, but were told when we arrived there were only smoking king bed rooms available... so beware you may not get the room you want.

The bathroom walls in most of the rooms are frosted glass, so privacy -- as you can imagine is a little hard to have with glass walls...

Overall, great, clean hotel with helpful staff and free wi-fi in the lobby. It's situated just a few blocks from some of the best shops, bars and restaurants in Barcelona.

Staff were very friendly & helpful, beautiful rooms that were very comfortable and clean> Powerful large shower and good hair dryer. Great temperature control in rooms, very quiet due to double glazing. Nice safe area close to nice restaurants and bars....great breakfast of bacon & eggs at Central Cafe at end of road... didn't use hotel breakfast as it was 15 euros pp. Tourist open top bus stop very close by and local bus stops. Not near a metro but you have to balance quiet and safe with busy and metro. The only thing missing was tea/coffee making facilities in room although there are facilities in reception after 12 noon which are free as well as free mini bar (no alcohol) in room. Supermarket close by. Would definitely stay there again.

Location a bit out of the way, close to the shops but not the subway.

The AC Irla was recommended to us by a friend who lives in Barcelona about 6 blocks away. We picked it because it looked nice from the pictures, the reviews were good, the price was amazingly good (100 Euro/night during peak season) and the location was right. We traveled with our three children, but they stayed with my friend's family because of the difficulty in finding rooms for 5. The rooms were smallish (not all that different than a hotel in New York, Paris or London, i.e. big city - small room), but very efficient and comfortable. There really is no place to sit and relax in the room other than at the desk, but there are other places to do that in the hotel. The mini bar was free ... that is something I have NEVER seen before. Breakfast in the hotel (not free) was excellent. Everything was extraordinarily clean and well maintained, since it is essentially a new hotel. The front desk staff was very friendly and professional, and they spoke English. The bathroom was small, but had everything we needed (no bathtub). The hotel is in one of the best urban neighborhoods in Barcelona, so it is safe nighttime walking. The surrounding area has many high end European stores, so this would be a great home base for shopping, sightseeing or business. I highly recommend this hotel, even though I know that will probably create more demand and considerably higher prices. By the way, Barcelona is probably one of the most beautiful and cultured cities on earth ... make sure you really explore all of the Gaudi architectural sites -- they are amazing.