I will admit that this review comes a couple of years late - but reminiscing about Barcelona I looked on her and was quite surprised to see some of the reviews.

So I'm leaping to this hotel's defence!

When we booked it was through Lastminute's top secret hotels deal, and we booked the Vincci Maritimo. When we arrived late at night we were told our room had been double booked, and would we mind going to the sister hotel? Course we said we were fine with that, and what a great thing it was! I loved the shape of it, the room was modern, bright and with its clean lines had a really cosmopolitan feel about it. LOVED the airy lobby and reception area, and actually thought the location was OK. Condal Mar is an industrial area, but with the tram stop less than a ten minute stroll away, it wasn't so bad. The mall close to the stop is also very convenient if you just want an informal dinner. And make sure you visit the supermarket there - I've never seen so much space dedicated to parma ham and salami in my life!

If I was able to go back to Barcelona now, I would book this place in an instant. It's great value, has a pool and is close enough to the action to make it a decent option.

PS I've marked that we travelled in Feb 2011 as that was as far back as I could go. We actualy travelled in 2008!

As mentioned in other reviews the location is not great. The hotel looks out of place in what appears to be a quite rundown area although it is only a 10 minute walk to the metro.

We stayed for 3 nights in December so we left the hotel mid morning and stayed out until the evening rather than traipsing back and forth.

The reception staff were helpful and friendly however the bar service was terrible. Due to this tea/coffee making facilities in theroom would have been great.

This wasn't the worst hotel we have stayed in but i would not want to stay there again.

Set in what looks like an industrial area of Barcelona, the hotel looks very modern in comparison. From entering the hotel, it certainly looks the part.

My experience was somewhat mixed. The breakfast catered for many tastes. However, the amount of hygiene products was minimal. After running out of shower gel, and leaving the empty bottle in an obvious place, it was not replaced until after we highlighted to reception. Also, one tiny bar of soap and one sponge for 2 people is unacceptable. It may sound like I an whining, but for a 4 star hotel this is not great service. I somehow feel they awarded their star rating themselves.

On a positive, the hotel was only about 5 minutes walk from Selva de Mar metro, and the view of La Sagrada Familia from out window was stunning.

If you want to spend less by staying out of the centre then you could do a lot worse than stay here. However, don't expect all the bells and whistles.

The hotel was amazing, the staff very polite & helpful. The breakfast service was great and topped up regularily, We read the reviews and whilst on the surface the hotel is a bit out of town, it is worthy of note that this provides a quiet location, less polution and cheaper hotels. However the quality of this hotel was top notch, modern and we maintained. The hotel is serviced by public transport (bus, tram and Metro), all costing 2 euros each way. Taxis do cost considerably more (13 euros). My disabled wife and I walked extensibly around the surrounding areas at all times of the day and night. At no time did we feel threatend and there was a discreat police presence at all times. We feel more threatened walking past groups of British youths in our own villages. Spanish children are still respectful towards thier elders and often helped us with directions and opened doors for us. The areas were very clean, even the bin areas were well maintained. We will be going again soon.