I stayed at Hotel Absolut Centro for three nights in early August 2008. I knew nothing of what to expect other than what I had read, very generally, in some guides. On my first time in a new city, I like to be near the city center and near major roads and near restaurants. Well, the HAC fulfilled all of these. It is located on the second floor and a lift is available for your luggage. The building is shared with other private residences, I believe. There is a sauna across the street and a bear bar next door. Numerous restaurants ranging from chains to Catalan specialty places are within walking distance. Bus and train transport is available nearby. Taxis are everywhere. And walking along Casanova, out the front door of HAC, down to Gran Via, is a couple of blocks, and then you're right in the middle of everything.

The room was functional and basic but very very clean. A/C was great (while I was in Barcelona it was quite hot out during that week); the bathroom was near-new but be warned about the slippery shower tiles! I recommend wearing rubber flip flops or spreading a towel on the bottom of the bath basin. Service was excellent, particularly from Jordi. He checked me in late at night after a delayed flight from Amsterdam and all was in order. Internet is very swift and is free. They do not allow you to bring guests back to your room with you -- something contained in very small print on the sign on the back of the room door.

I recommend this hotel for single men, single women, young and older, but probably not the best place for families. The surrounding neighborhood felt very safe, even late at night.

I stayed in this hostel for two days this spring. There are two hostels (several blocks apart from one another). There's nothing really "centro" about this place, it's in the Gayxample, but there's nowhere really to go around if you want a bar or café. Gaudí and Sagrada Familia are walkable (30 minutes), as is the center of town and Las Ramblas (30 minutes). The room was very small, but to be expected for what I paid (35€/night in April) .

The worse part of the trip was the weather - outside dropped to 5C, and the inside of the rooms did not have heat. Only a small blanket was supplied, so indoors was impossible to sleep. Really this place should be avoided during anytime except the summer, since it's *very* cold inside. In general, things were in good repair (bathrooms looked new, entryway was clean), but the room wasn't well maintained.

As a plus, the Internet was free and fast.