In honor of Woody Allen's latest film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", our bro Jaunted has the lowdown on the Penélope Cruz-Scarlett Johansson make out (apparently not that hot. Wait--who are we kidding?), as well as where to eat, visit and sleep.
And while he sagely recommends Hotel Casa Fuster, we're going to throw the Casanova Hotel in the mix, and not just because the name is so apropos for Javier Bardem's character.
We've written about the Casanova before, but it just so happens that the hotel is offering a set exchange rate of 1.3 for U.S. travelers through September 15. Room rates at the hotel start at $197.
Apparently the hotel lobby bar is a pretty happening place, so head down there and grab some random girl or guy and make like Pénelope and Scarlett, or Scarlett and Javier, or Javier and Pénelope, who we hear get to make out on a regular basis.
This weekend, The New York Times asked, "Does Barcelona really need another understated hipster hotel?"
We don't think any place needs another hipster hotel, but since you asked about Barcelona--the epicenter of all things hip in Spain--we're gonna go ahead and say no.
But the Times answers its own question with an "apparently, yes," even though the reporter is very wishy-washy about Hotel Murmuri. She writes that despite the hotel possessing all the "requisite elements for urban hotel chic," such as a black-clad staff and an in-house Asian restaurant, "the accommodations are lovely enough that the clichés don't irritate."
We're lovin' our rev-head friends this week: but today's deal is even better than getting a good view of a Formula One race. The Casanova Hotel in Barcelona has an F1 Racing Package that lets you do some of the driving. Yep, way better to risk your own life than just to watch someone else risk theirs (sorry, that was our mother talking).
The F1 Racing Package at Casanova gets you two nights' accommodation with breakfast and airport transfers, plus you get to race a Porsche Cayman around the Montmelo F1 track. Well, not exactly race but you do get to drive five fast laps, after getting a bit of training. Pay more and you can go for a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, if you prefer.
So if speed is the aim of your holiday, cough up your €1,185.56 (around US$1,800) and head to Barcelona. Yes, that's seriously the price they quote for the package, we're guessing because it includes some weird rate of VAT. You might find the 56 cents if you dig around under the back seat of the Porsche.
Whoever thinks traveling must be expensive and environmentally unfriendly hasn't yet heard of the Barcelona Urbany. The Urbany is actually a hostel, with plans to open from June 1 this year, but it's certainly not going to be a run-of-the-mill, downscale backpackers.
The green side of the Urbany has already begun with the building process. They're using a special material to create a noise-absorbing facade and installing a rainwater harvesting system, and when the hostel is up and running, they'll be recycling 50% of the water being used.
Since it's a new place, it's also easy for them to start out right with energy-efficient, low consumption lighting.
On the "we're more than a backpackers' hostel" side, Urbany will have free Wifi for guests, a large swimming pool, and as well as dorm rooms will also offer single and double bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. In total, they'll be able to accommodate 400 guests in a 13-floor building.
Rates haven't been published yet, so we'll keep an eye on it closer to the 1 June opening date to find out if green and fancy can still translate to a reasonably-priced hostel.
HotelChatter Questions: In which, the intrepid HotelChatter editors and our hotel maven readers answer hotel questions that pop into our inbox. Have a question for us? Send it along. Think you have a better answer than we gave, or better yet, want to give a vote of confidence to our answer? Comment away.
We love dishing out hotel recommendations, and we just got a question from Maria, who's headed to Barcelona for the first time:
I'm going insane with the hotel reviews its so hard to find a quiet area/room. I was wondering if you had any recommendations for peaceful sleeping!
We certainly agree that nothing will put you in a bad mood faster than a rowdy room ('cept maybe bed bugs), so we dug up a couple picks from Monica Guy's helpful Barcelona hotel guide.
The Casanova Hotel would be our pick, but it does have a bit more of a scene than some other places. If you're looking for something serene and romantic, El Jardí is the ticket. And if price is no object, the Casa Fuster is the way to go.
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by jennm
HotelChatter Questions: In which, the intrepid HotelChatter editors and our hotel maven readers answer hotel questions that pop into our inbox. Have a question for us? 
