Hostel Review: Casa Gracia, Barcelona

I should probably start out by telling you that Casa Gracia in Barcelona is not like any hostel I’ve ever visited before.

• I’ve never stayed in a hostel that has beautiful views of the city from the balcony in my room.
• I’ve never stayed at a hostel that had a jacuzzi bath in the ensuite bathroom.
• I’ve never stayed at a hostel with fluffy robes and slippers and a bottle of wine in my room on arrival.
• I’ve never stayed at a hostel where the breakfast buffet tastes like a home-cooked meal with lots of local delicacies.
• I’ve never stayed in a hostel that used to be a bank.

Until now.

Get ready for me to gush unashamedly about this place because I really bloody rated it.

I booked Casa Gracia for my birthday weekend in Barcelona last week as it’s in a great location (20 mins walk to Sagrada Familia and right next to the Diagonal Metro stop) and had fab reviews online. It classes itself as a gastrocultural luxury hostel so I felt it had a lot to live up to, but it didn’t disappoint.

Let’s start with the room.

We stayed in a Double Superior room on the 6th (top) floor. There is a lift but it is a super retro lift with a door you have to open on each floor (LOVE) but it is quite slow so we ended up walking up. But be warned there are lots of steps!!

But when we eventually got up to the room we were super impressed. It was big with a comfy bed, high ceilings and a great big door leading to a beaut balcony overlooking the city.

Plus, the bathroom was actually amazing with a jacuzzi bath, fluffy towels and a comfy robe to put on when you get out! Absolute heaven.

But believe or not the room isn’t even the best part. Downstairs on the ground floor there’s a beautifully art deco cocktail bar!

It’s got such a nice vibe and despite only having a long weekend in Barcelona, we actually hung out here quite a lot. The drinks were delicious and fairly cheap, plus they did cold tapas in the day and hot tapas at night. Although, this isn’t the backpacker vibe you get from most hostel bars, it’s real classy and sophisticated, k?

Talking of food, our room came with daily breakfast on the first floor. This floor is the part just for hostel guests with a few common areas to chill out in.

I don’t normally expect much from a buffet breakfast. Because it’s normally been sitting out and it’s been made in bulk, I just accept it for what it is – a free meal included in your room. But this was something else. There were the usual cereal, fruit, continental and cooked breakfast items but everything tasted amazing. The best part were the Spanish touches like cured meats, sausages and Spanish omelette. I ate LOADS.

Plus Casa Gracia is the first place I’ve ever seen takeaway cups available. So after breakfast I could take a coffee and a doughnut for the road! Dream.

Like I said there are other areas on the first floor. I didn’t spend much time in them but they were super clean, really chilled and had good vibes. A big kitchen if you want to cook your own meals, a library with computers to use, nice sofas to chill in and an outdoor terrace with pretty fairy lights.

What else could you want?

There’s also some social areas on the ground floor and in the basement.

Next to the bar/restaurant, there’s a back room called De Tranquis where they project films onto the wall and have plenty of places to relax. There’s also a function room in the basement. In these kind of areas they hold a range of free activities from latin dance workshops, yoga mornings and short film festivals.

I don’t know about you, but that’s a bit of me. Unfortunately there weren’t any activities we could make but it’s a prime opportunity to meet new people.

Also in the basement of Casa Gracia are some of the original features from when the building used to be a bank, including a vault and safety deposit boxes! Pretty cool, right?

Like I said, the location was perfect, just a 20 minute walk to Sagrada Familia. There’s also lots of shops and restaurants in the area and only 10 mins on the Metro down to the beach or up to the hills. Gracia itself is a beautiful place to explore if you want to see a piece of the non-touristy Barcelona.

Also, the staff were SO nice. They were always offering advice and on my birthday left a note and some chocolate in my room! I didn’t even tell them so it completely exceeded my expectations!

Overall I was crazy impressed with Casa Gracia. It was the perfect place to spend my birthday weekend and I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat, even if they don’t normally stay in hostels. Who knew they could be this luxurious, right?

Have you stayed in a hostel this nice before? Any others you’d recommend?

Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @HeelsInBackpack!

Total Blogger Transparency: I accepted a complimentary stay at Casa Gracia Barcelona but all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I wouldn’t play you like that, shorty.