Holiday Accommodation Options in Barcelona & Catalonia

Going on holiday to Catalonia, Barcelona, the Costa Brava or Dorada? Vacationing near Girona? Find the right place to stay: self-catering accommodation, bed and breakfast, casas rurales, pensions, cottages, budget hotels or backpacker hostels.

Spain welcomes over 52 million visitors each year; as such the tourism industry is very well developed in many areas, particularly the Costas and the islands (Balearics and Canaries). There are many types of vacation accommodation available.

See The AngloFILE for Hotels & Holiday Accommodation

A wide variety of accommodation is available in Barcelona, the Costa Brava and the Costa Dorada with something to suit all budgets. There is a good selection of low-cost accommodation in most areas; the favourable prices and popularity with young travellers means this kind of accommodation is quickly booked up during the summer months.

Paradores

The government created this hotel chain in 1928. Paradors are luxury hotels or inns located in special buildings such as converted Moorish fortresses, castles or monasteries. There are 85 of them around Spain and they remain state owned.

See these websites for more information and to find paradores:

Paradores
Paradores of Spain

Hotels

There are over 10,000 hotels in Spain falling into four category types recognised by a letter symbol:

H: Registered hotels
HR: Residential hotel with no dining facility
HA: Hotels with self-catering apartments
CV: Holiday complexes

Hotels in Spain operate with a star rating:

5 star: Outstanding, luxury hotel
4 star: Highly superior hotel
3 star: Highly comfortable, tourist hotel
2 star: Good standard, tourist hotel
1 star: Average standard, tourist hotel

The large number of hotels in Catalonia means that discounted stays can often be found either on web-based reservation portals or via a travel agent.

Hostals

Do not confuse a Hostal with a hostel. A Hostal is small private hotel with limited facilities and services and often a competitively priced alternative to a hotel.

Pensión/Fonda/Casa de Huespedes

A pensión is a small but basic hotel usually offering a room but no dining facilities. A fonda is similar but may or may not have a small restaurant or dining room. A casa de huespedes is similar to a guest house.

Casas Rurales/Fincas/Villas

These are country houses available to rent. They range from large sprawling houses with large gardens to small, compact cottages in the country. Some of them offer bed and breakfast but the majority are self catering.

Fincas are rural properties, often former farm houses that have been converted into tourism properties.

Villas are often located outside the main urban centres; private transport is usually essential. Villas often have good amenities including swimming pools and kitchen facilities.

The Inner Catalonia Federation of Agritourism (Federación de Agroturismo de Catalunya Interior) has information on the various independent rural lodgings, townhouses, country houses and farm houses with rooms available for rental in the interior of Catalonia.

Federación de Agroturismo de Catalunya Interior
Tel: 938 691 886
Fax: 938 684 635
e-mail
Website

Apartment/Apartamento

The self-catering options can vary in size and standard. They are often in large high rise buildings, sometimes with no lift.

See The AngloFILE for Self Catering Apartments & Holiday Rentals

Aparthotel

As the name suggests this is halfway between an apartment and hotel in that it is an individual accommodation unit but is usually within the grounds of a hotel and the hotel's services (cleaning service and dining facilities) can be used by the guests in the apartment.

Habitación

This is bed and breakfast style accommodation (it is not always regulated), often rooms rented out in a private house by the homeowner. Breakfast is not always offered.

See The AngloFILE for Bed & Breakfast

Youth Hostels

Known in Spanish as an Albergue, these are competitively priced and ideal for those travelling on a budget. They are marked with an Hs symbol issued by the tourist board. A feature of hostels in Europe is the shared, dormitory-style bedroom and bathrooms.

The Youth Hostel Network of Catalonia (Xarxa Nacional d'Albergs Socials de Catalunya) provides information on youth hostels in Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia.

Tel: 934 838 363
Website
See The AngloFILE for Youth Hostels & Backpackers

Camping

The Spanish word for a campsite is camping. There are campsites in Catalonia with varying quality of facilities.

See the InfoCamping website
See The AngloFILE for Campsites & Caravan Parks

The Girona Camping Association (Associació de Càmpings de Girona) has information on campsites on the Costa Brava and in mountain locations within the province of Girona.