Catalonia Hostel (Barcelona)

Centrally situated, this place is a good deal. There's free (and fast!) Internet and wi-fi, free coffee and tea, a suitable stove top, and hot showers. It's easy enough to find from the metro stops (Provença or Diagonal) but fails to advertise a visible sign out front, opting, instead for a tiny dentist's plague by the doorbell so be on the lookout for 116. It would be easier to find if they mentioned their proximity to the fancy Catalonia Hotel...after all it's not like a backpacker is going to chose the latter over the former.Thankfully the lift worked otherwise the three floors up would have been a bitch. The hostel remained clean and clean-smelling due to the superwoman energies of the cleaning lady who, I gathered from her constant stare, had never seen a real live black man up close. She and other staff had the habit, too, of leaving open windows and letting in cold air. Brrr!
Admittedly, the air was appreciated since this place is not non-smoker friendly and way too many foreigners think nothing of lighting up in your face, but cold is cold and I did not like having to suit up inside because smokers were too inconsiderate to take it outside.The staff are top notch and attentive but not all that culturally sensitive:

One described me in a note to her 
next shift co-worker as "el negro"

because, clearly, it would not have done to identify me by my registered name.

Like hotels the Catalonia Hostel jacks up the rate for weekend stays yet unlike hotels the beds do not come with blankets and the television is without movie channels---or very clear reception for that matter...although the cleaning lady was always able to watch her telenovelas.
Paseo de Gracia, 116
34 934.160.905