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Hotel Claris is a 5 star hotel located in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Spain, and is a place that I would recommend to anyone looking to stay in a luxury hotel. Seriously…I loved my stay here!
Before I go any further, I want to highlight that this is NOT a sponsored post – in other words, I am not being paid to write this. However, I know the importance of reading real hotel reviews from real people, and I wanted to provide you with my authentic experience here!
I stayed at Hotel Claris during my first trip to Barcelona. If you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you know that trip was not only my first solo trip, but also the catalyst to me becoming a travel blogger!
If you asked me to list everything I loved about my trip, staying at Hotel Claris would be one of the things that topped my list. As a solo traveler, I felt safe, welcomed, and taken care of.
If you want to explore all the things I loved about Hotel Claris in more detail, keep reading!
FYI: Because I was not a travel blogger yet when I stayed here, I was not as diligent about taking photos of hotel rooms and amenities as I am now! Some of the photos on this post will be mine, and others will be ones from the hotel that I got permission to use.
Hotel Claris at a Glance
Hotel Address and Phone Number
Hotel Claris is a 5 star luxury hotel located at C. de Pau Claris, 150, 08009 Barcelona, Spain
Hotel phone number: +34 934 87 62 62
Hotel Amenities
Note: Many of the amenities of the hotel I highlight in more detail below!
- Rooftop terrace with pool and lounge area
- Ancient art collection all over the hotel, including the rooms
- Mayan Secret Spa
- Bar, Japanese restaurant, breakfast buffet
- Breakfast on the rooftop terrace
- Different VIP package experiences
- Space for weddings, media events, galleries, anniversaries, and more
Why Do I Do Hotel Reviews?
One of the things that my readers tend to ask me about the most is where I recommend staying in a certain city.
If you’re a solo traveler, you know that finding the right hotel is crucial. To help give my readers guidance, I write blog post reviews about my personal experiences in my favorite hotels across the world.
Click here to Read all hotel Reviews
Things I Loved About Hotel Claris
1. The Location was Centrally Located and Very Safe
Hotel Claris is located in Barcelona’s Eixample neighborhood, and was a short walk from Passeig de Gracia. Because this area of the city is laid out in a mostly grid-like fashion, I found it very easy to navigate to different places from my hotel.
I loved that I could get to any of Barcelona’s famous tourist attractions quickly. Casa Batlló was a 5 minute walk, La Sagrada Familia was a 20 minute walk (or 12 minutes on the metro), and the Gothic Quarter was a 20 minute walk (or 15 minutes on the metro). Seriously, the location could not have been more perfect.
2. There Are Great Bars and Restaurants Inside the Hotel
Hotel Claris has a rooftop terrace with a bar, a sushi restaurant, a breakfast buffet and even a VIP breakfast that you can get on the rooftop terrace. Talk about fancy!
Hotel Claris Breakfast Buffet
If you know you want to partake in the breakfast buffet, you can add this option in when you book a stay to get a discount on the buffet price! I got the breakfast buffet on my last day and it was delicious. They had so many options to choose from, and everything I got was incredible.
Hotel Claris Sushi Restaurant
Os-Kuro, the Japanese restaurant in Hotel Claris, offers both a stunning atmosphere and incredible food. It is divided between a sushi bar on the ground floor and a restaurant on the first floor. I tried one of their sushi rolls here and it was amazing!
The restaurant boasts 9 different types of sake, and practically the entire menu can be prepared gluten free if needed. They have also been known to have sake workshops and sake tastings!
Hotel Claris Rooftop Terrace
I loved coming back from a day of exploring and relaxing with a glass of wine on the rooftop terrace. From here, you get incredible views of Barcelona in a stunningly beautiful atmosphere. The terrace also has a pool and lounge area that is reserved for guests only.
There were a lot of mornings that I would come up here before I started exploring and just look out at the city below me. I found this rooftop to be SO relaxing.
The terrace restaurant offers tapas, à la carte service, and an extensive cocktail menu. It’s advised to make a reservation for the restaurant, but no reservation is needed for the bar and tapas kitchen. I came up here one morning to get breakfast, and I would TOTALLY recommend it!
The terrace is also open all year! It is heated in the winter, allowing guests to still enjoy its benefits without getting too cold.
3. It’s the (Ancient) Art for Me
Explore the Ancient Cultural Artifacts on Display in the Hotel
One of the most enchanting aspects of the Hotel Claris is the remarkable collection of art and historical artifacts throughout the hotel. These authentic treasures transport guests to different eras and cultures, creating a captivating journey through time.
Every single time I would come back from a day of exploring, I would stop and look at the artifacts inside. It was wild to see all the history!
You will find displays from Turkish, Roman, Egyptian, Catalan, Indian, and Burmese cultures here. There are sculptures, statues, engravings, jewels, pottery, paintings, hieroglyphic texts, and more. Oh…and there are Egyptian engravings commissioned by none other than Napoleon himself. How can you NOT be amazed?!
The Mayan Secret Spa
Keeping with the archaeologic theme, the Mayan Secret Spa is the only spa to contain authentic pre-Columbian archaeological pieces. The spa has won multiple awards, including a spot on Conde Nast Traveler’s Gold List. They have also been named the #1 spa in the world by World’s Luxury Spa Awards multiple years in a row.
The spa offers different rituals, facials, massages, and packages that you can choose from. There’s even a section for teens and kids!
Now…here’s where I’m going to disappoint you. I didn’t get a chance to go to this spa when I was in Barcelona, and therefore, can’t give you my authentic experience. I know. I hate myself too.
BUT….if I went back to Barcelona, I would 100% go. In fact, I’ll go ahead and promise you now that I WILL go back in the future. Make sure you sign up for my email list at the bottom of this page so you can get the recap ;).
4. The Room Features and Aesthetics
I was OBSESSED with my room here. The room was adorned with dark and gold accents, and bed was so comfy. It had six…yes, SIX – pillows, and I used all 6 of them. I mean why not? My room also had a desk, tv, sofa, bathrobe and slippers.
Also, I should probably mention here how CLEAN everything was! Not just my room, but the ENTIRE hotel!
The bathroom was large and had great lighting to do my makeup and hair every morning. It also featured a marble bathtub and countertops! The rainfall showerhead had the perfect amount of water pressure, and there was even a bathtub if I wanted to take a bubble bath!
My room had a Nespresso Keurig with cappuccino pods and milk. I didn’t know how to use the European Keurigs at first, but I was able to call down to the front desk and one of the staff members came upstairs promptly to assist me.
Lastly, there was a fresh, single rose that was placed in my room every day (or, maybe every other day…I lost track). It seems like a simple touch, but it means a lot to me when hotels prioritize small details to have a lasting impact on their guests.
5. The Hotel Staff Was Incredibly Kind and Helpful
I know what you’re thinking…“it’s a 5 star hotel…of course they’re helpful!”
And while that may be true, I never take it for granted.
Remember how I said this was my first solo trip? The staff here made me feel so at ease. They answered all my questions, always (happily) greeted me, gave me recommendations, and taught me how to use the European Keurig in my room. What more could you ask for?
The Staff is Also Multilingual
In most (if not all) European hotels, the employees will be multilingual (or at the very least, be able to speak English plus the native language).
I’ll never forget sitting in the Barcelona airport and calling the hotel to ask a question. The front desk worker answered the phone in rapid Spanish. I had no idea what all he said, but I introduced myself and asked if he could help me with something (in English). Immediately, and with a perfect accent, he said “Yes miss, how can I help you?”
Again…it may not seem like much, but as a first-time solo traveler, this kind of thing puts you at ease. The website mentioned the hotel employees spoke English, but I didn’t know how fluent they were or how accommodating they would be to English speakers. Now, I felt SO comfortable!
6. There Are Plenty of Shops and Restaurants Nearby
I loved that there were so many restaurants, bars, and cafes to choose from that were only a few minutes walk from Hotel Claris. This also speaks to the prime location of the hotel and why it’s perfect for first-time travelers to Barcelona.
Right outside the hotel, there was a French cafe named Josephine that I would stop at almost every morning for breakfast. I always got a chocolate croissant and cappuccino. By the end of my stay, the waitress knew me and my order, making me feel even more at home!
As I previously mentioned, the hotel is close to Passeig de Gracia, which is one of Spain’s most famous shopping streets. You will find everything from boutiques to designer stores. I wasted no time exploring all of them! Because the hotel was so close, I found time to squeeze in some shopping almost every day.
Along with shopping, there are a ton of restaurants on Passeig de Gracia and the side streets as well. I always say that you can’t go wrong when it comes to food in Spain, which means that you have a plethora of amazing places to choose from close-by when you stay at Hotel Claris!
Things I Would Change About Hotel Claris
As I previously mentioned, I am not getting paid or compensated in any way to write this post. That ALSO means I am not getting paid to tell you that I would change nothing about my stay!
Seriously. This was my first solo trip…I had no idea what I was doing, and after I left, I had the confidence that I could do anything. And my hotel stay here was part of that experience. I knew no matter what, I would be okay and taken care of here. I knew the staff would help me get to where I needed to go and would answer my questions. I knew I was in a safe location.
Truly…I wouldn’t change a thing. Well, okay….I wish I would have gone to the spa. But other than that, nothing ;).
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