Mandarin Oriental

“Mandarin Oriental Barcelona - I'm definitely a Fan!”

I recently stayed at Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona with my daughter for 4 nights. For context, I have travelled extensively and stayed in many five star hotels, both in cities and resorts. We arrived just after the Tour de France time trial had finished, a bit exhausted after a flight delay, get… more

I recently stayed at Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona with my daughter for 4 nights. For context, I have travelled extensively and stayed in many five star hotels, both in cities and resorts. We arrived just after the Tour de France time trial had finished, a bit exhausted after a flight delay, getting from the airport by train and after having dealt with some really rude and unhelpful staff at the train station! We instantly relaxed the second we met JiJi at check-in. What a lovely guy – so helpful and calming after a long journey. From that point on, our impressions of Mandarin Oriental were set, and just got better. My daughter was celebrating her birthday the day after and we had been left cake, handwritten cards, and cava in our room – such a lovely touch. She also was delivered more birthday cake at breakfast, which was a nice surprise! We had booked the entry level room (deluxe garden room king) as I specifically wanted to be facing the rear of the hotel and not the busy street outside. I had requested a quiet room on a high floor, and no surprise – they delivered! Our room on the 6th floor was a sanctuary – literally no noise whatsoever for the whole of our stay, except for some noise during the day from the small school behind – it was actually quite nice watching the Spanish children play basketball, and felt ‘real’. On the first morning we realised our safe wasn’t working, so asked Reception if they wouldn’t mind taking a look. They said they would send security. When we returned to our room a very short while later, the whole safe had been replaced! No fuss, they just did what they promised, and it was very refreshing not to have to chase things up, like you may do in other hotels. Barcelona is a busy city and Passeig de Gracia is a busy street. As soon as you reach the lovely door guys, and step foot on the carpeted ramp up to Reception you literally feel like you are entering an oasis of calm. It’s the perfect antidote to what’s going on outside. Yet, it is in a wonderful location – steps to fabulous shopping, strolling and eating. I considered many properties before settling on the MO. Specifically I was tempted by Hotel Arts and its sea views and recent refurbishment, larger rooms etc. I am so glad I didn’t go for it. What Hotel Arts may have in views, the MO more than makes up for in peace and quiet. Be aware that the area around the beach is full of night clubs, with loud noise, and pumping bass until breakfast time. It also does not deliver on having so much on your doorstep. I would not in a million years have swapped sea views and noise for our experience at the MO. No thank you! This hotel has so many staff! You can tell how much they care about customer service. Every member of staff looked professional, acted professional, was friendly, courteous and a real credit to the hotel and the MO brand. Breakfast at the MO is wonderful. Staff are professional, friendly and attentive. The pastries are to die for. An excellent buffet spread and varied a la carte menu. We also ate up at La Terrat. Now this rooftop area is the crowning glory of the hotel. We spent 3 or 4 hours up there on the sunbeds every morning and pretty much had it completely to ourselves. It is peaceful, with fantastic views and a lovely dipping pool. We were looked after so well up there and really took time to relax before heading out each afternoon. It was our favourite part of the hotel. I can strongly recommend the Vegetarian Burger and the vegetarian poke bowl too. If you stay at the MO, do go up to the Terrace! To keep this review balanced, there are just a couple of things I would comment on that could be improved. We asked for a room with a bath and were delighted to get a massive circular bath overlooking the gardens. However, after an hour of the bath taps on full power, it still only had a couple of inches of water in it. We gave up and never used it. The taps just weren’t powerful enough to fill it. The pool in the spa in the basement was quiet, but freezing! Some people might like that, but I do prefer something more heated in an area where you are supposed to relax. Housekeeping was very late in the day - we would come back at 4pm and the room was still not serviced. Not a huge issue, but if you prefer your room done earlier, it is probably worth requesting that. And finally, the TV came on one night at 3am! I think it must have a mind of its own. I do think I also read another review that mentioned this. If I went back, I think I’d probably unplug it, just to be safe!! No big issue at all, it only happened once. In summary, this hotel is in a class of its own in Barcelona. I wholeheartedly recommend it. The service is phenomenal, it’s calm, serene, quiet, luxurious, and in an absolutely perfect location. I would not hesitate to stay here again. Well done MO Barcelona, I’m definitely a Fan!

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