Hotel Claris, rooftop

During my recent stay at the Hotel Claris in Barcelona, I availed myself of the rooftop amenities. There’s nothing like a pool with a view, and this one qualifies:

Rooftop pool at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Rooftop pool at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

After a day of meandering about the city, what a pleasure to come back, don the swim trunks and take a dip! But, there’s more, such as a gym with a few pieces of equipment to help burn off those calories:

Gym and sauna on the rooftop at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Gym and sauna on the rooftop at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Now, let’s say you want to have a little get together with family, friends, or business associates. There’s a great space atop this hotel for just such a gathering:

Rooftop meeting space at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Rooftop meeting space at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Of course there is a bar with covered and outdoor seating as well:

Seating for the rooftop bar at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Seating for the rooftop bar at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

These rooftop amenities make the Hotel Claris a wonderful place to stay, offering a variety of options for you to enjoy while visiting Barcelona. Enjoy it all.

Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain

Hotel Claris offers plenty of options for the stylish traveler. In the first place, you’ll find yourself in an upscale neighborhood with high end shopping only a few blocks away. There’s also a number of great restaurants nearby. However, the hotel itself puts you within the lap of luxury, offering regular rooms, “duplexes,” and a number of amenities such as a rooftop pool that make your stay that much better.

At check in, the desk clerk informed me that I received an upgrade to one of the duplex rooms. What an excellent surprise! And what a dramatic space to stay. Here’s the lower level where I did most of my sleeping:

Sleeping area of a duplex room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Sleeping area of a duplex room at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Beside both sides of the bed, you’ll find an outlet as well as switches for the lights. The outlet comes in handy for charging your smartphone while sleeping. Note the railing on the right side of photos. There’s a staircase there that takes you up to the second level where you’ll find a couch, chair, TV, and minibar as seen here:

Entrance to and staircase inside duplex room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Entrance to and staircase inside duplex room at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Now for a look at that upper level, see the next photo:

Upper level of duplex style room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Upper level of duplex style room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Of course, a fantastic bathroom is part of this room:

Sink and shower in duplex room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Sink and shower in duplex room at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Marble and granite in the bathroom match the woodwork in the rest of the duplex.

Bidet and toilet in duplex room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Bidet and toilet in duplex room at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Finally, but also importantly, there is a nicely designed closet complete with safe, drawers, and racks for your clothes:

Closet in duplex style room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Closet in duplex style room at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Staff at Hotel Claris do a wonderful job making your stay pleasant and productive. They are true professionals, right down to the laundry service, which delivered my cleaned, pressed articles in a lovely basked like this:

Laundry perfectly cleaned and pressed at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Laundry perfectly cleaned and pressed at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

And there’s more! Hotel Claris has rooftop amenities that including a swimming pool, bar/lounge, and gym. I’ll put them in another post. Please check back frequently for more updates from Spain and around the world.

British Airways 2708 (Gatwick to Barcelona)

Departing England and traveling to Spain, I took British Airways flight 2708. This was done aboard an Airbus 319.

British Airways Airbus 319 at Gatwick Gate 101.

British Airways Airbus 319 at Gatwick Gate 101.

Seating is cramped to say the least. Although designated “business class” the seats are actually coach seats with the center seat not sold and armrests that move a few inches to the side. In terms of leg room, well, look at the photo:

Cramped seating in "business class" aboard British Airways 2708, Airbus 319.

Cramped seating in “business class” aboard British Airways 2708, Airbus 319.

Here’s a profile look at the seating arrangement:

Business class seat spacing aboard British Airways Flight 2708.

Business class seat spacing aboard British Airways Flight 2708.

The flight proceeded quite smoothly, with this meal served:

Meal served in "business class" aboard British Airways Flight 2708.

Meal served in “business class” aboard British Airways Flight 2708.

Cabin staff was generally friendly and helpful, but it is a difficult situation considering the cramped nature of the seating, spartan meal, and parade from coach to the lavatory. And here’s the view on approach to Barcelona, Spain.

View of Spanish coast on approach to Barcelona Airport from British Airways Flight 2708.

View of Spanish coast on approach to Barcelona Airport from British Airways Flight 2708.

Thankfully, this was a relatively short flight, and Spain is a wonderful country to visit.

British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport

British Airways operates a very pleasant lounge at Gatwick Airport. Here you can relax, do some business, and have a snack. As per my usual habit, let’s start with the snacks as I found them one recent morning. There’s a sort of breakfast bar that you see here:

Breakfast foods at the British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

Breakfast foods at the British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

At another counter there was a selection of breakfast pastry shown in the next photo.

Breakfast pastry in the British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

Breakfast pastry in the British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

Then there was the well-stocked and help-yourself bar shown here:

Bar at British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

Bar at British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

If you prefer coffee or tea, simply make your selection at one of these machines:

 

Coffee and tea makers in the British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

Coffee and tea makers in the British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

Additionally, you’ll find a nice selection of beer and soft drinks in coolers:

Beer and soft drinks at the British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

Beer and soft drinks at the British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

Finally, and on a more serious note, there are computers and a copy machine for those who need to get a bit of work done or connect with the outside world.

Computer stations at the British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

Computer stations at the British Airways Lounge, Gatwick Airport.

A well run lounge like this makes travel much easier and enjoyable. Avail yourself of such facilities at every opportunity.