OK, it's my own fault for just assuming that an apart-hotel was like a suite. The last one that I stayed in was like this and so I assumed they all were. Mistake. Upon entering the room, I thought that I had lost a room as I couldn't find a bed. Eventually I realized that it just had a sofabed, which was a bit of a pain to open and close each night and not as comfortable as a normal bed. Maybe I'm just lazy. I thought that the room was showing a bit too much wear and tear as well, although it was clean. On the plus side, it has a great location right on La Ramblas - just about as central as you can get. Also the fact that there was free cable internet inside the room was a major godsend as I had to work a lot during my 'holiday'. In summary, three stars is probably too few for this apart-hotel, but four stars are probably too many. I guess it all depends on how important having a 'real' bed is to you.

My husband and I chose the Citadines for our first trip to Barcelona because of its central location and the kitchenette to keep restaurant costs down. We were immediately pleased with the cleanliness of the lobby and friendly service from the front desk. Our room was a single, located on the 2nd floor. At first we were disappointed to not have a view of the street - our room was along the side of the hotel and looked out onto an adjacent building's rooftop and a few apartments. However, this turned out to be a bonus because it was the quietest side of the building. Our windows were similar to patio doors and you could step out onto the rooftop if you wanted. There was a maintenance man who came up to the roof occasionally to water the plants. Usually we had our window open when we were in our room with no concerns. The room was spotless and felt like a small apartment. The Citadines does not have daily room service; if you are there at least 7 days, which we were, they come by mid-week to clean and provide fresh sheets, towels and amenities. Otherwise you can either do laundry in the facilities provided or request fresh towels at an extra cost. It was nice that the hotel provided everything you need for at least one day (soap, shampoo, toilet paper, dishwasher detergent) until you can get to the "supermercado" - which is conveniently directly across the street. The Citadines chain provides a sofa bed, so you have a sitting room during the day and pull-out bed at night. The bed was so-so in terms of comfort, but I've certainly slept on worst. The room also had a mini stereo system and small TV, large mirrored-door closet, shelving unit, pull-out dining table and 2 chairs. The kitchenette was equipped with a small sink, microwave, mini-dishwasher, mini-fridge plus all dishes, pots and utensils you could possibly want. The bathroom was much larger than expected (for Europe) - a full-size bathtub with handheld shower and sink with large granite counter and storage cupboard. We were also impressed with the service - we could not get the climate control to work, and a maintenance person appeared within 5 minutes of us contacting the front desk. You can't beat the location - we walked everywhere from this hotel and the metro is about 2 minutes up the street at Placa Catalunya, where there is also a tourist information office. Although the Rambla is known to have its "seedy" elements, we never felt unsafe and security people "guardia urbana" are usually within sight. We walked the Rambla many times day and night with no incidents. All in all I would say that this hotel met North American standards and certainly was one of the best "3-star" places we have stayed at.

Just about the perfect location.. The apartments are spotless, well appointed, spacious and I can't find anything negative to say about the place. The staff are are friendly, helpful and informative. My only reservation is that the breakfast at ?13.00 may be excellent, but why bother when you can cross the Ramblas to the Cafe Guinart, at the market entrance, and have a Cafe Con Leche and Serrana Ham Baguette for ?4.00 per person. Also, it's good to see that they have a sense of history and have a picture of George Orwell in the Lobby, opposite his sniper position on the roof of theTeatre Poliorama during the Spanish Civil War. Excellent, try here before anywhere else.

The Citadines is on Las Ramblas only a few minutes walk from Placa Catalunya. Great position and areas such as the beach, Gothic Quarter and Las Gracias are all within walking distance. Our room was in the second building so did not look out on Las Ramblas. It was a good size and the kitchen has everything you need if you want to do some cooking. Really we spent very little time in our room as there was so much we wanted to see in Barcelona. The bed was a sofa bed with a pull out bed underneath. Not the most comfortable bed in the world but we were only there for 2 nights so this didn't bother us. Towels are provided and there is a hairdryer in the bathroom. There is a 24 hour reception and the staff were approachable and helpful. If you want breakfast it is 13 euros. Bit pricey but lots of choice and the dining room looks over Las Ramblas so you can spend ages eating and watching other people going to work. Bliss. We were very pleased with our stay. As other people have said Barcelona is an expensive city and The Citadines, for its position, offers a good deal. We wanted to visit all the Gaudi buildings and other attractions and the entrance costs for these places soon mounts up.