"In Hotel Villa Emilia, we may have found the one for future trips to Barcelona! We tend to go the city once or twice each year, and have tried different hotels on each occasion. While none of the other hotels were necessarily bad, none provided as positive of an experience as Hotel Villa Emilia! The staff were very friendly from check in to check out. From the front desk, to the cleaning staff, to the restaurant staff, everyone was incredibly pleasant. They also get bonus points for being extremely dog-friendly! They don 't charge for your dog, and even provided us with a dog bed without us asking. I had emailed ahead of our visit to inquire about any dog-related details and to let them know about our dog, and their response was fast and pleasant. As far as the rooms go, ours was modern, clean, and comfortable. Just enough storage for 2 people and a tiny dog. The rooms may feel small, depending on what you 're used to, but I thought it was perfect...especially on a trip where you 're not spending much time in the room anyway. This area is really quiet, too. We were able to sleep soundly with the window open, so if you want to avoid the excessive crowds of tourists, this is a great option. From an atmosphere perspective, the hotel has a very cool boutique vibe about it. The common areas are nicely-appointed, clean, and modern (same as the rooms). The restaurant/bar downstairs was excellent, too. I usually don 't have high expectations of hotel restaurants, but Bistrot Villa Emilia was really good! We actually went back twice for a nightcap of some tapas and drinks. It 's a perfect spot to get some pan con tomate and jamón, and their patatas as horno con brava de tomates secos are a more savory version of bravas. More sweet and smoky than spicy and smoky, but really good! The real showstopper for us was the timbal de pulpo a la Gallega. Their take on Galician octopus was so good, with perfectly-cooked octopus over mashed potatoes. We love the traditional dish, but this was such a great version! They have a nice gin selection if you want excellent gin tonics, too! Aside from the elevators being noticeably slow, I really can 't think of anything to complain about. In thinking through all of the hotels we 've stayed in during trips to Spain/Barcelona, Hotel Villa Emilia was definitely the best, and we 'll certainly return on our next trip!"
Ensalada De La Huerta
