Let me say I hate writing bad reviews, so much so I have been putting off doing this post. You see all we wanted at the end of our travels in the med was to have an indulgent and lazy couple of days. Instead what we got was the sour note at the end of a fantastic trip.

The hotel Miramar Barcelona is somewhere I’ve wanted to stay since my first trip to Barcelona! Nestled on the Montjuic hilltop, the miramar exudes Art Deco opulence with unrivalled views of Barcelona. My long standing desire to stay there probably made my disappoint greater and it certainly didn’t live up to the 5* expectations!

But first let me start with the good points:

The good 

• The day staff were pleasant.

• The room was ready for when we arrived st 9am which was a great bonus as we were all desperate for a nap.

• The design is truly outstanding and the refurbishment of this Art Deco gem is done tastefully.

• It has great views.

• It is close to several great parks, a lovely restaurant in Martinez and even though out of town is right next to the cable car and a hop on hop off bus stop so transport is relatively easy. For more to see and do on Montjuic you can read our post here!

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So why may you ask was our stay so bad?

Our first day actually went well and we got the peace and slow pace we were desiring. It wasn’t until the evening when we tried to order room service and book a massage that things started to go wrong. Every number the hotel had given us wasn’t picking up. We ended up having to go downstairs to reception to make our order (which when they charge a 4euro room service fee is unacceptable – they did remove this after complaints). I have never experienced such lack of staff and communication in a hotel of any star rating let alone a supposedly 5* one!

The spa never got back to us but the lovely morning concierge tried to arrange but unfortunately by this point the times did not suit.

The second issue was that twice someone opened our door while the do not disturb sign was on. Again, I have never experienced such an invasion of privacy in any hotel let one of the Miramar’s supposed high class standard. All the hotel said on check out was that it would be investigated. We have never heard anything.

And lastly on the final night we were kept awake till gone midnight by the piano player in the lounge. When we called about this they said they had never received complaints before which really isn’t any way to handle a situation. I have also since found reviews on TripAdvisor mentioning noise complaints, so the staff are either ignorant of their problems, lying or just don’t care (night staff again – day team were very friendly). The solution, an hour after the initial complaint, was to move us and our now sleeping 6 month old to another room – which would have meant moving through bright lights and taking her into the corridor where the music was even louder – not a solution!

To me the primary function of a hotel and certainly the marking of a good 5* hotel (see more about what I think makes a luxury hotel luxurious here) is to provide a good night sleep which the Hotel Miramar did not! I don’t mind paying for luxury and high end brands but not when I don’t get sleep till 1am!

It is such a shame as the hotel is beautiful and well positioned and really ended our travels on a low, especially when you compare to the exemplary service we received at the start of the holiday at the Westin excelsior in Rome.

Verdict: avoid – bad service & bad sleep = bad hotel

Looking for another family friendly hotel in Barcelona – our friend over at Tin Box Travellers recommend staying just outside the city at – AC Hotel!

What is your worst ever hotel stay? What made it so bad?

More Barcelona trip ideas

Barcelona with a baby! 

Looking for a Barcelona with kids itinerary then check out this handy post by Pasports and Adventures