Hostal Mare Nostrum

( 2 stars , Barcelona , Spain )

Just two steps away from the famous Liceu Opera house and Las Ramblas in the very historic centre of Barcelona, the basic, comfortable, 2-star Mare Nostrum Hostel. From here you can visit loads of great museums including the Picasso Museum, CCCB contemporary culture centre, MACBA modern art museum, Miró Museum, Aquarium, Zoo, and the Maritime Museum housed in a XII century shipyard. The Old Port with Christopher Columbus statue pointing out over the sea is at the end of Las Ramblas. Just beyond is the Barceloneta with its sunny Mediterranean beaches and fabulous seafood restaurants such as El Rey de la Gamba. For great shopping C/Portaferrissa off Las Ramblas is a great place for big names. Small boutiques with local designers creations can be found in the Raval area and el Born. The Raval is a great place to explore for all manner of restaurants from inexpensive curry houses, to new up and coming restaurants of the Plaza del Àngel and Rambla del Raval.The hostel offers basic, comfortable rooms, with simple, functional furniture, as well as useful shelves for rucksacks; in the near future, all of them will have a full en suite bathroom. For the time being, the simplest ones are just equipped with a washbasin, and the rest with a complete, recently renovated, bathroom with shower or bathtub. The windows are double paned to insulate from the noise of the street. In addition, the Liceu metro station (line 3) is two steps away from the hostel and situates the entire city within your reach. There is free Internet at the hostel. The continental breakfast buffet is included in the price and it is served in a lounge with a fantastic view overlooking Las Ramblas.Centrally located simple hostel off Las Ramblas!