Hostal Orleans

We stayed at Hostal Orleans in April 2010 and enjoyed our visit

Pros
Good price, great location, easy to get to from airport or Sants railway station [see description below]. Friendly, helpful staff [I speak Spanish so i don't know what other languages they speak].

Cons
Great Location and good prices meant it's quite popular/noisy [both from outside traffic as well as mostly youthful clientele], but luckily we're sound sleepers. Beds weren't the best but fine for a few days.

Summary: would I return? Yes

Getting from BCN airport or Sants station to Hostal Orleans is easy, if you use the Rodalies (Cercanias) suburban train system. There are few stops and the hostal is right across the street from the Estació de França station.

Getting from BCN Airport to Hostal Orleans
The R2 Nord and R2 Sud trains are used to get to the Estació de França station. Take the R2 Nord train from the BCN Airport train station (departs every 30 minutes) then change at either the Sants station or Passeig de Gràcia station.

When we made this trip last year, we took the train to Passeig de Gràcia [28 minutes]: got off the train, waited 5 minutes on same platform, then boarded on train to Estació de França [8 minutes].

Getting from Barcelona Sants station to Hostal Orleans
At Barcelona Sants station, get on the R2 Sud train, headed to Estació de França. It takes just 12 minutes (less than half the time going by Metro).

Unique Quality: Hostal Orleans is close to the Barri Gotic, waterfront, etc. Well connected via the Estació de França, which is located across the street.

Directions: Across the street from the Estació de França train station.
400m from the L4 (yellow) Barceloneta metro stop.

With the crappy exchange rate, you can't really beat $500 for 5 nights, for three people. The travel book we read were all inaccurate, claiming the hostel is "quaint". Don't get me wrong--the basics are all there and it really is a great deal. The triple room we stayed in had a balcony, A/C for the summer months, TV, private bath with towels and shampoo, and most importantly a hair dryer. The location can't be beat, right across the street from Estacio de Franca, adjacent to El Born, and two blocks from the Barceloneta Metro. However, the walls are paper-thin and two nights in a row we had to knock on the neighbors doors in the middle of the night to ask them to tone it down.

Unique Quality: The most convenient feature of the hostel are the computers in the lobby, which you can use to access the internet for 1 euro, which buys you 30 minutes. The daytime staff are great and very friendly, and the place feels like a family home.

Directions: Right across from Estacio de Franca.

This summer, we went to Spain to Barcelona and did not really know where to stay so that we found on the Internet a nice tip - Hostal Orleans in the middle of Barcelona. We had a very clean room and very clean bathroom, TV, a small balcony (we asked for a room on the upper floors in advance) and felt safe in the small - for us quiet - hostal on the third floor. The staff was friendly and we cannot complain about nothing. They spoke only Spanish - but I think there is not a big problem if you have a dictionary with you or if you know some words in Spanish. The location is so central - 10 minute-walk to the beach, the next metro - five minutes away. There's a tourist bus about 2 blocks away from the hostal which runs every 10 minutes and which shows you the main sightseeings of Barcelona. Although we had no breakfast or other service it was a nice stay with no complications. If you fly to Barcelona, take the Renfe (train to the city) and get off at Arco Triunfo - there is a bus which goes to Estacio Franca which is directly on the other side of the hotel.

Directions: in front of estacio franca

After reading so many horror stories about places to stay in Barcelona, I decided on Hostal Orleans after getting a recommendation from another VT member, and reading other reviews as well. It was great. A small and super clean room was all we needed, and is exactly what we got! It is located in La Ribera, directly across the street from Estacio de Fran?a train station and if you like to walk, it is not too far from the Picasso Museum, the top of the Ramblas and Barceloneta. I would definitely recommend this hostal because it was inexpensive, super clean and friendly. There are quite a few stairs to climb in order to get up to the hostal so don't be discouraged. It is definitely worth the excercise! Rooms on the main street can be noisy (mostly cars and motor bikes and occasionally chatty groups) and you can request a room with AC if you need it (we didn't).

Unique Quality: It had a pretty nice size balcony, and nice new bathroom and even a tiny tv and telephone. The hotel lobby has a 'Estrella' vending machine!

This hostal is opposite the Estacio de Franca, situated two blocks from the Parc de la Cuitadella, three blocks from the sea, and at the edge of the Barri Gotic. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and the spare rooms were kept immaculate.

Unique Quality: Our double room had a private bathroom, two tables, and a very large wardrobe. We also had a balcony over the side street.