Barcelona beach hotels – sun, sea, sand and city

by Greg | Barcelona hotels

Hotels close to the beaches in Barcelona are extremely popular with families who like to have the convenience of the clean, sandy coastline as well as being in reasonably close proximity to the attractions of the city. Let’s face it, when you’ve got children, there’s nothing better than being able to take them down to the beach for a few hours to let them burn up a little more of their seemingly inexhaustible source of energy.

The beaches close to the centre of the city – namely Barceloneta and Icaria – are the most established, and busiest, in the area but there has also been considerable development during recent years on what is often referred to as the Fòrum coastline. The beaches here – namely Platja Mar Bella and Nova Mar Bella – still have some delightful chiringuitos for your beachside snack, but are much less crowded,and, therefore, often cleaner. There are, additionally, some fine hotels in this part of the city, still within a reasonable distance of the centre’s main attractions.

Let’s look in a little more detail at some of the most popular of Barcelona’s beach hotels.

Starting with the 4 star Hotel Front Maritim on the Passeig de García Faria, 69, across from the Nova Mar Bella beach and near the Port Olimpic, this is a beautifully appointed hotel that caters for business guests as well as families. Rooms all have satellite television and high-speed internet access and many have spectacular floor-to-ceiling windows that give guests fabulous views across the water.

Also on Passeig de García Faria, 37 – 47, just along the from the Hotel Front Maritim, is the Barceló hotel, Atenea Mar, another 4 star establishment with a great view across to the Mediterranean. This 191 room bright and cheery hotel, with its own good sized car park, has a well-respected restaurant overlooking the promenade and, as well as the usual facilities, also hires out cycles for the guests to take along the sea front.

On the same stretch of road, you’ll find the 4 star Hesperia del Mar and the 3 star Rafael Diagonal Port, although the postal address of the latter is Carrer de Lope de Vega, which runs up from the sea to the Avinguda Diagonal. Another shiny, welcoming family hotel, the Rafael Diagonal Port is known for serving some fabulous food and has 115 rooms of exceptional design quality.

Although it’s just a little further from the beach – still only about 5 minutes, though, the Hotel Husa Barcelona Mar might be perfect for those looking for something a little more ‘personal’ and less glossy than some of the other nearby places. Just a few minutes’ walk from the Metro station at Selva de Mar, this 75 room hotel offers guests good-sized rooms with satellite television and internet connection – as well as having a roof top swimming pool.