Thinking of visiting Barcelona with the kids and looking for hotels in Barcelona ? Then the Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona is just the hotel that you are looking for.
Barcelona is a beautiful, vibrant city with fabulous hotels to choose from. We had flights from Birmingham airport with Jet2 and stayed at the stylish four star Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona in the Sant Martí district of the city and loved it.
Here’s my honest review of the Hilton Diagonal Mar hotel in Barcelona.
What’s it like?
The hotel is located in a high rise 24 floor tower that dominates the skyline on the outskirts of the city in one of its most distinctive urban districts, Poblenou. The hotel is in more of a residential area of Barcelona, with one of the largest shopping malls in the city literally across the road from the hotel.
Upon entering, we were suitably impressed with the lobby and public areas which like the rest of the hotel boasted a chic contemporary style throughout. Although there were many business people using the hotel, it still had a family feel and we were really happy with our choice of hotel.
In fact on one of the days, there was a huge Pandora jewellery conference taking place at the hotel, which provided some great photo opportunities much to the delight of the girls who are big fans of the brand.
We had an early morning flight into Barcelona El Prat airport with Jet2 and had a warm welcome to the hotel who acknowledged our Hilton Gold status.
In fact this is one of the best check-in experiences that we have had and its what made the Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona such a special property – yes the hotel is gorgeous but it was the level of service from all staff that really from stood out – from the moment we checked in until we checked out , all of our needs were catered for.
As we arrived early to check-in our room wasn’t ready, so we stored our luggage at the hotel and started our trip to Barcelona with refreshments at the gorgeous executive lounge on the 15th floor at the hotel before heading out for a day exploring the city.
Family Rooms
There are 433 rooms here at the Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona, with a range of room categories to choose from over its 22 floors from catering for every type of traveller from standard rooms to executive rooms and suites.
After a busy first day exploring Barcelona, we were excited to see our home for the next few days and it didn’t disappoint. We were lucky enough to have a family executive connecting room on the 22nd floor which was modern, clean and incredibly spacious for the four of us and perfect for families.
With two bedrooms each with their own bathroom it provided us with apartment size space for our 4 night break in Barcelona. Upon arrival, there was a special welcome message waiting for me with some delicious chocolates to celebrate my birthday – a really nice gesture from the hotel.
Both of our rooms had a chic contemporary style throughout with Mediterranean inspired décor and were exceptionally spacious for a city hotel in Barcelona. The huge king-size bed and the twin beds in the girls rooms were extremely comfortable with soft white bed linen and smooth leather headboards with reading lights.
Even on a short city break we always overpack so it was pleasing to find that each of our rooms had more than enough cupboard space, with plenty of hangers for our needs. The plush rug and comfortable chairs added to the sense of cosiness in the room.
It also had all of the amenities you’d expect from this standard of hotel, like air conditioning, fluffy robes and slippers, tea and Nespresso coffee making facilities and huge smart TV in each of our rooms with streaming services like Netflix which was a hit with the kids as was the high speed wifi.
It was also good to see that there were plenty of plugs and USB charging sockets which is super handy if you’ve forgotten to bring a travel adapter to ensure our devices could get charged easily each day along with a spacious desk.
In addition to the fantastic room and the service, I was also pleasantly surprised when I opened the bathroom door. A lovely spacious bath and a separate rain shower along with a large sink with plenty of storage for our personal items along with a large mirror and good lighting.
The girls bathroom was of a similar design apart from they didn’t have a walk-in shower. Both rooms were stocked with toiletries by Crabtree and Evelyn which are typical of what you would find at Hilton properties across the globe.
The room was beautiful but what really catches my eye are the large windows , which not only make the room light and airy but offer sweeping views of the coastline and the hotel pool.
Service and Facilities
The hotel also had a modern state-of-the-art gym with treadmills, bikes and cross-trainers but with over 20,000 steps clocked up each day exploring Barcelona we had already completed our workouts.
Although most tourists visit Barcelona in the summer season, the city is a great destination for an autumn city break. We had temperatures of around 21, but unfortunately we didn’t have the wall to wall sunshine that we might have expected.
Because of this we were unable to enjoy one of the hotels best facilities, its rooftop heated pool and beach club complex called Purobeach, which must be incredible in the warmer summer months and reminded us of our recent stay at the JW Marriott Clearwater Beach in Florida.
Location
If you don’t want – or need – to stay in central Barcelona, this part of the city I really think is a hidden gem and is well worth considering. Located away from the hustle and bustle of central Barcelona yet still close enough via the metro lines (the metro was a 5 minute walk away) which connect you to all of the major Barcelona landmarks such as La Sagrada Familia, Passeig de Gràcia ,Nou Camp, Gothic Quarter and more.
This part of Barcelona has so much to offer families, there is a beach literally on your doorstep and its much quieter than the main beach at Barceloneta plus across the road from the hotel you have the Diagonal Mar shopping mall, one of the largest in the country with 200+ shops, cinema and restaurants.
With this being our first time in Barcelona, we were keen to pack in as many of the major sights as possible during our four nights here. We started at some of Gaudi’s masterpieces, Casa Batlló and the iconic La Sagrada Familia, before wandering around the incredible Gothic quarter of the city.
Over the next three days, we saw the city on the hop-on hop-off bus, visited incredible museums, got up close to Pixar movie favourites at Pixar Mundo and visited the Nou Camp, home to Barcelona FC. Along the way we shopped until we dropped – the shopping here is world class and dined at some incredible family friendly restaurants.
With our Jet 2 city break, no transfers were included but outside Barcelona El Prat airport are an abundance of taxis.
Because of the hotels location, outside of the city centre, we couldn’t take the airport bus (Aerobus) which I had read before our trip is a popular option, but even if it had been available my preference is always a private taxi so we can start enjoying our holiday quicker.
Our journey to and from the airport to our hotel took approx. 25-40 minutes dependent on traffic and cost us around 40 euro each way.
Dining
There are three restaurants here at the Hilton Diagonal Mar – Aürt, a 15-cover, one Michelin Star restaurant serving Catalonian dishes, Indigo, the hotel’s breakfast restaurant and Purobeach, the poolside bar and restaurant – which was closed during our off-season visit.
With so many restaurants in close proximity of the hotel we didn’t have dinner at the hotel. No more than a 5 minute walk away were an abundance of family friendly restaurants to choose from and unlike trying to dine at a restaurant in the heart of the city, we never had any trouble getting a table.
For breakfast, all guests eat at the main restaurant, Indigo. If breakfast is a highlight of your trips, then you won’t be disappointed by the buffet at Hilton Diagonal Mar.
Breakfast was included as part of our Jet2 package and as you would expect from a Hilton property we had a large and high quality sumptuous buffet to choose from each morning, with everything to keep all of us happy from fresh crepes and pancakes to a full English and even local Catalonian specialities.
One of the favourite parts of breakfast for the kids and my husband was its special kids section serving mini doughnuts and other sweet treats.
Executive Lounge
One of the highlights of our stay here was its gorgeous executive lounge – a 15th floor oasis of calm serving all-day (7:30 – 8pm) complimentary refreshments to guests staying in executive rooms or those with Gold or Diamond status. What made this lounge unique was its stunning outdoor wrap-around terrace, filled with seating areas.
One of my favourite things to do each morning, was bringing a warm drink out here and take in the incredible views of the city of Barcelona and the coastline. We could spot the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Cathedral and Montjuic from this vantage point. We didn’t get the warmth and sunshine you would expect in Spain, but in the warmer summer months having this outside space whilst enjoying drinks in the evening must be spectacular.
The girls really loved it here as did my husband and after busy days exploring the sights of Barcelona, the lounge was a lovely family friendly area to call back, unwind and relax.
In the morning, you’ll find pastries, cereals, fresh juices and a small selection of hot breakfast items. Although the breakfast offer here is not as extensive as in the main restaurant, this was my personal favourite – as it provided a really nice and calm way to start our busy days exploring the city. Each evening between 5pm and 7pm hot canapes and alcoholic drinks are available on a self-serve basis.
Overall
Would we recommend a stay at this hotel? Yes without a doubt, the Hilton Diagonal Mar is highly recommended. If you are planning a trip to Barcelona then add this hotel to your list, with a stunning pool, walking distance to the beach and modern chic family rooms – what’s not to love? it ticks all the boxes for a great family stay.
We honestly didn’t want to leave and are already considering our next trip back – the true sign of a good time. Thank you for an unforgettable stay, Hilton Diagonal Mar.
Ready to book?
We were looking at last minute holidays and booked this package through Jet2holidays
Prices for a 4 night city break with Jet2 Holidays to Barcelona, staying at the Hilton Diagonal Mar on a bed and breakfast basis start from £1292 for a family of 4 with direct flights to Barcelona with Jet 2 from Birmingham airport.
*Disclosure: This was a press trip organised by Jet2 Holidays but all opinions are entirely my own.