Andante

Barcelona’s El Raval is not for the faint of heart, and that is exactly why you should be here. It is a neighborhood that smells of diesel, roasting coffee, and a thousand years of sweat. It is loud, it is messy, and it is the most honest part of the city. Standing on Avinguda de les Drassanes, the Andante Hotel looks like a functionalist bunker—a clean, modern intervention in a district that usually prefers its walls crumbling and its history unvarnished. This is not a place for people who need a doorman in white gloves to feel important. This is a place for travelers who want to be in the thick of it, but who also appreciate a damn good shower and a view that makes the world feel small.

When you walk through the doors, the noise of the Ciutat Vella drops away. The lobby is stripped back, efficient, and devoid of the usual hotel fluff. They aren’t trying to sell you a lifestyle here; they’re giving you a base of operations. The rooms follow suit. They are minimalist to the point of being almost clinical—white walls, clean lines, and floors that don’t hide secrets. It is a protein-rich approach to hospitality: everything you need, nothing you don’t. You get a bed that won’t ruin your back, enough plugs for your gear, and a window into the soul of the Raval.

But the real reason you book a room at Andante isn’t the furniture. It is the eleventh floor. You take the elevator up, step out onto the terrace, and suddenly the chaos of the streets below makes sense. The rooftop infinity pool is a masterstroke. From here, Barcelona unfolds in a 360-degree panoramic sprawl. You can see the jagged spires of the Sagrada Família cutting into the skyline, the blue smudge of the Mediterranean, and the green hump of Montjuïc. At sunset, when the light hits the terracotta roofs of the Gothic Quarter, it’s enough to make even the most jaded traveler go quiet. It is one of the best views in the city, and you don’t have to fight a thousand influencers for a spot at the rail.

Let’s talk about the neighborhood, because the reviews will tell you it’s 'edgy.' Yes, there are homeless people nearby. Yes, the streets are narrow and sometimes dark. If that scares you, go stay in a sterile high-rise in the Eixample. But if you stay here, you are a five-minute walk from the Maritime Museum, the bottom of La Rambla, and some of the best, most unpretentious tapas bars in the city. You are living in the gears of the city. The hotel itself is a certified eco-warrior, using solar panels and greywater recycling, which feels right in a neighborhood that has always had to be resourceful to survive.

Is it perfect? No. The breakfast is a standard buffet affair—functional fuel for a day of walking, but nothing that will change your life. The walls can be thin if you have a particularly loud neighbor. But for the price and the location, it is a steal. It is a hotel for people who understand that the best part of travel is what happens outside the hotel, but who still want a sanctuary to retreat to when the city gets too loud. It’s honest, it’s clean, and that pool is a goddamn revelation. If you want the real Barcelona, warts and all, with a side of infinity-edge luxury, this is your spot.