Exe Mitre Hotel

Let’s be honest about Barcelona: the center is a beautiful, chaotic, pickpocket-infested fever dream. Sometimes, you don’t want to wake up in the middle of a Gothic Quarter alleyway where the smell of stale beer and history hits you at 7:00 AM. Sometimes, you want to retreat. You want the 'Upper Zone.' You want Sant Gervasi. That’s where you’ll find Exe Mitre, a hotel that doesn’t try to sell you a lifestyle or a 'gastronomic journey.' It just gives you a damn good place to sleep.

Arriving here feels like a different city entirely. You’re in the foothills of Tibidabo, where the air is a little thinner and the streets are lined with the kind of apartment buildings where real Barcelonans live, work, and complain about the price of coffee. The hotel itself is a functional, clean-lined bolthole. It’s not trying to be a boutique masterpiece with velvet curtains and overpriced gin tonics in the lobby. It’s an Exe—part of a chain that understands the value of a quiet hallway and a staff that knows how to point you toward the nearest metro without making a production out of it.

The rooms are surprisingly spacious for a city where 'compact' usually means you can brush your teeth while sitting on the bed. There’s a recurring mention in the local lore—and the reviews—about the dressers. It sounds mundane, right? A dresser. But in a world of minimalist hotels that give you two wire hangers and a prayer, having actual furniture to unpack your life into is a luxury. It’s a signal that this is a place for people who are staying a while, who have things to do, and who appreciate the dignity of a well-organized suitcase. The decor is classic, maybe a bit sober, but when the sun hits the balconies, you realize you’ve traded the neon glare of the Ramblas for a view of a neighborhood that actually breathes.

Now, let’s talk about the hills. Sant Gervasi is not flat. If you’re staying at Exe Mitre, you’re going to get a bit of a calf workout. But that’s the price of admission for the peace you get in return. You’re a short, leafy walk away from El Putxet park, a hilltop garden that offers views of the city that’ll make you forget the sweat it took to get there. And when you do need to dive back into the madness, the El Putxet FGC station is right there. In ten minutes, the train drops you at Plaça de Catalunya, right into the heart of the beast. You can do your Gaudí pilgrimage, fight the crowds at the Boqueria, and then—like a sensible person—retreat back up the hill to the quiet.

Is it the most 'happening' spot in Barcelona? Absolutely not. If you want to be steps away from the clubs of Port Olímpic, look elsewhere. But if you want to see the side of Barcelona that isn't on a postcard—the quiet bakeries, the local pharmacies, the parks where old men play petanca—this is your spot. It’s honest, it’s reliable, and it’s far enough away from the tourist traps that you might actually get a decent night’s sleep. In a city that never stops shouting, Exe Mitre is a welcome, functional whisper.