Barcelona apartments - Barcelona holiday-rentals - Barcelona lodging

Honeymoon in Barcelona

Whereas many couples and honeymooners consider beachy areas as the best place for spending some romantic time, it becomes more and more popular to stay in a cultural capital as well. Barcelona is certainly among the Top10 of European metropoles and gets constantly more famous due to its many beautiful sites and manifold offers. Especially non-European couples and people from Great Britain explore this new opportunity and make their wedding a lifetime memory in the Catalan capital thus, inspiring other couples to follow their footsteps.

Whether being on honeymoon or just spending a romantic weekend in Barcelona, visitors will be amazed by the huge variety of the town. Culturally unique, couples can visit the arquitecture of Gaudi such as the Parc de Güell, the Sagrada Familia or the Casa Milá. Furthermore, they will be amazed by the lovingly decorated buildings in the antique alleys of the district Born or Gothic. Marrying couples will find the cathedral Santa Maria del Mar in the Born district, which is the most beautiful church of Barcelona and which attracts the most weddings of the city. If either the bride or the groom is Catholic, they are allowed to have an official church wedding. In 2005 nearly 150 couples used this opportunity organized by different organizations.

Once in Barcelona there are several ways to spend the time. At night it is certainly recommendable to visit an orchestra at the Palau de la Música. This modernist opera was built in 1905 and hosted the most famous orchestras and festivals since then among them Strauss, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Jose Carreras or Ella Fitzgerald. Furthermore, there is the Gran Teatre del Liceu, which is in the middle of the Rambla. It is the oldest theater of the city and was built in 1847. It went through two major changes after the fires in 1861 and 1994 and holds a current capacity of 2.292 visitors. Last year, 400.000 people visited the theater and could choose between 40 different shows. Some minor theaters offer additional options and complete the manifold possibilities to enjoy a cultural stay.

After having spent a day travelling throughout the city, couples are highly adviced to dine in one of the various restaurants of the city. The Catalan cuisine is marked by mediterranean food like the paella and regional delicacies such as different types of tapas. There are plenty of restaurants and tiny bars and recommendations vary from the upperclass Commerce24 to the cheaper and cosy bars in the old part of the town. Because of the international character of Barcelona, you will also find various national specialties: Asian food ,for instance at the 'Shoko' right at the beach, French cuisine at the 'Quo Vadis' right next to the Teatre Liceu or Italian restaurants such as the 'Little Italy' in the Born district.

Finally, the right accommodation creates a harmonious atmosphere and apartments of different styles, from luxury ones to basic ones, will add their special touch to an unique weekend in Barcelona. Providers such as www.oh-barcelona.com have already experience in hosting short-term travellers and are an ideal alternative to hotels. Couples will have privacy and independence at the same time and combine their togetherness with the Spanish way of life.

Renting apartments becomes popular!

As Hotels became quite expensive within the last years due to the strong demand that pushed up the Hotel rates (especially in Europe's Metropolis), renting apartments is becoming increasingly popular these days. For people who are asking themselves which benefits a stay in an apartment provides in comparison to a Hotel a few examples may be given here: Whereas Hotels especially those ones situated in the city centre of Barcelona are often already booked out for month in advance and are related to their area really expensive, you can easily find an apartment located in the heart of the city for a lower price - even in holiday peak-seasons. Especially when there are more than 3 people (e.g. Group of friends or family) traveling you can save even more. The average rent for an apartment is less than the price of a double-room in a Hotel. There exists a range from simple to luxurious apartments so that everyone is able to choose his or her preferred category. Prices are depending on location, conveniences provided, seasons, and number of people. Besides of being the more cost-effective alternative you can enjoy your holiday in a more private and calmer atmosphere and you are more flexible for example regarding meal times as self-catering facilities are provided in every apartment. The maybe easiest and best way to rent apartments is via the Internet. Websites like e.g. www.oh-barcelona.com are renting apartments in Barcelona, providing photos, descriptive texts detailing the size, comfort, number of sleeping-facilities etc., and comments of former clients for each apartment.

by Simone Hohoff

Open House Spain, S.L.

Enjoy Barcelona following Picasso's footsteps

Barcelona is known throughout the world as a cultural city with considerable heritage of the artistic modernism movement. Whereas Antoni Gaudi is considered to be the most famous representative of this period with regard to architectural outcomes, the works of the young Pablo Picasso is likely to be the counterpart for the art-scene. Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born on the 25^th October 1881 and spent his childhood in Malaga and Coruña before his family decided to move to Barcelona when he was 13. There he visited the La Llotja School of Fine Arts to further strengthen and develop his academic skills. Besides school he enjoyed painting urban scenes from his surrounding like from the sea, the beach of Barceloneta, and scenes from the park of Cituadella. By that time his father José Ruiz Picasso who was the indisputable promoter of Picasso's artistic career and the mentor of his early years encouraged him to take part in his first official competition. Hence in April 1896 he presented his first painting 'Primera comunión' at the Exhibition of Fine arts and Artistic Industries in Barcelona which shows the first communion of his younger sister Lola. With that being the starting-point of his professional career he rented his first studio in Carrer de la Plata, no 5 in the Barri Gotic ( old-town of Barcelona) and in 1987 he began to frequently visit the Els Quatre Gats in Carrer Montsio No 3 where he met up with other contemporists and friends of his like the painters Carles Casagemas, Ramon Pitxot, Isidre Nonell,Ricard Canals, Sebastia Junyer-Vidal, the writer Ramon Reventös, and the sculptors Manolo Hugue, Juli Gonzalez and Pau Gargallo. He designed pictures for the cafe and cabaret and published illustrations for the art and literature magazine of modernism like ElsQuatre Gats or Pel i Ploma. Many of these works Pablo Picasso created during these years can nowadays be seen in the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. To experience a special touch of Picasso when visiting Barcelona, tourist have the possibility to rent Picasso's first studio in Carrer de la Plata (for example via www.oh-barcelona.com).

by Simone Hohoff

Open House Spain, S.L.

Visit the apartment here:

http://www.oh-barcelona.com/accomm_descr_short.php3?lan=1&refnr=323321

www.oh-barcelona.com

Apartment in Masnou near the beach, 14km from Barcelona

More apartment info: The apartment is situated in El Masnou about 200 from the beach. The building has a communitary pool and about 100m away a public park with a lake offers recreation facilities. The apartment has two bedrooms, one with two single beds (80x180cm) and the other one with one set of bunk beds. A double sofa bed in the living rooms offers further sleeping facilities. From the living room you have access to the terrace with a beautiful seaview. The kitchen is completely equipped and has access to a little wash room. There are two bathrooms both with bathtube. A parking space belongs to the apartment. In about 200 m you have an area with restaurants and shops. A bit further away (600m) you have the marina of El Masnou that offers different water activities. The apartment is located only about 14km from the capital Barcelona and well contected by train which goes several times per hour and takes about 20min to reach Barcelona City Centre. The airport can be reached with a direct connection in about 50 min. During high season weekly rentals are preferred staying from Saturday to Saturday.

Apartment with sea views, near the beach and Barcelona city.

More apartment info: Top floor apartment with a 40m2 terrace and sea views. The apartment is located in the town of Masnou, 14 kilometres from Barcelona and easily accessible by train.
It´s situated in a residential area with a community swimming pool and tennis courts at no extra charge. The beach is about 200 metres from the apartment and the train station 600metres. From Barcelonas International Airport, El Prat, you can take a train directly to this station - a journey of 50 minutes.
The apartment has two bedrooms, one with a double bed and the other has two singles, the landlord can also provide a fold up bed for a fifth person, the single beds measure 80 x 180cm. The apartment has a large living room dining room which looks onto the apartment´s main attraction - it´s terrace. From the terrace there are views of the beach as well as the swimming pool area. There is also a fully equipped kitchen, a full bathroom and a separate toilet. The apartment is ideal for families or groups.