Sleeping
Posted May 19th, 2008 by jbaljkoH10 Itaca
Hotel Itaca, which is part of the H10 chain, has a cozy feel to it, made even warmer with wood touches and calming soft gray and red motifs. Its jacuzzi, sauna, fitness room and ample terrace help make it an easy place to wind down after a long day of sight-seeing.
About a half-kilometer from the main Sants train station, the four-star hotel has 95 rooms; free Wi-fi; a lobby bar; a restaurant; a coffee and snack corner; TV with satellite coverage and international channels, and laundry service.
Eating
Posted April 11th, 2008 by jbaljkoLa Fonda
What's that you say - you're looking for a lively, but romantic place where you can share some sangria with your honey and savor some paella (a rice dish made with seafood or meat) or fidueà (similar to a paella, but with noodles instead of rice)? Well, there's this place, off the Rambla, not far from Plaça Reial, that may do the trick.
Although the main dining room is often packed with locals and visitors, La Fonda uses soft lighting draped in red lampshades and dark wood touches to create a warm, intimate atmosphere. A loft area and a downstairs room with fresco-like paintings on the ceiling give it a homey ambiance.
Eating
Posted April 11th, 2008 by jbaljkoRestaurant 7 Portes
Not far from Barcelona's beach district, you'll find the historic 7 Portes, the place where the stars go for some grub. No seriously, folks like Antonio Banderas, Yoko Ono, Charlton Heston, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Lou Reed and Michael Douglas have feasted on 7 Portes' generous portions of cannelloni, paella, fish stew and roast suckling pig . Even the current King of Spain Juan Carlos I and revolutionary Che Guevara chowed down here (presumably not at the same time). I guess if you've been serving up good food since 1836, you eventually get a reputation for drawing an upscale crowd, even if they are more of the tourist variety these days. That said, the restaurant, which has an authentic Old World feel to it, is often busy, but is open all day without interruption (not always a common thing here) from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.
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