Hotel Review: Alexandra Doubletree Barcelona, Dream Suite

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I wrote about my experience arriving and checking-in to the Alexandra Barcelona, a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

Lobby of the Alexandra Doubletree Barcelona

Lobby of the Alexandra Doubletree Barcelona

It couldn’t have been better. I was upgraded to a Dream Suite worth ~$1,660 as a Hilton Diamond member.

Now, I want to show you the Dream Suite and review the hotel more in-depth.

The Dream Suite at the Alexandra Doubletree Barcelona

Here’s the view upon walking in:

View upon walking in to the gorgeous Dream Suite

View upon walking in to the gorgeous Dream Suite

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Soaking tub and robes

There was a huge soaking tub behind the bed in the main room.

We checked-in around 7:30am. The sun wasn’t up yet, so if the pictures look a little dark, that’s why.

Desk

Desk

Seating area

Seating area

King bed

King bed

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View from behind the bed

There were plenty of seats, including a couch, desk, and extra chair. And there was an alcove lined with pillows overlooking La Rambla.

Alcove seating

Alcove seating – better in the sunlight

The room was very clean, with lots of booklets and info about the area set out.

There were several beautiful details in the room, including the molding on the ceiling and the original Modernist mosaic tiles in the floor.

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Ceiling detail

Even the tiles were beautiful

Even the tiles in the floor were beautiful

Aside from the tub, there was also a walk-in shower with a sliding door and as far as I am concerned, the very best shower head. It rains delicate but powerful droplets of water.

Shower

Shower

Sink

Sink

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Aroma Actives toiletries

They didn’t skimp on the toiletries, either. There was the usual shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. But also a dental kit, shaving kit, shoe mitt, mouthwash, and various soaps and extras.

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All the extras

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Hair dryer, safe, shoehorns, extra blankets, and hangers in the closet

Balcony

Balcony

And, there was a little balcony overlooking Mallorca Street (it was a corner room). There was a chair and table out there, and a nice view of the streets below.

Morning view

Morning view, facing southwest

Here's the location of the room from the outside

Here’s the location of the room from the outside

It’s the biggest room in the hotel.

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Great amount of space!

Hallways of the Alexandra Doubletree

Hallways of the Alexandra Doubletree

It was Room 216. On the “Hilton HHonors Floor.”

Whatever that means

Whatever that means

Oh! And before I forget, here’s the minbar, bottled water, art books, and coffee station with Nespresso coffee:

Minibar

Minibar

We kinda tore into it like monsters. Oops.

All-in-all, an incredible, beautiful room.

Here’s the scoop

Even though it’s a great room it’s not for everyone.

Ours was on the 2nd floor, and it’s a corner room. That means it’s situated close to not one street, but two.

Barcelona is a proper city, so you can hear busses, people, sirens, etc. from every window.

If you are a light sleeper, you might politely decline this upgrade if you think it’ll be a problem. I live in New York and am used to insane amounts of “ambient” city noise. But I can see this being really irritating for some peeps. If you need quiet in the evenings/early morning ask for a higher floor.

It’s also obviously made for couples. I mean, the bathtub is in the middle of the room. So unless you want to take a bath in front of your friends… know what I mean?

Same for the bathroom/shower. The shower is not in its own enclosed room, and there is no door to the bathroom area. So if you need a private bathroom, this room isn’t right for you. I’m not sure how the bathrooms in the other rooms are, but it’s something to consider.

For me and Jay, it was fantastic. But you may find yourself wishing it was a few floors higher and a little more private, especially if you’re traveling with friends or acquaintances. And not to mention, there’s only 1 bed in a King room.

But when we walked in, we both gasped. It isn’t a huge room, but it’s obviously very special.

We both loved all the little details.

Breakfast

You know I love a good hotel breakfast. As a Hilton Diamond elite member, breakfast was included for free – one of the perks I love most about the HHonors program.

Admittedly, we grew a bit tired of the same cold cuts and spread every day, but it was perfectly fine for us. All the basics were covered. And it was nice to drink some coffee and eat something before setting out each day.

The space is bright and clean with modern, updated furniture. And it was never packed. I loved that. At some hotels, breakfast can be a real stampede. But it was very quiet, almost meditative, here.

Breakfast seating area

Breakfast seating area

Pastries

Pastries

The spread

The spread

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Cold cuts and cheese

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Cereal, fruit, granola, yogurt

Hot foods

Hot foods

There were also some hot foods each day including eggs, sauteed veggies, ham, and tomatoes.

The staff did a great job of supplying fresh coffee and rotating out the food as people came and went.

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Additional breakfast seating

My breakfast selections

My breakfast selections

Considering this would’ve cost 20 Euro for 2, we saved ~$130 on breakfast during our 6-night stay.

With that in mind, it was a fantastic value – and an easy way to save money on a meal each day. For that, I was very grateful.

Bottom line

I loved the Dream Suite. The curtains, the seating areas, the night stands, the quality of the furniture, and all of the little extras spread throughout the room. It just feels like they add extra attention to detail here.

Not to mention the amazing location. The hotel itself was modern, well-kept, and extremely well-managed.

The internet was fast, and the room was beyond all my expectations. Especially considering I booked the lowest room rate and got the 4th night free with my Citi Prestige card.

We were walking distance to La Sagrada Familia, the Mediterranean, “Gaixample” (the gay neighborhood), the museums, and so many wonderful little shops, cafes, tapas places, and restaurants.

Not only that, but the staff were all amazing, from desk agents to restaurant servers.

Overall a lovely, lovely visit. The Alexandra Barcelona, a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel was a wonderful place to retreat to between rounds of exploring the gorgeous, historic city of Barcelona.

And, as my first time checking into a Hilton hotel as a Diamond member, I could NOT have asked for a better experience or hotel. Still smiling just thinking about it.

If you’ve stayed here, let me know how your experience compares!

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About Harlan

Just a dude living in Memphis, traveling, and working toward financial independence.

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Comments

  1. Nice review Harlan, looks like a great time! Appreciate the review packed with info and all the pics. Great way to maximize the Prestige and Hilton Diamond status. I’m off to Playa for my first 4th night free bene. I just wish there was a Hilton to take advantage of the Diamond status down there. We are hitting the Grand Hyatt, so I think we will be fine.

    • Thanks for reading – glad you enjoyed it!

      Playa sounds fun (and warm lol) – and Grand Hyatts are so nice. Especially if they have a Club Lounge.

      The 4th night free benny is incredible. You’ll love it.

      Have a good time! 🙂

  2. Exactly the review I’ve been waiting for! Thanks for cranking out so many posts your first weekend back. I’m headed over to the Hilton site to book now…

    • Awesome! Hope you have a wonderful time. It’s a beautiful city with so much great food and all sorts of things to do.

      Thank you for reading the posts – glad you found them useful!

  3. At this hotel right now as a Diamond member. Booked the room category one down from the dream suite and did not get upgraded am a bit disappointed. I did hint around about it at check in and the guy said they were full- no upgrades. I see online that the corner suite and junior suite are bookable, but maybe they don’t upgrade to those?
    Guy also said that the hotel was “full” and it is clearly not.

    • Awww, that’s disappointing.

      The only thing I can think of is: did you see if the Dream Suite was available for the entire duration of your stay? Perhaps someone booked it for tomorrow or the day after, and that’s why they can’t upgrade you?

      You could also try to ask someone else and have better luck. Do you like the hotel otherwise?

      • The hotel itself is very dark in the hallways and elevators…gives me a slightly claustrophobic feeling. I probably wouldn’t stay here again – having the diamond status was what made me choose this place initially but there are probably comparable places for the money. And housekeeping didn’t change our dirty coffee cups of his morning. :/
        However, the air conditioning works great and the bed is very comfortable.

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