chic&basic Born Hotel – Barcelona, Spain

Advertorial & hotel review chic&basic Born Hotel Barcelona

‘Oh Barcelona!’ – I say, as I recall my recent romantic trip to the city rich with intriguing architecture and culture. While it was certainly one of the best cities I have ever been to, a major contributing factor was having been able to stay at the chic&basic Born hotel, at the same time one of the coolest hotels I have stayed in so far. In fact, prior to getting there (or even before I googled images of the place), I had already made mental associations with its name, as most people would have. Naturally, I expected the hotel to have a simple and pleasant interior. To my surprise, I found myself mesmerized by the ingenuity of the hotel’s design. If only what I had experienced could be put forth in person, only then would you be able to fully understand why I remain in such awe. But as far as this goes, I promise to provide you with an accurate review of my experience.

Big wooden doors at the chich&basic Born hotel in Barcelona

Big wooden doors at the chich&basic Born hotel in Barcelona

 

The location of chic&basic Born Barcelona

Situated in one of the finest neighbourhoods in El Born, chic&basic Born is a mere 5-minute walk from the Jaume I Metro station. The hotel is located on Calle Princesa Street, one that is known for its wide array of food and retail options.

To add on to your agenda, a 15-minute stroll can get you to Barceloneta Beach – one of Barcelonas highlights, giving you that well-rounded balance between a city vacation and a beach holiday. Hence, the prime location of chic&basic Born guarantees convenience if you intend to do nothing else but explore the rustic yet charming streets of Barcelona.

 

The interior

Finding an adjective to represent the chic&basic Born hotel is challenging. Stylish, modern and innovative in design, chic&basic Born strikes a balance between the new and the old as the traditional exterior of the hotel is well preserved. A minimalistic setting with a slight twist, chic&basic Born pays extra attention to the corridors of your room as a seemingly transparent curtain drapes from a high ceiling with different coloured lights shone to mark each room. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, it also serves as a great way for identification (especially after a long night out).

Very colorful the corridors of chic&basic Born hotel Barcelona

Very colorful the corridors of chic&basic Born hotel Barcelona

The hotel lounge is tastefully furnished with cushioned seats to entice. Free Wi-Fi is provided throughout the premises for all hotel guests, with hot & cold drinks available at the 24-hour self-service kitchen.

 

Creating the perfect synergy between a modernistic yet traditional design, ‘old meets new’ would be the ideal way to describe chic&basic Born’s architecture. Historical elements such as the marble staircase, stained glass windows and high ceilings are so well preserved; you would be surprised to know that the building of the hotel is actually a century old. The designer chose to complete the composition by adding modern glossy white walls, giving the interior a personality of its own.

The amazing lounge at chic&basic Born hotel in Barcelona.

The amazing lounge at chic&basic Born hotel in Barcelona.

...and another lounge area within the hotel.

…and another lounge area within the hotel.

The room

I certainly did not think it could get any better – but I was proved wrong. The theme of the room is white, emphasizing on a minimalistic design. The room is made up of glossy white walls with curves that give it a contemporary minimalist layout, along with a flat screen TV, double bed and mosaic flooring coupled with dark brown parquet.

 

Nonetheless, my eyes were fixated on the absolute highlight of this room:

a glass shower that stood right in the middle of the room; well in front of my bed

(did I mention that you definitely want to stay here as a couple?). The glass shower looked pristine, almost as if it had never been used before. Hence I could only give compliments to the excellent housekeeping team that upheld the standards of chic&basic Born.

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The hotel room of chic&basic Born hotel - stylish and modern.

The hotel room of chic&basic Born hotel – stylish and modern.

These features and amenities would be ideal for couples that wish to have a short staycation within Barcelona city (and trust me, when I say that the missus will love it). We honestly didn’t want to leave and the very cozy queen size bed played a great part in making us want to stay longer (while it could also have been the glass shower, I am not quite sure here). Men, if you are not the romantic type of guy, trust me, this room pretty much does the job for you. You just take the remote control and press a button to “paint the room red” for this night (or purple for the next, blue for the third, green for the fourth).

Check out my blog post about the 10 most romantic things to do on a Barcelona trip, to see how the hotel room actually looks like in red, purple, blue or green during night. I guarantee you have never seen such thing before!

Apart from that, chic&basic Born even offers you with little messages of encouragement that can be found on your toiletries, instructional leaflets and flyers; guaranteed to put a smile on your face. What chic&basic Born intends to achieve with its guests is clear and simple: That you do whatever you feel like doing (and enjoy every moment of it) – and that might simply be wildly jumping on the bed or having a pillow fight.

Very creative way of telling the cleaners off.

Very creative way of telling the cleaners off.

chic&basic gives helpful instructions about how jumping on the bed will increase your hotel experience.

chic&basic gives helpful instructions about how jumping on the bed will increase your hotel experience.

The facilities

Aside from the lounge that I have mentioned earlier, facilities include a basic gym with equipment for weight lifting and cardiovascular workouts (that you may require after indulging in the various Spanish delicacies).

Small gym at the hotel, in case you did´t walk enough through Barcelona city already.

Small gym at the hotel, in case you did´t walk enough through Barcelona city already.

Right by the reception is the chic&basic Meeting Point with the breakfast bar & the Library Lounge, a super cool hangout area with an interior that is designed to resemble a library; croissants and coffee are served up during breakfast, making you feel right at home. Thankfully, no restrictive hours are imposed. Giving you the freedom to lounge on the leather couch all the way from 8am till midnight! A very cool place to get comfortable with a good book.

Super comfy leather couch at the Library Lounge of chic&basic hotel.

Super comfy leather couch at the Library Lounge of chic&basic hotel.

The freshly brewed super strong Spanish coffee must be part of any breakfast in Barcelona.

The freshly brewed super strong Spanish coffee must be part of any breakfast in Barcelona.

The Library Lounge - time to hang out with a good book about Gaudi.

The Library Lounge – time to hang out with a good book about Gaudi.

 

The chic&basic Born hotel service

Contrary to past experiences in hotels of a certain level, the service crew of chic&basic Born did not appear to be stiff or intimidated when approached but rather casual and easy-going. This is not the kind of hotel with an army of service staff being clothed in formal attire bowing down before you each time you address them. Instead I could tell, that most of the staff love working here, which is priceless in any kind of guest facing & serving job.

 

Service staff demonstrated consistency and were able to build great rapport with guests as they were not only courteous but also helpful with each request. I recall a particularly memorable service encounter where the receptionist of chic&basic spent over an hour advising us on our road trip to Andorra (needless to say, I was very grateful!).

 

Furthermore, the culture of chic&basic Born is deeply influenced by Stephan, the hotel director who is also Austrian. He is good-humoured and full of drive and passion for the running of the hotel. He is also always approachable, I had the pleasure of receiving insider travel tips from Stephen himself; thanks to him I was able to get the full on Barceloneon experience.

 

Thus, I can safely say that it will certainly not be my last trip to Barcelona or the chic&basic Born.

More infos @ www.chicandbasic.com

Barcelona Gaudi Parkchic&basic sponsored a few nights which did not at all affect my honest opinion & review about the hotel. We even extended our stay at own costs because we loved it so much.

 

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