Hotel Catalonia Castellnou, Castellnou, Barcelona

In a quiet residential neighbourhood north west of the city centre, Hotel Catalonia Castellnou is a lengthy walk from Barcelona's main attractions and not well-served by public transport. But a hire bike would work well. Inside, the walls are paper thin and the rooms tend to lack windows, but the hotel does a good breakfast, is tastefully decorated and has decent Wi-Fi. 6/10

Hotel Roger De Lluria, Roger De Lluria, Barcelona

Although it is very central and within walking distance of Barcelona's main sights, the elegant Hotel Roger De Lluria is in a fairly peaceful neighbourhood and is well sound proofed. Despite being decorated in an unusually traditional and staid style, the plush furnishings are good quality and in good nick. The rooms aren't big, but they are comfortable and well-equipped with baths, showers, flat-screen TVs, safes and free Wi-Fi. At the front of the hotel, there is a pleasant view down Roger De Lluria. The hotel staff are friendly, while the buffet breakfast is both extensive and impressive, offering smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, an array of pastries and other appetising options. The only complaint could be the lacklustre coffee, but there are plenty of eating and drinking options nearby. 7/10

H10 Port Vell, Pas de Sota Muralla, Barcelona, Spain

Although it occupies an elegant nineteenth century building overlooking the waterfront in Barceloneta, this brand spanking new branch of the H10 chain has a sleek, contemporary interior. You get to choose between relatively spacious bedrooms with views of the port or the cheaper and very compact double rooms overlooking the central atrium. Either way, you can use the roof terrace which has sun loungers and a plunge pool. The quiet en-suite rooms are tastefully decorated in creamy monotones, enlivened by funky lighting. They are also well-equipped with safes, flat-screen TVs, bathrobes, a myriad of toiletries and respectable WiFi. The impressive breakfast, served in an airy ground floor dining room, is a mixture of table service and a buffet. You can order omelettes, poached eggs and the like, while also helping yourself to the pastries, yoghurts, cheeses, cold meats, Nespresso machine coffee and decent fruit juices. Only the dry croissants disappoint.  The service is friendly and warm - the young staff seem genuinely interested in striking up a conversation. A short walk from Barcelona's Gothic heart and sandy beaches, H10 Port Vell is a very pleasant place to stay. 8/10

Hotel del Mar, Plaça Pla del Palau, Barcelona

Occupying a handsome neo-classical building on a square near the harbour-front, Hotel del Mar looks appealing from the outside. The interior is less enticing, however. Although it is enlivened by old nautical maps and antique diving gear in glass cases, the decor is pretty tired and the lifts are sluggish. The dingy bedrooms are also drab with plain walls and budget furnishings, but are quite spacious for Barcelona. You'll find a reasonable flat screen TV, a small safe (the key costs 2 euros a day), a large desk, lame air con and an adequate wardrobe. The WiFi is free, but can be slow or non-existent, if a lot of people try and get online in the evening. Still, the en-suite bathrooms are more up to date and the hotel can be pretty quiet, particularly if you keep the window closed.

Castell d’Empordà, near La Bisbal d'Empordà, Catalonia

Dating from the fourteenth century, Castell d’Empordà is perched above the rolling farmland north of La Bisbal d'Empordà near the Costa Brava. Medieval towers constructed from golden stone form the atmospheric centrepiece of this luxurious hotel, which also features a modern wing, an outdoor pool, a spacious sunbathing terrace and a renown restaurant. The garden rooms in the modern block have balconies and large glass windows with far-reaching views taking in the surrounding villages. They are well-equipped with comfortable beds, free Wi-Fi, safes, minibars, rain showers, bathrobes and flat-screen televisions. Kitted out in a cool, contemporary style, these rooms have oak floors and stylish, sold furniture. And unlike the accommodation in the castle itself, the garden rooms are served by a lift.

Hotel Principal, C/ Junta de Comerç, Barcelona

Centrally located in Barcelona's edgy El Raval district, Hotel Principal is a timeworn establishment with small bedrooms and jaded staff. Downstairs, the hotel retains some historic appeal - massive wooden doors dating from the 19th century lead up to a grand staircase. But the remaining period features have been overwhelmed by functional fixtures and fittings, naff prints and an array of knick-knacks. Furnished and decorated on a budget, the cramped en-suite bedrooms tend to be short of daylight. Still, the beds are comfortable enough and the free WiFi works surprisingly well for a three-star hotel. The en-suite bathrooms are in reasonable condition and there are small safes in the wardrobes (3 euros a day for a key). Despite the thin walls, hard floors and tendency for doors to slam, it can be surprisingly quiet on the fourth floor at night (perhaps due to a lack of guests). Stairs on the fifth floor lead to an extensive, but basic, terrace with views over the surrounding rooftops.

Rialto Hotel, Carrer Ferran, Barcelona

Well located in a historic building in the heart of Barcelona's buzzing Barri Gotic district, the Rialto Hotel doesn't have to try very hard and it shows. The whole place sorely needs a facelift and kitting out with amenities, such as WiFi that works, safes that are big enough to hold a laptop and irons and ironing boards. Frustratingly, the electronic locks on the room doors can be flaky - it might take a dozen attempts before you get the green light. The rooms are a fair size, but they can be uncomfortably stuffy as the air conditioning may be ineffectual. Although the large en-suite bathrooms are fairly contemporary and the showers quite powerful, the pastel patterned curtains and bedspreads in the bedrooms belong to a different era. The safes (2 euros a day for a key) are inadequate, the hotel won't lend you an iron and the large number of bedrooms means the hotel can be noisy. There are no mini-bars, so you'll have to buy cold water from the vending machines on floors 2 and 5.

La Garriga de Castelladral, Carretera de Súria a Castelladral, Castelladral, Catalonia

An upmarket family-run hotel deep in the Catalan countryside, La Garriga de Castelladral is a former vineyard, perched on a hillside with distant views of the sabre-tooth mountain of Montserrat, across the scars of a nearby salt mine. There is a very wide terrace leading down to the outdoor pool, which would be a great vantage point, if it weren't for the pool cover, obscuring the view from the water. The hotel itself oozes character - the old manor house huddles around a cobbled courtyard. The owners have lovingly-preserved the original features, such as the massive brick vats and the ancient wooden barrels. There is also plenty of stylish, communal space, such as the tasteful lounge and library, which are decorated with arty travel prints and equipped with wicker chairs and hefty coffee-table photobooks.

Parador de Cardona, Catalonia

An imposing medieval fortress perched on a hill overlooking the charming town of Cardona, this Parador is a memorable place to stay. As you wind your way up the hill, you pass the sprawling outer walls, studded with mini-turrets, before reaching an expansive car park. If you have luggage, you might want to drive under the archway up the steep stone ramp, bordered by shrubs and an old canon, to the castle gates - a real sense of arrival.  You then take the sharp turn up to the much smaller car park. Inside the keep is an elegant courtyard, complete with cloisters, leading on to wooden boardwalks with wide open views of the open cast salt mine and the surrounding wooded hills. The Parador's reception is an inviting room with appropriately grand furniture and handsome fittings, adorned with the Spanish, Catalan and European flags. From the castle, a steep path zig-zags through the walls down to the town. But the climb back up can be tough in the heat.

GBB Hotel 4, Carrer Doctor Trueta, Barcelona

A boxy, modern hotel in an unusually featureless part of Barcelona, GBB Hotel 4 is well located for the beach, but not much else. Situated north east of the city centre, this one-year-old mini tower block overlooks a large, multi-storey graveyard and some of the upper floors have distant sea views. The compact single rooms, with tasteful prints of modern art and dark laminate wood floors and furnishings, offset by bold splashes of colour from the dark red chairs and matching cushions, are comfortable enough. But it can be difficult to get either the high-tech air conditioning or the Internet access to work properly.  The en-suite bathrooms are contemporary, but characterless. More appealing is the open and airy first floor dining room, which overlooks the reception lounge painted bold red and framed by sloping pillars. The buffet breakfast, which has plenty of choice, features tiny croissants, pastries, cold meats, cheeses, fruit, yoghurts, fruit juices, bread and toast. You can choose from filter coffee or the slightly-sickly machine coffee. The hot food can include greasy bacon, small rubbery sausages and cool, congealed scrambled egg. There is something for everyone, but it is more fuel, than fine food. GBB Hotel 4 also has a business centre and a fitness suite, but there better places to stay in Barcelona. 6/10 

Hesperia Carlit, Diputación, Barcelona

About half way between the Placa Catalunya and the Sagrada Familia, Hesperia Carlit is well-placed for walking to many of Barcelona's sights, but there isn't much in the immediate vicinity. Despite a modest three star rating and tariffs to match, this hotel's 2002 refurbishment slavishly followed the Barcelona fashion for kitting out an elegant nineteenth century building with funky, modern furnishings. But the injection of style can't disguise how cramped this hotel is – the rooms have just enough space to enable a guest to walk around two sides of the double bed. A clouded glass window might overlook the small internal atrium, decorated with large stones, rather than the outside world. The en-suite bathrooms are fitted with showers, rather than baths, but are well-equipped with toiletries, towels and bathrobes. Moreover, there is a good safe in the wardrobe and broadband Internet access is available via a cable provided by reception.

Resorting to earplugs
But none of these features compensate for the paper-thin walls, which might have you resorting to earplugs to get some sleep. If you can't nod off, you can watch one of the handful of English language channels on the clunky, old-fashioned telly, which is at odds with the rest of the decor. The buffet breakfast, in the downstairs basement, isn’t bad – there is an array of cold meats, cheeses, pastries, bread rolls, plus yoghurts and a mixture of tinned and fresh fruit. There is even a small selection of mediocre hot food – wafer thin slices of bacon, dense scrambled egg and mini frankfurter sausages. But the café con leche isn't much cop, which is often the case in Spain. Perhaps the best thing about Hesperia Carlit is the well-turned out, friendly and helpful reception staff. 6/10

Torre Laurentii Hotel, Placa Paula Armet, Sant Llorenc de la Muga, Catalonia

A very stylish boutique hotel housed in an venerable villa built into the ancient stone walls of a medieval village, Torre Laurentii is meticulously run by an American of Cuban extraction and his Catalan wife. With just seven rooms, the hotel has plenty of communal areas, including two lounges and a very wide stone terrace, with big comfortable wicker armchairs, overlooking a well-tended, enclosed garden. Throughout the sympathetically-restored building, original features are mixed tastefully with modern additions and amenities. On the second floor, the grand suite has its own private terrace commanding views across the village and the surrounding wooded hills.

Hotel Petit Palace Museum, Carrer de la Diputació, Barcelona

On the outside, the Petit Palace Museum is a distinguished nineteenth century building. On the inside, it is very much a funky twenty-first century hotel, conveniently-located on the southern edge of Barcelona's smart Eixample district. The centrepiece of the stylish foyer is a grand piano, framed by white pillars, lit by arty blue lighting and flanked by big leather armchairs and sofas. On hand, are several Internet-connected laptops for the use of guests and some weighty books about Catalan artists, while opposite the lifts is an amusing mini-sofa in the shape of some big red lips.

Hotel Ciutat, Carrer Princesa, Barcelona

With the historic Parc de la Ciutdella, the famous La Rambla, the sweeping sea front and the handsome Passeig Gracia all nearby, the recently-opened Hotel Ciutat is within walking distance of many of Barcelona's tourist draws. Although the sometimes garish paint is barely dry and the geometrical decor is reminiscent of Ikea, this hotel has some style. In the foyer, for example, the large three dimensional line drawing of this quarter of the city is pretty cool. But there is no lounge or bar in which to hang out and the en-suite rooms have thin walls, firm beds, small televisions, thin, rough towels and erratic hot water. Some have small windows overlooking a gloomy, compact central courtyard, but you can get sunshine, and a pleasant view across the nearby rooftops, by heading for the sixth-floor terrace with its petite swimming pool. A buffet breakfast is served in a large and funky, yet uncomfortable, room with long school-dinner style tables lined with benches. Although the machine coffee is bland and the scrambled eggs dry, you can get some half-decent slices of ham and toast, plus yogurt and cheese. Better still, free and reliable Internet access is available in the bedrooms via cables handed out by the helpful, young reception staff. 7/10

Avenida Palace Hotel, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Barcelona

A pompous and somewhat tacky hotel with swirling gold staircases and marble pillars rising out of the old-fashioned foyer. The tired bedrooms, decked out in red and brown, have very thin walls through which you can hear your neighbours' conversations, ablutions and television quite clearly - not conducive to a good night's sleep. In any case, the beds and pillows are too hard for a four-star hotel and even in the non-smoking rooms you occasionally pick up the faint waft of cigarette ash. The en-suite bathrooms have old-fashioned, temperamental fittings and black and yellow speckled basin tops vaguely reminiscent of vomit. If you are at the rear of the hotel, the view - of the backs of modern buildings - is unusually drab for Barcelona.

Hotel La Coma, Setcases, Catalonia

Modern, but attractive and solidly-built, hotel blanketed with hanging baskets of flowers and offering fine views of the mountains surrounding Setcases. Popular with the elderly and young families. Tasteful and understated rooms are kitted out with very solid wooden furniture and many have balconies overlooking the small car park, the large children's play area, outdoor pool and the forested slopes further down the valley. But you may need to remove the plastic waterproof mattress covers to get a good night's sleep. Half board is great value at 54 euros per person. It includes a buffet breakfast, which you can have on a sun-drenched terrace, featuring a wide variety of tasty cold meats and cheeses, and simple three-course dinners, generous and competently prepared. One of the best starters is anchovies, roasted peppers and aubergine on toast, while main course highlights include a flavoursome veal and mushroom stew and a succulent shoulder of lamb. Staff are fairly friendly and the hotel is well-placed for some lovely riverside walks. 8/10