My first stop on this crazy trip was Barcelona. Typically, I land at a destination and the craziness starts. This time, I took a different approach. This time I decided to ease my way into the trip. The Hyatt BCN is the perfect place to implement this strategy. Why?
1. It is very close to the airport.
Had I not messed with Uber and Bolt, I could have been in my comfy Hyatt bed in minutes.
2. It is in the middle of nowhere.
I don’t appreciate that this place is called the Hyatt Regency Barcelona. While technically it is in Barcelona, there’s nothing that resembles Barcelona for kilometers. If I had hurriedly booked this hotel with the expectation that I would be somewhere in the vicinity, I would have been quite disappointed. Fortunately, I have learned the lesson that Hotel Name + City Name does not equal prime real estate (see Four Points Ljubljana: Not Near the Centre). This time the less-than-ideal location was to my advantage. The goal was not to do anything. Temptation was far from my door making this mission easy to accomplish.
3. Points Cheap
What will we do when Hyatt has a serious devaluation like Hilton? This would end my ability to pad stays at properties without worrying about points (see Bus-Ted: Gold Medal Trip Report Points & Cash Summary). For 9k a night, I received a great room and a hot shower.
4. Close to Andorra
As stated above, the Hyatt is close to the airport. The airport is where I attempted to catch the bus to Andorra. This is convenient if logistics go as planned (see I Missed My Ride: Not So ‘Direct Bus’ Andorra).
5. It’s a Funky Hotel
Overall
If you’re looking to ease your way into your Euro trip, stay at the Hyatt Regency Barcelona.
Olives I would pay for.
I have stayed here twice over the past two years for four nights each using points. I have to agree with your assessment. I like being away from things, but you really are not that far away 30-40 minute metro ride. Staff has always been friendly, rooms are nice and for 9k points a night it is a good deal. I had a club access to use for my past trip and that made it an even better value for a non globalist.
I couldn’t be that far if the city was my main destination but it served its purpose