Even if some of our most rooted travellers traditions change, there are others that are kept generation after generation, those that have since the beginning of times have marked the rules of the tourism industry. When we travel, we all want a hotel in the centre. It doesn’t matter if it is the centre of the city or a small town in the mountains, the location of the accommodation is and will always be a key part in the decision process of a reservation.
This is exacerbated when it comes to a hotel in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris and Rome, large cities where the centre practically concentrates all the goals and motivations of the trip. Anyone who books a hotel in Madrid far from the centre, usually does so because he needs to be connected to the airport, or is traveling for business he is looking for a budget hotel but with a middle hotel category (3-4 star minimum). But if one wants to enjoy a weekend in the city, a hotel in the centre of Madrid, next to El Retiro, Plaza Mayor and Gran Vía has every chance to be chosen.
The recovery of the old town centres is revitalizing even more this formula of hotel in the centre, with national hotel chains and, especially, international chains choosing to buy entire buildings, rehabilitate them and reactivate the immediate surroundings and offer a charming accommodation in the heart of the city.
One of the destinations where this has been booming in the last several years is Palma de Mallorca, a city whose old town had been very neglected until less than a decade ago. Forgotten even by locals and public institutions, the soul of the capital of the Balearics has started to bloom once again, with an old part filled with Mediterranean essence where you can find brand new boutique hotels, with a complete offer open to the public. These hotels are generally not only centred for hotel guests but as meeting point in the city, which is the long run will ultimately provide an experimental proposal for guests of the hotel.
Hotels in the centre of Palma are rarely below the 3 star category, and in recent years, the old town has been one of the few places in Mallorca where more hotels and of higher quality have been opened, creating a network of charming and luxury accommodations that are unique in Europe. Finding a room overlooking the Paseo Mallorca, or an accommodation in the building of a previously palace of the nobility of the city, is easier and cheaper.
In Barcelona, as it happens in Madrid, booking a hotel in the centre is vital if one really wants to enjoy all the possibilities that the city has to offer. Choosing a hotel in the Plaza de las Glorias would be most suitable for a business trip or to enjoy a beach holiday in the city with the family, but those looking for nightlife, and spending the days shopping and enjoying the terraces, cultural tours, for those, the best is an accommodation near Plaza Catalunya, La Boqueria or El Born. You should not discard the neighbourhood of El Raval as an area where to stay, in the past an area very deteriorated, as the previously mentioned old quarter in Palma de Mallorca, it is now one of the most desirable to experience the artistic and cultural life of Barcelona.
Same thing happens with hotels in the centre of Seville, as the Andalusian capital is a destination to specially enjoy the old town: the neighbourhood of La Cruz, its terraces and plazas, tapas bars and its wines, Flamenco, the colour of its balconies… Although there are areas like the ones with hotels in Isla Magica, Dos Hermanas and landmark neighbourhoods like Triana, that are not exactly in the centre of the city, in order to travel comfortably Seville, the best will always be to choose a hotel in the centre and rent a bike or a car to do some routes in the area the days you want.
A guide to the best city hotels 