Good value/location hotel in Barcelona?

How long are you visiting? If it’s as long as a week or so, you can rent an apt. off the Ramblas (in the heart of the restaurants/nightlife) for less than you would pay for hotel. I’ve heard good things about this and you can get a place within walking distance from the famous outdoor food market and cook whatever you find in the apartment’s kitchen.
When I went I stayed in a pension, which is basically like a bed and breakfast, often family-owned. The price is virtually the same as a hostel but much nicer and more private. There are tons of these in Barcelona. I would get a Lonely Planet for a list. Since there are so many pensiones it is easy to check out a few before you decide on a place. For these I never made any reservations. If one is full, just walk to another. Good luck.

we are staying 4–5 nights only. Would a pension be a better choice maybe? It sounds nice having an apartment though. Thanks for your info, great stuff!

I stayed in a pension called Vrabac, off the Ramblas. It is a small place, very cozy, with only about 6 or 7 rooms. Shared bathrooms. Run by two artists. They burn some incense so it has kind of a hippie smell…but the rooms were clean, charming. Prices were very affordable. See if you can get a room that isn’t on the street, though, because people stay out VERY late in Barcelona so it was noisy till the wee hours. I brought a pair of earplugs and I was fine. The better option would be just to plan on staying out drinking wine till 5am…but I was traveling with my mom, so that didn’t quite work for us. ;)

The pensiones are cool and they range from a little bit nicer than a hostel, to hotel standards. I would go and look at few. I stayed right off the Ramblas, in walking distance from the beach and across from the outdoor market on college student prices. The thing about pesiones is that if you stay one night and hate it, find a new one the next day. There are many. Make sure to pay for only one night until you decide it’s suitable.

Excellent! How do you find these? Online or by phone? Or do you just walk in? Advertised or do they have signs on their door?

Lonely planet lists virtually all of them (including #‘s). Yes they have signs and are easy to spot. I would not make reservations, as you don’t know what they are really like until you get there. If you call one, sometimes you can ask for the person to hold a room for an hour or so.

here’s a link for the Vrabac place…you can look at photos and if you like it you can book online here: http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Vrabac-Barcelona-11251
you can also browse other similar locations on this website and read the peer reviews…

thanks to all your help, I had a great stay in brc. Walked around the rambla and found a nice hostel. They range around 17–23 euro per night and if you are lucky you find a small room for yourself.