This was a really fantastic place to stay and I would gladly come back next time I’m in Barcelona! We stayed just for a couple of nights but I could easily have stayed much longer.
There is 24 hour check in (no extra fees for arriving late or anything) and all of the receptionists were really nice and spoke good English. We were given a generous upgrade, which was kindly still applied when we extended our stay for an extra night.
Though we didn’t end up staying in the room we originally booked, if it was anything like the room we were given, then I would highly recommend it. Our room was large and spacious with high ceilings, and both the bedroom and the bathroom were immaculately clean. The bed was just enormous (we easily could have for another person in there with us!) and we were delighted to find that the beds were made when we returned every day from sightseeing - a lovely surprise! There was also a desk (which came with a complimentary bag of yummy Torres truffle crisps), a chair, a sofa and a mini fridge, plus extra towels and the like. Lots of lights and sockets for plugging things in. The bathroom was stocked with nice smelling hand soap and body wash too.
We didn’t really hang out in the hostel itself, but passing through the communal areas, it all looked clean and cosy. And there’s an elevator! There looked like there were board games and books in various languages available for general use, and apparently in the downstairs area they had cake in the mornings for free, though unfortunately we always got up too late and it was already gone. But there were other snacks and drinks available to purchase at the front desk.
The location of the hostel is very central, on a lively mostly pedestrian street with lots of vintage and second hand clothes shops as well as more essential places like bakeries and so on. There was even a nice looking tapas bar next door though we were never there at the right time to sample the food! Only a few minutes from La Rambla, it can get a little noisy outside, but it was never loud enough to keep us from sleeping even with the windows wide open every night. Plus, with such a central location, only a few minutes walk from various metro stations and a short distance from the busy gothic quarter, of course it’s not going to be dead silent. If you’re into food, there’s a number of good restaurants within walking distance, our favourites were Betlem (particularly the iberico cannelloni oh my god) and Mont Bar (the tuna belly carpaccio dish was divine) for inventive, modern tapas and larger plates. Not super cheap but still good value especially coming from London where eating out is so expensive.
All in all, it was a great experience at Hostel Grau and really good value, nothing that I would change, and the price was so reasonable too!