The Central House Barcelona Gracia

This hostel is conveniently located near many bus and metro lines, as well as Casa Mila and Casa Batllo, making getting around super easy. There's a supermarket right next to the hostel, and plenty of restaurants and fast food options nearby. The room was a bit simple but clean and tidy. The shared bathrooms and showers were plentiful, though the shower stalls were a bit small, making it a bit tricky to change clothes, and the water temperature was a bit hard to control. The common areas were spacious, and there was an outdoor area too. They have one washing machine and one dryer. There's also a vending machine and a hairdryer. The front desk staff were very enthusiastic; I asked them for an extra blanket when it got a bit cold at night. Overall, it was a pretty good experience!

The shower in my room was broken and was never fixed, so I had to use the communal bathroom outside. I was assigned to an upper bunk near the door. Since there's an open space above the top bunk, my roommates turning off the lights late at night disturbed my sleep. The wall on the door side of the room isn't solid, so the bed would shake violently whenever someone opened or closed the door. It gets very hot in the summer, but thankfully, there's 24-hour AC in the room. The downside is that they don't change the sheets and towels, even for longer stays, which feels a bit unsanitary. The hostel has a nice courtyard. The location is very convenient, making it easy to go out for food, shopping, and transportation.

The hotel's location is excellent, very close to Casa Milà and Sagrada Familia. If you're a solo traveler on a budget, I'd definitely recommend this place. The only downside was that during my stay, Barcelona was experiencing a heatwave, and the air conditioning in the room wasn't very effective.

Overall, my stay was very good. I met a lot of lovely people, and the common area was excellent, with a kitchen and fridge available for everyone to use – a great option if you're on a budget. There are also washing machines and dryers, which are slightly cheaper than what you'd find outside. Each room has its own bathroom, which was quite clean, but the public bathrooms were a bit concerning. Regarding the room, on the first night, perhaps because I was on the top bunk with no netting, and I'm prone to insect bites, I got a 'mosquito gift package' – about 20-30 bites all over my body. I was so itchy I couldn't sleep. Although I'm not sure if it was mosquitoes or other insects, my first night's experience was really not good. After I mentioned it to the front desk staff, they checked for bed bugs, sprayed mosquito repellent in the room, and moved me to another bed. Things improved afterward, though that might also be because I bought my own mosquito repellent and anti-itch cream. On a positive note, the supermarket downstairs is excellent for buying dinner ingredients, and the water sold there is very cheap. You can also find mosquito repellent and anti-itch cream there; I bought them for 10+20€, just for your reference, and the anti-itch cream was super effective! If you're prepared for mosquitoes, I think this is a really great place to stay. It's very close to both the subway and bus stops, making it incredibly convenient to get to all the popular attractions, and the area feels very safe.