To be fair, it is not near the airport or close to the tourist part of Barcelona. But to cut a long story short, we wanted somewhere not too far from the airport and not too far from the city centre. I didn't have any time to research on trip advisor, so having stayed at the Ibis in Albi France recently, thought the above would be a good compromise. Booked it online at 10 am, got the bus from Andorra at 3pm, in the hotel by 7 pm. Job done. Very reasonable prices, plus you know what to expect with Ibis. All hotels the same design.
Got a taxi straight away from Barcelona Airport to the hotel, about 15 mins drive and a €14 fare, but take note there was at the time a minimum fare of €25 from the airport. For the return journey the Ibis will give you details of an airport transfer you can book online from hotel to airport (no cheaper airport to hotel so don't bother). Hotel to airport was €9 one passenger and €15 for two. Be sure to either print out the e mail confirmation or be able to show it the driver when he arrives on mobile or tablet. You pay the driver on the day so he wants to know how much to charge.
Getting into Barcelona was easy, bus 81 or 86 from just down from the hotel into Placa Espanya, taking around 35 mins. The bus terminates at Placa Espanya so no worries where to get off. (Note: you get the return bus from the stop where you get off - it does a u turn - spent a good half hour looking for the stop on the opposite side of the road the first time).Once in town there is the metro system, other buses, plus two different tourist bus networks. Useful tip: the big round building in this placa, Arenas de Barcelona, is great for a pit stop, many shops, restaurants, eateries and loos (free) plus air conditioned - great panoramic views from the top.
A 30 minute walk from the Ibis in Viladecans takes you to the local railway station where a 15 mins journey to Sitges is a nice option. You can get the train into Barcelona from there but the bus option seems more practical. Interesting to journey into town with the locals. On our visit a bus journey was €2.15.
The area around the Ibis looked a bit industrial at the time. We were on the outskirts of the residential part. We didn't see any restaurants that were open or appealed, but the hotel staff did recommend a couple in Viladecans. We found it was easier to eat in the city and then come back on the bus being light late in the evening in June. Didn't see any bother in the area during our stay.
The room at the Ibis was fine. Ours had a few bumps and scratches. Love the cabin style en suite they do with large shower. The room had a third bed but you can get reception to bring the magic key to turn it into a desk which was more practical for us. Breakfast was extra but well worth it. Great selection. There was a McDonald's next door but we didn't use it. Free wifi worked well. They served meals there but they were all pre cooked and microwaved. Just ate there the first night as late and hadn't got our bearings.
Staff were all great. Had a bit of Spanish knowledge but there was always someone who could speak reasonable English when you needed some detailed help. Just the lady serving the meals the first night didn't but we both kept trying and we got there in the end.
To sum up, very reasonable price, nice compact budget room, but not in a tourist area. Friendly helpful staff. 35 mins on bus to main tourist area. You interact with more of the locals especially using the locals buses into town. We stayed in the standard part of the Ibis but there are even cheaper rooms in the Budget Ibis in the block adjacent, but I haven't experienced them.
