Some photos of the great views from our (rather dirty) hotel windows. We had a view over the whole city, and a partial view of the ocean, since our room was so large. But the city's not particularly attractive from this distance, so a full ocean view would definitely have been preferable. Actually that reminds me of another slight negative. The hotel is the anchor for the redevelopment of the old port, that took place in connection with revamping the city for the Olympics. That makes it the only hotel on the beach, but it also means it's a bit far from the rest of the city. It's probably only a fifteen minute walk to most places, but it's a very depressing walk, involving running across eight lane highways and tramping over abandoned lots. The wasteland between the hotel and the city has probably been developed by now, but if not, you may want to opt for something more central, or rely on taxis.

124. Barcelona

One good aspect of Barcelona's airport is that it's basically in downtown. I think the distance we walked inside the airport was less than the distance from airport to hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Arts, a Ritz Carlton hotel. It was built as Barcelona's preeminent hotel, a mix of luxe and trendy that was really Barcelona's first top class hotel. It's the tall building with the crisscrossing girders all over it. Service is fantastic, as friendly as they are efficient, and the setting is perfect, right on the beach, which is what really differentitates Barcelona from all other European cities. The pool was a constant party and a great place to unwind, and the overall hotel gave us a nice vibe. The room was huge, a big living room, then a smaller living room and the bedroom, all of which was decorated like a college dorm room. Beige carpeting, cheap sub Ikea furnishings and polyester bed spreads, the whole thing a symphony of beige. Quite possibly the worst room I've ever stayed in. I imagine they've redone the rooms by now, but check before you go because you'll be staying on a very high floor and the decor can make you want to jump out the window. Hotel Arts: overall-8 (Room: 5, Service, 9, Facilities, 9). The room gets a 5 because it's huge and has great views, but you'll throw up if you look inside rather than outside. And the overall rating is a bit higher than it should be mathematically because in many ways it's a perfect hotel, and I gave them the benefit of the doubt on the redecorating.