Here is my review of the Hilton Diagonal Mar, Barcelona, Spain …

I am currently on a three week trip through Europe with my husband and 5-year old daughter.  We decided to include a cruise out of Barcelona as part of our family vacation.  We are staying with friends on the back end of the cruise but we didn’t have any accommodation on the front end.  Our favorite is Airbnb but we had been staying in Airbnb’s most of the way.  We have been saving many of our Hilton points and thought this would be a good time to redeem them.

We checked the Hilton.com site to see which properties were available for points and there was only one – the Hilton Diagonal Mar.  We were shocked at the number of points they wanted per night (373,000 points for 3 nights) as we paid half that much in London.  I do know that (it was a weekend) and Barcelona is one of the hottest tourist destinations in Europe – and the world for that matter.  I also know that the Diagonal Mar has a very cool pool and is blocks from the beach.  It is much more of a resort property than London Tower Bridge where we stayed recently.

We decided to go ahead and use points. – it was either that or pay €300-400 per night. So here we are on the last night and there are no regrets. There were a few fumbles at check-in but the staff has really gone out of their way to make everything great.  We got a room on the 10th floor – a decent size room with a shower and a bath (my daughter was really happy as all of the Airbnb’s only had showers).  The room was very quiet and the beds were very comfortable.

The pool is located on the very hip Purobeach lounge area on the 2nd floor.  There are very nice sun beds, lots of chairs and umbrellas and two pools – the main one deep enough for laps and a baby pool as well.  There is poolside food and drink service and we were  pleasantly greeted with complimentary fruit and bottled water.  We had a delicious lunch – a fantastic grilled goat cheese salad and a decent sized burger for my daughter.  It was a bit pricey but feeling hungry and tired, it was worth it.

Also in the lounge area is a bar, a very comfy area for dining and relaxing in comfort.  There is also a massage cabana, although I wouldn’t want a massage to club music, which is played throughout the area so bring your headset if you’re not a fan.

We worked out each morning in the decent-sized gym.  It’s filled with hand weights, several cardio machines, several weight machines and it’s open 24 hours.  There is also a sauna in each restroom, but disappointingly, they were both being repaired.

Each morning we ate at the breakfast buffet in the 1st floor restaurant Indigo.  They have a comprehensive breakfast buffet with both American and European options.  There is also a nice terrace on which you can enjoy your meal.

We were fortunate in that we had access to the 15th floor for the Executive Lounge.  The lounge has complimentary continental breakfast and hors d’oeuvres with open bar from 6-8pm.  It is open to gold (if you have the right room I understand) and diamond members.  The lounge was one of the greatest parts of our stay.  We met some really great people and enjoyed having a relaxing drink and light meal with a beautiful view.

The first night we arrived at 8pm (we were told it was open til 10) and found that they were putting all the food away.  I was quite upset at the misinformation at check-in and the staff went out of their way to get us some food.  Every night they had a different selection of tapas type foods and a decent selection of salads, fruits, etc.  It was just the perfect light dinner.

The others are fast asleep now after a long day at the beach.  Oh yes – Llevant beach is just a couple of blocks away.  There is everything you need – public restrooms, some showers, restaurants and even a few play areas scattered down the beach.  The water was cold but the sun was warm and — who cares we’re in Spain!

One of the favorite things for my daughter was the proximity to the Diagonal Mar Shopping Center.  It has one of the coolest playgrounds I have seen in the world!  Every night we went there and if the beach hadn’t worn her out, the playground put the finishing touch.

Good night, or as they say “buenas noches”, from the Hilton Diagonal Mar Hotel in Barcelona.  Our stay was just what the doctor ordered. If you need a little R&R, this might be just what you are looking for too!