Sant Jordi Barcelona – Rock Palace Hostel has to be one of the coolest hostels in Europe. It’s not every day you visit a hostel that’s design theme is legends of rock. Walking around the hostel you’ll see guitars hanging and song lyrics painted on the walls.
I had the pleasure of staying at Sant Jordi Rock Palace in Barcelona. This review will shine a light on what I thought of my stay at Sant Jordi Hostel. There’s a lot to cover, from food to socialising.
Table of Contents
Location Of Sant Jordi Barcelona Hostel
Sant Jordi Rock Palace hostel is in a fab location. It’s easily accessible by public transport, which really made coming and going with all my luggage easy and not a painful experience which it sometimes can be.
From the airport, all you need to do is take the Aerobus to the final stop, Plaza Catalunya. From there it is just a 12-minute walk to Rock Palace Hostel.
Universitat underground station is less than a 10-minute walk from the hostel.
Nearby, you will find lots of awesome places to eat, drink and shop. I enjoyed having breakfast at local coffee shops during my stay in Barcelona. Within a few minutes’ walk from the hostel, you will find Graniger pans artesans and Il Caffe di Francesco which I recommend. Also for a great healthy brunch, check out nearby Flax&Kale.
To walk from Sant Jordi Rock Palace to Las Rambla only takes 15 minutes, and to reach La Sagrada Familia from the hostel by walking will take just 25 minutes.
Common Areas At Sant Jordi Barcelona
First up is the huge kitchen and dining area on the bottom floor of the hostel. When I say huge, this really is no understatement. This is the heart of the hostel and the perfect place to meet fellow travellers and have a couple of beers. As I will mention later in this review, on most weeknights the hostel puts on big communal meals, which honestly was the best way to meet people. Heading down to this huge common room in the evenings was a lot of fun and everyone was so lovely, evening offering me some of the beer they had stashed in the fridge.
Next up is the roof terrace, which really is just on another level. Up here you will certainly be wowed by the swimming pool, it is lush! The terrace is also decked out with lounge chairs too, so the perfect place to get a fun evening of partying started. The pool is open from April to October. Sadly I visited in November, which meant no pool for me, it was far too chilly anyhow. I guess that’s just an excuse for me to return in the summer months.
Lastly, there’s a super cosy lounge area with comfy bean bags underneath the colourful glow through the seriously awesome stained glass windows. If partying isn’t your thing, or if you need to take some time to relax, catch up with friends back home, or like me, get some writing done, well this is the perfect spot. On the walls, you will also spot some seriously epic guitars, including a Flying V which I had my eye on.
Food and Drink At Sant Jordi Rock Palace
As I briefly touched on, the huge downstairs common room is the place to go for food and drink. Most nights of the week the hostel hosts a big communal evening meal that you can pay to take part in. During my trip, we had a curry night, pasta night and my favourite, a Paella night. All with drinks included (imagine me trying to drink my body weight in Sangria and there’s your mental image.)
Taking part is super affordable, for example, the Paella and sangria night was only €7. You’d honestly be hard-pushed to find a better deal than that in Barcelona. The best part about these meals, however, is the social aspect.
The hostel also serves breakfast every day between 8:30 am – 10:30 am, for €3.50. The continental breakfast is a mix of cereals, croissants, juice and hot drinks.
Hostel Facilities
Sant Jordi Rock Palace is kitted up with so many awesome facilities, it puts a lot of hostels to shame.
First up, let’s talk bathrooms. This is often the worst part of any hostel stay for me. So many places can get it so wrong, with bad cleanliness, lack of space and bad layout. However, let’s take a minute to praise Sant Jordi. Their bathrooms are everything you have ever wanted from a hostel bathroom.
The massive multi-shower rooms are gender-split and have separated shower areas that are lockable, with pegs on the walls to keep your belongings dry. The is a huge mirror that stretched across each bathroom, meaning there is plenty of space to get ready. To top it all off, you’ll find a built-in hairdryer! No need to bring your own and it doesn’t require coins either. So many times I’ve travelled, I’ve had to leave for the day with a mess of wet curly hair resembling the girl from the ring. It was nice to be able to leave for the day to explore Barcelona with dry hair – I honestly don’t ask for much.
The hostel also offers a laundry service, a computer room, free wi-fi and free maps on check-in.
Affordability Guide
To give you an idea of how much it costs to stay at Sant Jordi, I have made a table including some of the most popular dorm room types and the lowest cost per night for each.
| Dorm Type: | Cost From: |
| Bed in 10 Bed Dorm | £17 |
| Bed in 12 Bed Dorm | £17 |
| Bed in 8 Bed Dorm | £10 |
| Bed in Female Dorm | £17 |
| Bed in 4 Bed Dorm | £36 |
Social And Activities At Sant Jordi Barcelona
One thing Sant Jordi Rock Palace knows how to do is make guests welcome, and show them a fun time! Honestly, I have to say that Rock Palace was up there for me as one of the best social hostels I have stayed in throughout the whole of Europe.
Not only have they created an environment that promotes guests meeting each other and being sociable, but the activities and events they put on just add to this. The staff that lead each event are so lovely and helpful, and you can tell they are really enjoying their jobs.
As mentioned previously, the hostel puts on group meals most days. After the meals, however, is when the party really kicks in. After dinner are arranged hostel trips to local bars and Barcelona nightlife spots.
I did take part in these and had such an amazing time doing so. On one of the evenings, however, I and some fellow guests made a pre-hostel night out stop at a local bar recommended by one of them who used to study in Barcelona.
We did later join up with the rest of the hostel for a hilarious evening out.
Those staying at the hostel can also take part in a free walking tour leaving daily from Plaça de l’Ángel in the Gothic quarter (Jaume I metro stop).
There are also other activities put on by the hostel that you’ll find advertised in the reception area. during my stay this included yoga.
Top Tips For Your stay At Sant Jordi Barcelona
- Do take part in the evening meals and bar crawls. They are a great way to meet new people.
- Don’t worry about plug sockets, you’ll have one next to your bed.
- Do chat to the staff – they are super friendly and will give you great tips and information.
- Do visit Caffe di Francesco down the street for a morning coffee before sightseeing.
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