There is no shortage of creative and quirky design elements inside the Chic and Basic Ramblas, a small boutique hotel that is housed in a 1977 converted apartment building and is in walking distance to Las Ramblas' vibrant shopping, dining, and partying scene. The unique and humorous interior decorations contrast the sleek salmon-colored exterior of the building and monotone cityscape immediately surrounding the hotel. The hotel's reception desk -- which sits next to a parked green SEAT 600 car, with luggage loaded on its roof -- is made of vintage suitcases stacked up to the countertop. Around the corner from the front desk is a bright library room with a couch, chairs and repurposed Billars Cordoba pool table.

Ciutat Vella, or "Old Town," is the pulse of Barcelona and home to museums and historically rich gems like the Gothic Quarter, but also near tourist attractions including Parallel Avenue, with the Apolo, Condal and Victoria theaters. The tourist-congested Plaza Catalunya -- where there's shopping, dining, and double-decker bus tours -- is a 14-minute walk away from the hotel. It's a 15-minute stroll to the hip Born area. Cabs and public buses are conveniently nearby, or there's also the Drassanes Metro station three blocks away, with its eye-catching architecture and artwork. For a more relaxed setting, stunning views of the seaport can be seen from the L'Aquarium de Barcelona, a walkable 15 minutes away. The Barcelona El Prat Airport is a 17-minute car ride from the hotel.

Rooms in this upper middle-range hotel are like a chic version of a student's first apartment post-graduation, infused with personality, snaps of color, bean bags in some, flat-screen TVs, and light-weight furniture. Each one of the six floors is intended to imbue a culture of the 1960s. Aside from the large photographs and words plastered on the bright room doors and in some of the hallways, the rooms are basic with no pictures or artwork on the walls. Inside there are zany messages like "save the whales, (but before) save your head!" which is printed on the shower door in the sleek bathroom. Kitchens, terraces, and balconies covered in funky artificial grass and contemporary furniture are also available with rooms. A few guests have complained about rooms near the restaurant's terrace being noisy with partygoers and the routine restaurant sounds of dragging outdoor chairs.

Several days a week, a two-hour guided tour leave from the lobby and meanders through the labyrinthine medieval alleyways that make up Barcelona's Gothic Quarters. For a one-time fee the hotel offers the tour that also includes information on the area's nightlife. Back at the hotel, the on-site restaurant, El 600 de la Peppy, serves a daily breakfast buffet and a weekend brunch for a nominal fee. Freebies include bicycle rentals and Wi-Fi, but there's no gym or spa.