Leonardo Royal Hotel Barcelona Forum

At the end of Avenida Diagonal, Leonardo Royal Hotel Barcelona Forum gives you a city base with the coast close enough for a walk and the essentials arranged under one roof. It is a large, modern four-star hotel with 368 rooms, a rooftop pool, a fitness centre and a spa, so you can choose between going back out into Barcelona or simply staying put for the evening.

The practical details matter here. Air conditioning, free WiFi throughout the hotel, a bar, restaurants and room service mean you can shower, cool down and eat without turning the evening into another expedition. Hotel information is available in Spanish, while the nearby diving options include centres whose websites are also available in English.

You are in Barcelona, at Passeig del Taulat 278, opposite Diagonal Mar Shopping Centre and at the end of Avenida Diagonal. This is not a hotel with its toes in the sand, but Llevant Beach is about 0.4 miles away, roughly a five-minute walk, and Nova Mar Bella Beach is about 0.6 miles away. Forum Beach is around 0.8 miles from the hotel.

For the city, El Maresme | Fòrum metro station is about 0.2 miles away. From the metro, Passeig de Gràcia is reachable in about 15 minutes, putting the Gothic streets, museums and Gaudí architecture within straightforward reach rather than requiring a heroic commute. The Picasso Museum is around 2.7 miles away, while Casa Batlló and La Pedrera are just over 3 miles away.

Barcelona El Prat Airport is about 12 miles away. The nearby shopping centre gives you an easy fallback for everyday purchases and eating out, with Estrella Restaurante about 400 feet away and Blaus around 700 feet away.

For a straightforward stay as a couple, the Comfort Double or Twin Room covers the essentials without asking you to pay for space you will not use. If the view matters when you draw the curtains, the Deluxe Double or Twin Room with Sea View gives you the Mediterranean rather than the city as part of the room. The Superior Double or Twin Room with City View is the sensible choice when the room is mainly a place to sleep, shower and regroup.

The Junior Suites are the more useful step up for a longer stay or for travellers who like a proper sitting area rather than a chair beside the bed. They come in options for two or three guests, while the larger suites add sea views and more room to spread out. Family rooms are available, and children of any age are welcome; cots can be requested for children up to three years old, while extra beds are not available.

Every room has air conditioning, a minibar, a flat-screen television with satellite channels, a private bathroom with shower or bath, towels, toiletries and a hairdryer. A refrigerator, coffee machine and electric kettle are handy when you return tired and want cold water or a hot drink without starting a search for a café. A seating area and desk give you somewhere to settle, and the lift serves the upper floors.

Breakfast is a buffet with continental, vegetarian, vegan and halal choices, beginning at 07:00. That gives you a proper start before heading out, though no early diver breakfast or packed lunch is described. The named Restaurant serves international food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with salads, meats and vegetarian dishes on the menu. Dinner runs from 18:00 to 23:30, while lunch is served on Saturdays from 12:00 to 17:00.

There are two restaurants in the hotel, plus TheSuitBar for drinks and a snack bar when a full meal is overkill. The bar serves cocktails and opens from 10:30 until midnight. The food offer includes salads, sandwiches, freshly baked pastries and a varied set menu, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices available.

Room service runs daily from 07:00 to 23:00. That is the useful option when your legs have had enough of Barcelona and the sensible plan is food in the room, a cold drink from the minibar and an early night.

The rooftop outdoor pool is the obvious place to stop moving for a while. A sun terrace, loungers and pool towels make it possible to claim a patch of daylight without heading back to the beach, and the rooftop setting gives the pool a different purpose from simply being another hotel facility: it is where you can sit, cool off and let the day wind down.

The spa provides the heavier recovery programme, with massages, facial treatments, a hammam, sauna, jacuzzi, mud bath and body wrap. You can keep the afternoon quiet or make it properly restorative; either way, the choice is more useful than a vague promise of wellness.

There is also a fitness centre for guests who still have energy to spend. If your partner wants a slower day while you are out, the pool, spa and nearby beaches provide separate rhythms without placing you in a resort isolated from the city.

Check-in starts at 15:00 and check-out is by 12:00. You need photo identification and the card used for the booking at arrival, and the hotel asks you to provide your expected arrival time. The minimum age for check-in is 18. A refundable damage deposit is taken by card on arrival and returned after the room has been inspected.

Private parking is available in the hotel garage, subject to space, and reservations are not possible. Long-stay parking can be arranged by request. The hotel also offers luggage storage, daily housekeeping, a wake-up service and a 24-hour reception, which is useful when flights and dive-day logistics refuse to respect office hours.

Free WiFi covers the whole hotel, and upper floors are accessible by lift. Barcelona El Prat Airport is about 12 miles away. No airport shuttle service is listed, so your transfer plans need arranging separately.