Level Sky

The Level Sky hotel is the upper part of the Sky hotel, we paid about an extra €50 to upgrade, but was it worth it? Overall we’d say we got great value for the hotel, the use of the lounge made it worth the extra to us, but it really didn’t feel like a five star experience.

Top tip: they’re sold as two separate hotels, so you can price them side by side before you commit. The Level at Meliá Barcelona Sky is the upper part, Meliá Barcelona Sky is the rest of it. If the gap on your dates is around the €50 we paid, take the upgrade for the lounge alone. If it’s a lot more than that, stay downstairs and buy your own cava.

Check-in

The check-in process was an absolute five star experience and one of the best check-in’s we’ve experienced.

You start downstairs in the main reception before swiftly being shown to the lift to go to the dedicated check-in for Level Sky guests on the 25th floor. Here we were seated & offered complementary Cava & water before they took any details.

Check-in was swift, although after reading other reviews we’d missed that breakfast is no longer complementary for Level Sky guests. We opted not to add this and other guests that we spoke to said it was a waste of money because the lounge has really similar food options.

The Lounge

All Level Sky guests get complimentary access to the lounge from 9am-8pm. This includes free flowing Cava, the wine/beer availability was a bit hit & miss. There’s a range of pastries, breads, quiche, cheese, sandwiches, fruit & other small nibbles, as well as soft drinks. We spent a fair amount of time here and found the desks ideal for getting some work done. The views were beautiful & it was easy to spend a few hours looking out of the window chatting up here. The coffee was a slightly broken espresso pod machine that delivered pretty disappointing coffee, so we opted for Mimosas instead.

Aperitivo Time

Every day Level Sky guest are invited to a complementary Aperitivo time at the bar on the 24th floor. There was a slightly wider range of tapas & snacks than at the lounge and the drinks on offer included spirits. The couches were very comfortable and we really enjoyed this. It was surprisingly civilized with most guests having a couple of plates and leaving as 7pm approached. We love a bit of value and have stayed at enough all-inclusives to know you grab your last drinks at the last second before closing to get the most out of the offer! We were able to stay in the bar as long as we wanted to finish our drinks, and anyone is welcome to visit the bar to purchase drinks so we weren’t sat alone in an empty room. Even if you’re not staying here we’d thoroughly recommend checking this bar out for the views!

The Spa

The spa was a little disappointing, although we got complementary access as Level Sky hotel guests so there’s really nothing to complain about. Overall the whole space was a little dated, half of the jacuzzi jets didn’t work, the sauna wasn’t that hot & the ‘cold shower’ wasn’t very cold, even after getting out of the steam room & jumping straight in. We didn’t try any of the massages or other services so we can’t comment on that, but all of the staff we spoke to were very friendly. We went at 3.30 on Saturday afternoon & had the entire facility to ourselves which was nice.

The Room

The rooms were also a little disappointing. When we arrived there was no complementary water, so we tried the taps but there was a strong chlorine smell which we’d seen mentioned in other blogs (and dismissed as we usually drink the tap water everywhere & we’ve heard this before). We ended up going down to the gym water fountain to fill our water bottles up. The air conditioning didn’t get particularly cold at the lowest setting, there were pieces of the light fixture missing & the beds/pillows weren’t as comfy as the Airport hotel of the same brand that we’d stayed in the night before. The TV was also very dated and low quality, there was no view (it was obstructed by a metal sheet with holes in it) which entirely defeats the purpose of getting a high up room and the conditioner made my hair feel awful. Overall none of these things really matter, we had a lovely time & a comfortable nights sleep, but it felt more like a Premier Inn budget hotel than the luxury five star experience it advertises.

Bike Rack

This wasn’t specific to the hotel but I absolutely loved these bikes outside of the hotel! They could be rented for 3 hours or a full day and had the option to chose electric or regular bikes, what a fantastic way to see the city!

We just grabbed one and went, so we can’t tell you whether an organised one is better. Looking it up afterwards, there’s no shortage of bike and e-bike tours in Barcelona if you’d rather someone else did the navigating, which on those junctions is not the worst idea.

The Pool

The pool looked fabulous, unfortunately there were a lot of kids running around & jumping in. This can’t really be helped and isn’t entirely the hotels fault, but it really wasn’t a great spot to relax so we didn’t spend long here.

Final Verdict

Overall we enjoyed our stay! For what we paid and the fact you’re in Barcelona, and the amount of complementary booze we worked our way through, I would absolutely recommend this hotel and stay here again. However if you’re expecting a relaxing, luxury five star experience, or if you don’t take advantage of the complementary snacks & beverages, I think you’ll leave this hotel sorely disappointed.

They were very nice about letting us sit in the lounge until our room was ready and after checkout until it was time for us to leave for the next part of our trip.

We loved the area and had an absolutely fantastic brunch just around the corner that you can read about here.

Price the two rooms up side by side before you book, because the entire verdict hangs on what the upgrade costs you on the night.

The Level at Meliá Barcelona Sky FAQs

Is The Level upgrade at Meliá Barcelona Sky worth it? At about €50, yes. The lounge and the aperitivo hour paid for it on their own. Much above that and you need to work out how much free cava and tapas you are realistically going to get through, because that is the entire value.

Is breakfast included with The Level at Meliá Barcelona Sky? Not any more, and we’d missed that when we booked. Other guests told us it’s a waste of money because the lounge food is really similar, we skipped it and didn’t feel like we’d missed anything.

What are The Level lounge hours? Complimentary access from 9am to 8pm when we stayed, with free flowing cava, pastries, breads, quiche, cheese, sandwiches and fruit. Aperitivo time is separate, on the 24th floor, with a wider range of tapas and spirits on the drinks.

Is Meliá Barcelona Sky really a five star hotel? It is sold as one, and the check-in and the lounge genuinely feel it. The room did not. Ours had no view at all because a metal sheet was in front of it, which rather defeats the point of a high floor, so set your expectations at the lounge rather than the bedroom.

Can you use the Skyline 24 bar if you are not staying there? Anyone can come up and buy a drink, which is why aperitivo hour never felt like sitting in an empty room. We’d send you up for the views even if you’re staying somewhere else entirely.

Is it a good hotel before a Barcelona cruise? It is what we used it for, the night before sailing with Virgin Voyages, and they were very good about letting us sit in the lounge after checkout until it was time to leave. If you would rather be near the airport than the city, we stayed at the INNSiDE Aeropuerto on a different trip and preferred the bed.

Prices are what we paid in August 2024. Things move, so check before you book.