Hostales Barcelona for Alimentaria 2010

I always stay in Barcelona hostels during my visits there and my visit later this month for Alimentaria Barcelona 2010 will be no exception. Over the years I've tried, tested, and reviewed 4 Barcelona hostels and have more lined-up for my visit there next week.

My fault. Surely I started searching too late, what with the Food Fair coming up - the reason/excuse I'm going. But one would think 4 weeks before the start of Alimentaria would be enough. Maybe not. I sent emails to at least 20 hostales en Barcelona, and got near-immediate replies from three of them. Happily, it's at two of these I'm staying 2 nights each.

My plan is to stay at 3 hostales for 2 nights each in order to better "test" available cheap lodging in Barcelona - since my business is dedicated, at least in part, to providing budget lodging information for my Barcelona website visitors.

So here we are, 8 days before my train departure for Barcelona and I only have lodging for the first 4 nights and nothing for the last 2 nights. What's a guy to do? What happened to the rest of the hostales to whom I wrote, requesting lodging for these nights? Good question.

The vast majority of them haven't replied at all. And only after re-sending the oldest emails 2 more times did a couple of them reply, saying they had no space available. I had to wonder IF they had had an available room the first time I wrote them. I'm well aware that, unfortunately, smaller establishments are less likely to reply to a lodging request if they have no availability.

And now here I am, at the last moment, looking for lodging the last 2 days in Barcelona - which coincide with the last 2 days of the Alimentaria exhibition. Anyone want to bet I won't find anything? If I lived nearby I wouldn't mind so much as I'd just go home early. But I've already bought my train ticket to leave Barcelona on that date and tickets cannot be changed or refunded.

Where am I to go? Maybe I'll just go to Sitges for those last two days - but I'd be missing the last 2 days not only of Alimentaria but also 2 days IN Barcelona, the main reason I'm going, just to VISIT BARCELONA.

If anyone has suggestions as to where I could stay or where I could go - yet still be near Barcelona, please leave your comments here - or shoot me an email. Thanks!

Saludos, BarcelonaMan