Lucky you. There you are, thinking, “I’d like to keep a lid on the price of my Barcelona break”, just as a new kind of superstylish, mid-price hotel makes its mark on the city.

The most exciting of these is the Chic&Basic (see below), but there are others, and they offer extraordinary value for money. The other great thing about the hotel scene here is that a budget stay doesn’t mean being stuck out in the sticks. All six of the hotels I’ve picked below are either in the old town or just a short walk from it.

1 Market Hotel

A lot of style for little outlay: beautifully uplit corridors lead to attractive rooms on the cosy side of minimalism, with teak furniture, lacquered oriental designs and dramatic splashes of red. The bathrooms mix slate tiles and square sinks to satisfying effect. Ask for a room with a balcony. It’s a 20-minute walk to the Old Town through eastern El Raval, but San Antonio Market metro is dead close.

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Doubles from £80, B&B; 00 34-93 325 1205, markethotel.com.es

2 Chic&Basic Born

In the medieval heart of the city, the recently trendified district of Born has designer shops, swish galleries, modish restaurants — and the supersexy Chic&Basic hotel. It’s a nudge over budget, but worth every penny.

The entrance is on the broadest street in the barrio, where helpful staff will direct you up the marble staircase to space-age corridors and the minimalist rooms. Each is white, with a centrepiece see-through shower, surrounded by a beaded curtain. The lighting can be switched from disco reds to chillout lavenders, and you get a plasma screen, an iPod dock and free music, along with a nifty free guidebook to the city’s best places, produced by the hotel. Check out the hotel’s White Bar (thewhitebar.com ), too.

Doubles from £109, B&B; 93 295 4652, www.chicandbasic.com

3 Banys Orientals

On a busy pedestrianised street in the La Ribera district, this polished, sophisticated hotel punches far above its price tag. The 43 rooms are black, white and grey, with dark wooden floors and architectural sketches and old portrait photos on the walls. There are modern four-poster bed frames and the bathrooms are luxurious.

A knockout option in an unbeatable location, this place gets booked up, so be quick.

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