Hotel Review: Melia Sky Barcelona

Thinking of traveling to Barcelona and considering accommodation options? The Hotel Melia Sky Barcelona came recommended via Costco Travel in our vacation package to Spain. After staying there a few nights in September 2021, here’s a quick list of the top pros and cons for Hotel Melia Sky Barcelona, which is located in the commercial district of Poble Nou (“Pueblo Nuevo” in Castilian Spanish).

Inside view of La Pedrera

Pros

• Daily breakfast

• Views: pool, Sky Bar

• About a 30 minute walk to Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera / Casa Mila

• About a 30 minute walk to the beach

• Close distance to Glories Plaza for eating and shopping

• Helpful staff

Barcelona city views alongside La Pedrera

Cons

• Fair distance from city center and airport (almost 40 EUR from airport to hotel)

• Small rooms

• Work-focused space instead of family-oriented

• Fair distance from many tourist attractions (e.g. Park Guell, the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's major works, the gothic quarter, etc.)

All in all, our stay was pleasant at this property, but it would have been more convenient to stay a little closer to some of the main tourist attractions.

Have you traveled to Barcelona? What are your top hotel picks? Please share them in the comments!

All opinions and photos are my own, and I received no compensation for sharing them. This post is not affiliated with Costco, Costco Travel, or Hotel Melia Sky Barcelona in any way.

First image above: Shutterstock

© 2022 Balanza and Beyond, LLC. All rights reserved.

New Year, New Space: Four Budget Friendly Ways to Modernize Your Kitchen

Since purchasing another investment property at the end of 2021 with my husband, I’ve been busy researching the best ways to remodel the kitchen and dining area on a budget. We purchased an enormous Victorian house, so designing the kitchen and dining space presents a challenge unlike the ranch homes we have previously worked on. Given the new challenge this new year, my research has helped me create a short list to share budget friendly ideas to help you create a new, modern space you’ll love cooking and gathering in for 2022 — all while still being super practical and functional.

1. Mix open concept shelving and hooks with standard cabinets. We all know cabinets can be expensive! Try mixing some standard cabinets with open shelving and hooks to maintain the functionality of a kitchen with these somewhat unconventional storage options. Don’t like the look of clutter on shelves? Utilize other storage space in your home (e.g. pantry) for the less attractive kitchen items (e.g. plastic containers). If using a kitchen design company, ask about their open concept cabinetry (e.g. cabinets without the doors). You’ll be surprised at the options of open concept cubbies and cabinets they offer!

2. Create an accent piece (e.g. island, peninsula, coffee bar, breakfast nook, etc.) to help save costs on standard cabinets. Vintage antique pieces are in right now, as are creative, distinct pieces that create a focal point in your kitchen or dining space. It’s okay to mix and match these days, so upcycle grandma or grandpa’s old dining table chairs into something beautiful! And don’t forget — that accent piece CAN be a different color!

3. Build around and with what you have. In this Victorian home, we found a chimney smack dab in the middle of the kitchen underneath old cabinets and drywall. We uncovered it to expose the brick, and plan to incorporate it into our kitchen design by building an island on one side of it and adding some shelves for storage to the other. You can do the same with old cabinets by painting them or changing out the pulls for an updated look, or turning that unused corner into a breakfast nook.

4. Play with fixtures. Lights, cabinet pulls, and kitchen hardware can be inexpensive ways to update your look (as long as you don’t do all of those at once!). Even switching out an island light or dining room chandelier can add a lot of interest to a space. Like suggestion (2) above, focusing on one or more accent pieces can help modernize a kitchen and dining area. Again, don’t be afraid to mix and match colors like the photo below!

Open concept kitchen with storage cubbies, various furniture colors and textures, and modern light fixtures

This year, may your kitchen redesign allow you to use pieces you may already have in your possession, upcycle old ones, and try something new. Non-cohesive, mixed, and textured looks are in these days, so it takes some pressure off the matchy-matchy days of kitchens from years gone by.

What’s your favorite kitchen look these days? Drop a comment or photo for us below!

Images above: Shutterstock.

© 2022 Balanza and Beyond, LLC. All rights reserved.

DIY Farmhouse Holiday Decor

Need a quick and easy way to spruce up your space, but don’t want to spend a lot of time or money doing it? Here’s an idea to keep your farmhouse look without breaking your budget or devoting hours to a do-it-yourself project: make your own holiday wreath!

What you’ll need:

—Scissors

—Holiday garland (like this)

—Hot glue gun and glue sticks

—Wooden wreath or ring (like this, this, or this)

How to assemble:

(1) Using the scissors, cut your garland to your desired length (hint: make your garland last longer by making half wreaths instead of full ones — this tip also enhances a rustic look by exposing more of the wood).

(2) Heat up the hot glue gun, and glue the garland to the wooden wreath/ring by applying pressure to secure it.

(3) Once the garland is glued to the wooden wreath/ring, allow it to cool and set before hanging on a wall or using as leaning wall decor.

Wreaths can be expensive, so enjoy this farmhouse decor tip around the holidays.

What’s your favorite holiday decor? Leave us a comment with your favorite DIY farmhouse ideas.

All opinions and photos are my own, and I received no compensation for sharing them.

First photo above: Shutterstock

© 2021 Balanza and Beyond, LLC. All rights reserved.

Easy At Home Date Night Idea: Valentine's Day Special

Staying at home for Valentine’s Day has always been a good idea, but it’s a bit more of a realistic one this year. What’s our recommendation for making Valentine’s Day special? Create your own wine and cheese pairing experience complete with score card below!

Wine and cheese scoring card. Rate wines and cheeses 1-5 with 5 being a top score. Compare your totals at the end of your experience to see which wines and cheeses you and your partner liked best.

Choose three or four wines from your local grocer or vineyard. Then, ask questions about which cheese might go well with the wines you’ve chosen. Or, start the opposite way by selecting the cheeses, and then ask your local grocer or vineyard for tips on wine pairings. In my experiences, local experts are happy to help!

Here’s a sample menu we enjoyed over the holidays with input from Ab Astris winery and Cooper’s Hawk winery (some dessert pairings included!):

Ab Astris 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon: pair with goat cheese (no desserts)

Ab Astris 2019 Aurora Rosé: pair with desserts (slightly sugary or fruity desserts are best) or simple fruit (raspberries)

Ab Astris 2019 Picpoul Blanc: pair with blue, comte, or gruyere cheeses, or pineapple upside down cake.

Cooper’s Hawk Blueberry Acai: pair with chocolate cake, berry tart, or a creamy cheese like brie.

Extra tips: use a large cutting board or butcher’s block to arrange all cheeses so that they are not touching each other to preserve flavor. Allow the cheeses to reach room temperature before serving to maximize taste. Allow the wine to “breathe” before serving.

Wine at home

Leave us a comment about your own wine and cheese pairing experience created at home, and enjoy this Valentine’s Day with your loved one!

References to Ab Astris winery and Cooper’s Hawk winery are based on my own opinions and experiences, and I received no compensation from the wineries for discussing my own opinions.

First and third images above: Shutterstock.

© 2021 Balanza and Beyond, LLC. All rights reserved.

Five Creative Shiplap Ideas to Spruce up Your Space

Shiplap accent wall

Looking for creative options to spruce up your space? Experiment with shiplap, and you won’t be disappointed. Shiplap is a fun and aesthetic way to change up any wall, backsplash, or even furniture in your home to introduce new and different colors, patterns, or textures that add dimension, style, and comfort. Now that many of us are finding ourselves spending more time at home, it’s now more important than ever to create those comfortable self-care spaces that are worth living in. For me, that means that my space needs to be inviting and functional at the same time. If I’m going to spend hours sitting in it and looking at it, I want it to be attractive, comfortable, and fit my needs.

Shiplap-style table

I first learned about shiplap when renovating our cottage. The builder we used recommended shiplap instead of drywall for much of the cottage’s walls and ceilings given the cold winter temperatures in northern Michigan (where the cottage is located). His theory was that the shiplap would not crack like drywall — just in case we did not want to heat the cottage year round. He was right that shiplap has an incredibly long lifespan!

Shiplap is wooden planks (that may be stained, painted, weathered, rough, smooth, etc.) that fit together in a tongue and groove way where one piece snugly fits into the piece before it. The way that shiplap fits together helps create a clean and uniform look so that the eye can focus on the other fun dimensions of the wooden planks like color, texture, and patterns.

What I love about shiplap is its versatility and functionality.

Versatility: Shiplap can come in different shapes in sizes ranging from stick-on shiplap tiles to rough, weathered stained and unstained wood planks. It even comes in wallpaper designs!

Functionality: Shiplap works to cover up those stubborn stained walls, cracked drywall, or ugly layers of wallpaper that you just can’t get rid of.

We put shiplap in much of the cottage (see pictures here for the finished look!), and fell in love. We then started using it everywhere in our next home renovation project.

Kitchen accent wall in progress

Given these experiences, I have learned of five great ways to use shiplap to create cozy and modern self-care spaces at home:

(1) Create an accent wall. Self-explanatory — see above! Here you can play with colors, textures, and patterns.

(2) Design a nook. Examples include applying shiplap to a wall behind a wine rack or desk / study area.

Wine shelf design next to shiplap accent wall

(3) Install a backsplash. Examples include behind a bathroom vanity or kitchen countertop. Stick-on shiplap wall tiles are perfect for this type of project.

(4) Cover an outdated table with shiplap wallpaper. Can you believe that shiplap designs even come on wallpaper nowadays? It’s true — wallpaper is making a comeback, and it can be used in non-conventional yet stylish ways.

(5) Build shelves out of shiplap. We inherited some cracked walls in the home we are renovating now. Building shelves out of the leftover pieces of shiplap we had from our cottage helped us cover up some true eyesores in old bedroom walls.

Bright, airy, and cozy spaces related to neutral colors and inviting textures go well with shiplap, but shiplap designs are so plentiful nowadays that you can really find any design to complement your current style. Not sure about shiplap? Try making over just a small area like a study corner or top of an end table. Shiplap is also easily removable if applied with nails (common for affixing wood planks to cover walls) or some other adhesive (in the case of furniture or a backsplash) — just in case you aren’t a fan at first. My favorite places to shop for shiplap are Home Depot and Wayfair.

Have fun, and leave a picture or two of your own shiplap design!

First image above: Shutterstock.

© 2021 Balanza and Beyond, LLC. All rights reserved.