Our family of 4 (which includes two teens, 14 and 15) will be traveling to Barcelona in June 2014. I am looking for recommendations on accommodations. We tend to like smaller hotels/b&bs that have a lot of personality/charm. And would like to be close to historical sites. My biggest concern is that we are traveling from half way around the world and will be very jet lagged and in need of a quiet room to be able to sleep and catch up. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Rent an apt. This is now our preferred accomodation, unless we are only staying for one night. Apts offer many advantages (kitchen, room to spread out and often better opportunity to interact w the community) and are usually cheaper than hotels. Do your home work and don't hesitate to negotiate.
Renting an apartment is always a good idea if you are staying long enough to book one. I'd probably look for something a few blocks northeast of Placa Catalunya (toward the block of discord). That's a quiet neighborhood but still close enough to get to what you want to see. We stayed at Hostal Campi, which is just a few blocks the other side of Placa Catalunya in the Barri Gotic. We liked it and would stay there again. The staff wasn't quite B&B friendly, but we felt we were treated very well. We asked for a quiet room and had an alley view. One caveat at Hostal Campi is about half their rooms are ensuite and the others have facilities down the hall. If ensuite is important to you, pay attention when you book.
You can rent an apartment if you stay at least three nights (which you should). Barcelona has tons of apartment rentals. I used Friendly Rentals in Barcelona and again this year in Valencia and have been satisfied with them. The Slow Travel site has a lot of apartment reviews you might find helpful. I especially like an apartment so we can spread out and not be on top of one another - and they are usually cheaper than hotels.