HOTEL: We stayed in the K+K Hotel Picasso 4* Superior, Passeig de Picasso, 26-30  Ciutat Vella 08003 Barcelona. 3 nights ran @ $492 which was a great deal.
Pluses: It's in the Borne District (quieter than Gotic with charm and convenience), easy to get to from the airport (it's right between Estacio de Franca train station and Arc de Triomf Line 1 metro stop),  close to one of Barcelona’s best bars El Bar de l’Antic Teatre. It has a fantastic buffet breakfast ( important if you're an early riser and want more than coffee and a pastry. Why?  Breakfasts aren't a big deal in Spain, and most cafes open after 10 am). The hotel is right across from the Parc de la Ciutadella, and easy walk to everything. The public rooms at the hotel are lovely, even a guitar for your use. 
​Minuses: Don't expect big rooms, but great staff and public spaces make up for it.
WHAT'S the WHAT: Restaurants: Lunch is between 1 and 4 pm. Dinner is between 8 pm and midnight.

Thanks to Norwegian Airlines I found some ridiculously cheap tickets from Oakland, California to Barcelona and out of Malaga for the return. Perfect. The plan was Spain from one coast to the other! I convinced my oldest son to join me.  Here is an overview of the trip. For details on specific cities, click on the links below.

From Barcelona  to Malaga hitting 3 separate parts of the coastline in 14 days. We rented a car on our last day in Barcelona and drove it to Granada. Then we took the bus to Malaga (An easy trip, buses depart every half hour). It gave us more flexibility in our travel, but was quite expensive compared to train or bus travel.  Your choice! 

SIMPLIFIED ITINERARY
BARCELONA 3 days
Day Trip to Montserrat Option
BILBAO 1 day 
MADRID 2 days
TOLEDO  1 Day
CORDOBA  1 day
SEVILLE 2 days
Ronda - Day Trip 
GRANADA 2 days
MALAGA 2 days

We drove from Barcelona to Bilbao via Pamplona. You could just as easily fly, but the road was easy and the views were beautiful. 
We rented a Hertz - Compact 4/5-Door Car Manual. and picked it up at Calle Viriat 45, Barcelona, It was $167  with $88 in additional comprehensive insurance. Barcelona to Pamplona  took about 5 hours and we arrived @1 pm. We had lunch and a walkabout. We left Pamplona around 3 pm and arrived in Bilbao @ 5pm. The terrain changes dramatically when you head over the mountains into Bilbao. It is green and lush and beautiful. Down down you head into the City of Bilbao along The Nervión river (Basque: Nerbioi) which runs through the city of Bilbao into the Cantabrian Sea (Bay of Biscay).