Top 10: the best five-star hotels in Barcelona
An insider's guide to the top five-star hotels in Barcelona, including the best for Michelin-starred restaurants, rooftop pools, hip bars and rooms with sea views in locations near the beach, La Rambla and Passeig de Gràcia.
Cotton House Hotel
This hotel — housed in the former headquarters of the city’s cotton guild — has honoured its origins. Interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán has worked his magic over the Cotton House, combining the grace of the original building with modern artworks and bold colours. The result really is stunning. The standard rooms are decently sized, immaculate and all white, save the odd cotton-themed botanic print. Beds are huge, as are the shower cubicles (with rain shower). The loveliest place to drink is the library, still stacked high with original books.
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? The best hotels in Barcelona
Claris GL
The fairly unique style of the Claris is defined by an eclectic approach to design and, above all, the precious artworks, archaeological pieces and ancient rugs found in each room and the common areas. Owner Jordi Clos is a well-known Egyptologist, and a part of his collection forms a small museum on the first floor. Bedrooms and common areas make generous use of Brazilian rosewood panelling, leather, silk, and there's the odd Philippe Starck Louis Ghost chair. Mediterranean cuisine is served in the first-floor East 47 restaurant in the winter months, while the action moves upstairs to the rooftop restaurant in spring and summer. There is also a rooftop pool.
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Hotel Arts Barcelona
A thoroughly modern-looking five-star hotel positioned right on the beach. A good-sized swimming pool sits alongside Frank Gehry's huge, shimmering 'Fish' sculpture, next to a generous garden with small children's pool, and there is a well-equipped gym and spa. Service is hard to beat, and immaculately-trained staff glide around the place, waiting to be hailed. Some bedrooms look out to sea, some over the city, but the best have a view of both. Dining options include two-Michelin-starred Enoteca.
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Hotel Omm
The Omm, ideally situated just off the Passeig de Gràcia, was Barcelona's first 'design hotel', and its avant-garde interiors and the constant transformation of its much fêted restaurants and bar has kept it cutting edge. The long lobby has a floating fireplace surrounded by cubed leather furniture, and leads into a bustling central bar area, while the rooms have a crisp, fresh look. The main restaurant, Moo, is one of Barcelona’s best. From the terrace there is a unique view of Gaudí's warrior-like chimneys on the roof of nearby La Pedrera.
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Hotel Bagués
The bijou Hotel Bagués was once the showroom for a jewellery company, and a forensic attention to materials and details remains evidenced throughout. Bagués enjoys a prime position on La Rambla but after a day's sightseeing guests can retreat to the hotel's rooftop pool or book an in-room massage. Bedroom treats include welcome water and fruit, vast televisions, and coffee machines. El Regulador bistro serves Mediterranean-style dishes. Breakfast is a generous spread featuring eggs, charcuterie, pancakes — and a cheeky glass of Cava or two.
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? The best Barcelona hotels near the beach
Hotel Majestic
Hotel Majestic has long been a place in which locals take pride (and will come to dine or drink). If 'minimalist Versailles' was an interiors trend, the Majestic would be at the vanguard, with acres of marble, neo-classical columns, grand staircases and Louis XV chairs, but all in hushed creamy tones and completely free of chintz. It has worked hard of late to shake off its fusty image though, with a brighter dining experience and DJs mixing on the rooftop sun deck. In winter, the Condal restaurant is the place to be, with rich, gamey dishes such as pig's trotters filled with foie gras and wild mushrooms.
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Meliá Barcelona Sky
This high-end hotel is located in Poblenou, a neighbourhood favoured by loft-dwellers and designers that has long been touted as Barcelona’s answer to New York's Meatpacking District. The Michelin-starred Dos Cielos restaurant, perched on the 24th floor, has show-stopping vistas of the coast; though the food is of such quality that it threatens to outmatch the views. The 24th floor is also home to the Terrace, an alfresco bar with yet more incredible panoramas. The spa includes a sauna, Turkish bath, whirlpool tub and a good-sized swimming pool. Some high-rise rooms have bathtubs separated by glass from the bedroom and stunning views beyond.
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Hotel Casa Fuster
The hotel is set in a majestic Modernista building designed by Gaudí's contemporary Lluís Domènech i Montaner, and showcases his trademark frothy style. Reproduction furniture evokes the period of the building's construction and includes a copy of Gaudí's famous kissing chair in reception. The rooftop pool and terrace is a glorious place to while away an afternoon, with a view over the entire city. Café Vienés is something of a favourite with Woody Allen (who has played here over 30 times and featured it in his film Vicky Cristina Barcelona). There's live jazz here on Thursdays.
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Mandarin Oriental Barcelona
It is ideally situated for keen shoppers (with deep pockets) right on the celebrated Passeig de Gràcia. With opulence and chic at its very core, this is not a hotel for the faint-hearted, but neither is it stuffy. Guests can relax in the lovely Mimosa garden, or up on the rooftop, where they can work up an appetite in the pool before relaxing over lunch. Little expense is spared on the bedroom extras, from good quality aromatherapy toiletries to leatherbound notebooks and a box of chocolates on arrival. The culinary highlight is Moments, run by the son of triple-starred chef Carme Ruscalleda.
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El Palace Hotel Barcelona
The Palace makes no attempts to disguise its roots as a former Ritz. Dazzling opulence greets you from around every corner, and the legacy of a previous incarnation is still evident in the thick swirly carpets and luxurious drapes, gathered up with silk ropes. The ‘Hall’, which serves as both lobby and bar, is a riot of Versailles-style ornate furniture, and the breakfast room features Greek statues, a Berber tent surrounding the kitchen, and a small garden. The property also features a rooftop pool and a Mayan spa. The pride of the hotel is the Caelis restaurant, whose chef Romain Fornell won his first Michelin star aged 24.
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