• Best for a Romantic Getaway: Lovebirds have good reasons not to leave the confines of Gran Hotel La Florida, a fabulous historic hotel—and not all of those reasons are to be found in the bedrooms. The stainless-steel lap pool, spa, and gardens offering sweeping views of the city are enticement enough to keep you holed up for days.
  • Best for Art Lovers: As stylish as anywhere in the city, the Hotel Claris has rooms and foyers dotted with early Egyptian art and artifacts, 19th-century Turkish kilims, and even some Roman mosaics, fruits of the owner's passion for collecting.
  • Best for Celebrity Spotting: Preferred choice of top models and temperamental rock stars, the Hotel Arts has remained a jet-set playground and symbol of "cool Barcelona" for more than a decade
  • Best Historic Hotel: The moderniste masterpiece Hotel Casa Fuster was an emblematic building before it was converted into a luxury residence. The rooms have been restored to turn-of-the-20th-century opulence, but with all the mod cons expected by today's high society.
  • Best Modern Design: Its once-staid interiors now imaginatively revamped and transformed into a luminous and relaxing blend of grays and whites, hotel Hotel Curious has the coolest and sleekest minimalist decor of any traditional building in the Ciutat Vella.
  • Best for Sheer Atmosphere: If faded glory is your thing, then look no further than the Hotel España. Designed by a contemporary of Gaudí's, the street-level dining room, filled with florid motifs and brass fixtures, will whisk you back to the early 1900s, when it was filled with chattering patrons taking supper after a trip to the opera house next door.
  • Best for Architecture Buffs: The very best of modern and traditional architectural styles and decor meet in the gay-friendly Hotel Advance, an atmospheric former 19th-century mansion, which has been magically transformed by some of the city's top designers.
  • Best Boutique Hotel: As boutique-hotel fever sweeps the city, the ultra-chic Soho, located near the lively Plaça Espanya corner of town, emerges as the new numero uno, thanks to the joint creative work of its inimitably cool Catalan and Danish designers.
  • Best for Sea Views: You can't get nearer to the Med than the new, iconic W Barcelona. Designed by top architect Ricardo Bofill in the shape of a vast sail, it towers on the very edge of Barcelona's busy and colorful harbor, visible from far off and already an essential part of the city's coastal profile.
  • Best for City Views: The Hotel Miramar, perched on the northeasterly flank of Montjuïc hill and surrounded by attractive gardens, enjoys magnificent bird's-eye views of the city, inland hills, and the coastline below.
  • Best Inexpensive Hotel: Serenity and character abound in Hotel Peninsular, a nunnery-turned-hotel. Located on a colorful street just off La Rambla, the hotel—with its Art Nouveau elevator, long hallways in tones of green and white, and lush inner courtyard—is an oasis from the hustle and bustle outside. Book ahead.
  • Best for Off-the-Beaten-Path Barcelona: On the slopes of Montjuïc, in a residential area, Hotel Brummell will introduce you to the Barcelona few tourists see. And the beds are exceptionally comfy.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.