Madrid, December 5, 2003 -- Sophisticated, historic and fun, Barcelona's got something for everyone -- a perspective reflected by the speed of hotel construction in that Mediterranean city, where new lodgings are flying up at a furious pace. Alas, most of the city's new hotels are in the thoroughly undesirable Diagonal Mar and @22 neighborhoods, synthetic new business districts far from the center of town.
As we zipped around the city bouncing on beds, though, we found two hotels that truly knocked our socks off. One, the Grand Hotel La Florida, shows that sometimes you do get what you pay for when you spend big bucks. The other, the Hotel Banys Arabes, may be the current best buy in town.
It Sure Isn't Disneyworld
The Grand Hotel La Florida (www.hotellaflorida.com) is the resort destination in Barcelona, a unique and unforgettable experience. Perched on top of a mountain at the northern edge of town, it's a surfeit of gorgeous views, perfect service, and unforgettable food. If you're planning a Barcelona honeymoon, spend at least a few days at this ultra-romantic aerie.
The La Florida is on Tibidabo, a mini-mountain best known for its amusement park. To get to the hotel from central Barcelona, you either take a complementary car shuttle (available on demand), a €10 ($12) taxi ride, or an awkward bus-train combination -- but it's worth it.
In a 1925 building that was renovated just last year, the relatively small (74 room) hotel has breathtaking views from every angle. The restaurant, sun deck and pool look out on the entire city of Barcelona, down to the Mediterranean Sea. Many guest rooms have a panorama of mountains and valleys that you can't see from anywhere else in town. And the Orangerie is probably the only five-star restaurant in the world where you can eat while peering down at both one of the world's most beautiful churches (Gaudi's Sagrada Familia) and a ferris wheel.
The hotel is designed without the usual corridors; as a result, it feels like you're wandering through a mansion rather than a hotel. Spacious rooms are outfitted with cloudlike beds and plasma TVs. Eight "design suites" were each put together on a different theme: the Japanese Suite, for instance, has Asian furniture and opens up to a full Japanese garden in back.
Service is impeccable, provided by a multinational staff who jump at the chance to make your trip more enjoyable. As the hotel's a bit far from the nightlife of Barcelona, the La Florida makes its own fun with an on-premises jazz club, lounge, and spa. The stainless steel, "endless" pool (it has a current) is ozonated rather than chlorinated, making it a bit of a spa itself.
We had lunch at the Orangerie, the hotel's restaurant and Barcelona's current foodie hotspot. Venison cooked medium was perfect, slightly blackened on the outside, rich and tender without being bloody, and never chewy or gamy. A salad was an entertaining dance of various vegetables strips, marred only by a slightly too oily vinaigrette. Seven breads came with the meal, each one unique, flavored with ingredients like garlic and olives. The only problem is you'll have to mortgage your house for dinner here, which can easily run €100 ($120) per person. Cheaper bites are available in the lobby bar (or, indeed, all over Barcelona.)
The La Florida's standard rates start at €310-350 ($372-420), depending on the time of year. That's a lot of dough, but we still think it's a value: this hotel provides a truly extraordinary experience.
Barcelona's Berber-rific Best Buy
Not everyone can afford the La Florida, and not everyone wants to stay up on Tibidabo. Down in the heart of old Barcelona, just off the major street Via Laietana, we found what may be the city's best buy: the new Hotel Banys Orientals (www.hotelbanysorientals.com).
Their prices, €74 ($88.80) for singles and €89 ($106.80) for doubles, are reason enough to cheer. But these lodgings are two notches above your usual budget hotel. The 43 rooms are spare, yet romantic, with modern four-poster beds and prints on the walls of Egyptian obelisks or Turkish harem scenes. All rooms have free, high-speed Internet access, and everything, from bathtub to bedside table, is brand new and sparkling clean.
The Banys Orientals is a few blocks from many Barcelona attractions, but if you don't care to venture far, it's on top of Senyor Pareyllada, a Frommer's recommended, classy yet inexpensive seafood restaurant. (The restaurant and hotel share the same owner.)
Have you stayed at either of these properties, or do you have your own favorite place to stay in Barcelona? We'd love to read your suggestions on our Spain Message Boards.