Barcelona Travel Guide | Places To Stay.

¡Hola! Man, these Travel Tuesdays sure come around really quickly, don’t they? Anyway, here we are with the third post in the Barcelona Travel Guide Series. Today I would like to tell you about some of the fantastic places to stay. Not only is Barcelona a super sexy and beautiful bombshell of a city, she is also brimming with great hotels and fantastic apartments to chose from. But the best part is this – accommodation in Barcelona is quite reasonably priced in comparison to most other European cities. Giddy up!

Again, I would like to remind you to leave any of your own tips and recommendations in the comments section of the post – I always love hearing what you guys have to say.

Barcelona Travel Guide | Curated by Yellowtrace! // Places To See & Things To Do. // Places To Eat & Drink. // Places To Shop.

Hotel Pulitzer.

Hotel Pulitzer is a boutique hotel located on a small street which opens on to Plaza de Cataluña, the centre of Barcelona. This is a great place to stay if you are visiting Barca for the first time – it’s central location means that you will be within easy (walking) reach to all corners of the city, which is an absolute winner! This little baby is where Husband and I stayed for 6 nights back in April. It was recommended to us by a couple of friends and our travel agent, plus I liked what I read about it online. We decided to give it a go as it was also a perfect fit for our budget (i.e not exactly bargain basement, but truly excellent value for money).

The hotel is situated in a beautiful 1920s building which was tastefully renovated back in 2004. The overall feel is a combination of luxe, stylish and moody, but above all welcoming and comfortable. There is a fantastic lounge/ bar downstairs (shown in the photos) – a great place for a night cap. The roof terrace is a perfect place for sunset cocktails we are told, although it was sadly closed for repairs during our stay.

Hotel Pulitzer | C/ Bergara 8, Pl de Cataluña, 08002 Barcelona, Spain | Ph: +34 934 816 767

Casa Camper.

The first of the two Casa Campers (the other one is in Berlin) is situated within a 19th century gothic building in the gritty-cool El Raval district, not too far from Las Ramblas and Plaza Cataluña. Camper’s core brand values are embodied in the hotel’s environmentally sustainable initiatives with solar heating, water and material recycling etc.

The hotel was restored by architect Jordi Tió and interiors designed by Ferran Amat of Vinçon. Photos above are of the hotel entry and lobby which has bicycles available for use for hotel guests. Sweet.

Casa Camper | Carrer d’Elisabets 11, 08001 Barcelona, Spain | Ph: +34 933 426 280

Mandarin Oriental.

Ahhhh… The Mandarin Oriental Hotel. *****Laaaaahhhh***** Yeah, check out my smile up there. Man, this place is divine. Yes it is. From the spectacular atrium bridge entry, to the lobby space, outdoor gardens, restaurants and lounges, the bar, the bathrooms… The whole lot. It is not surprising to see why Patricia Urquiola has reached designer superstardom – this woman is a design queen who really knows her stuff.

Mandarin Oriental is located on Passeig de  Gràcia, one of Barcelona’s the most stunning avenues, in a neoclassical building which during the 1920s & 1930s used to be the headquarters of one of Europe’s most exclusive clubs, the Equestrian Circle. The building was demolished during the Spanish Civil War, then rebuilt in 1955 as the head office of the ‘Banco Hispano Americano’. It finally received the Urquiola touch in 2010, when it was converted into a hotel.

There are plenty of places to hang out in the hotel without actually having to stay there. For example, you can always have a drink or a light meal in the spectacular lobby restaurant or a cheeky cocktail at the Bankers Bar (shown above). In a nod to the building’s heritage, Bankers Bar features security boxes at the entry and on the ceiling of the entire space. Although the cocktails were aboslutely delicious and their world-class barmen a lot of fun to watch, the design of this space was probably the ‘weakest’ of all the other spaces that I managed to see for myself. Don’t get me wrong – it was still absolutely lovely, but the rest of the spaces are just so breathtaking that the bar (with it’s low ceiling) just didn’t get there.

Also, DO NOT miss the bathrooms! They were a bit of a highlight for me. (Am I really sad?) The bathrooms are all different depending on which floor they are on, and whether or not they are Male or Female. Amazing! The girls toilet on ground floor next to the restaurant was my favourite – floor to ceiling beveled gold mirror panels, brass everything and black stone vanities. Sexier than sex.

Mandarin Oriental | Passeig de Gracia 38-40, 08007 Barcelona, Spain | Ph: +34 931 518 888

Here are a few extra places you can try depending on what you are looking for. Please note that all images below are via their respective hotel websites.

Neri Hotel is a boutique hotel with 22 rooms, located in the heart of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter overlooking St. Felip Neri Square. On the outside, the hotel is a weathered 18th-century palace, but the interiors are contemporary, striking and sophisticated.

Neri Hotel | C/ Sant Sever 5, 08002 Barcelona, Spain | Ph: +34 933 04 06 55

El Palauet Living is a group of six luxurious 150sqm apartments situated in a building dating back to 1906 on the ritzy Passeig de Gràcia. Each suite has spectacular views of the Passeig de Gràcia and the majestic Tibidabo Mountain. Rich heritage features such as stained glass windows and ornate ceilings (45 different kinds) are offset with contemporary furniture pieces by Eames, Saarinen, Van der Rohe and Starck. Amazing!

El Palauet Living | Passeig de Gracia 113, 08008 Barcelona, Spain | Ph: +34 932 180 050

ABaC Restaurant & Hotel is a super stylish and exclusive 15 room hotel located up in the hills of Zona Alta. It’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant is the hotel’s headline act, although I hear it’s spa is definitely not to be sneezed at. The hotel also has a fleet of Mercedes Benz at guests disposal, or if you prefer something sportier, you can arrange to take a Ferrari or a Lamborghini for a cruise down Barcelona’s streets. If that’s the sort of thing you’re into…

ABaC Restaurant & Hotel | Avenida Tibidabo 1, 08022 Barcelona, Spain | Ph: +34 933 196 600

Ok, that wraps this up. Sill more to come on where to Eat and where to S.H.O.P. Woohoo! Also, please don’t forget to leave your tips and suggestions in the comments section below.

[Unless otherwise noted, all images © yellowtrace.]