Best for bargain hunters
£ PRAKTIK GARDEN
Less than 15 minutes’ walk from Plaça de
Catalunya, in Barcelona’s hip Passeig de Sant
Joan neighbourhood, this 43 -room hotel
is a steal. Quirky decor comes courtesy of
Catalonia’s top hotel designer, Lázaro Rosa-
Violán (who also designed the Barcelona
Edition): rooms are full of graphic prints and
corridors are lined with wallpaper inspired
by 1930s circus posters. The original building
dates to the 19th century and while the rooms
aren’t massive, they feature high ceilings,
rain showers and french doors opening out
to balconies. There’s no breakfast, but you
can linger over complimentary tea and coffees
until midday in the cosy library and plant-
filled terrace.
ROOMS: From €52 (£43).
hotelpraktikgarden.com
Best for romantics
£££ THE NERI
Hidden away down a narrow lane in
Barcelona’s historic Gothic Quarter, there’s
such a rarefied sense of hush and intimacy at
this classy, converted 12 th-century townhouse
that it’s hard to believe you’re less than five
minutes from the hubbub of Las Ramblas.
The lobby sets a stylish tone on arrival, with
contemporary lighting glowing against
a wood-panelled ceiling and a sweeping,
medieval stone staircase. The hotel’s 22 rooms
have a relaxed, modern feel with ivory walls,
vibrant red rugs and luxurious bathrooms,
and you’ll find a plunge pool and loungers
on the small rooftop terrace. The restaurant,
meanwhile, serves up a mean line in Asian
fusion fine dining, so there’s no rush to leave
the hotel when you get peckish.
ROOMS: From €27 0 (£224), room only.
hotelneri.com
Best for culture vultures
£££ HOTEL CLARIS
There can’t be many hotels that have a
museum of Pre-Columbian antiquities
on the first floor, but that’s precisely
what’s on offer just a short walk from the
city’s main shopping street of Passeig de
Gràcia. No two rooms are the same and
in among contemporary four poster beds
and stripped wooden floors, you’re just as
likely to find other eclectic pieces from the
hotel owner’s personal collection including
Indian sculptures, Turkish kilims and 1 8th-
century English antiques. Guests also get
free access to the Egyptology museum over
the road — the Museu Egipci de Barcelona
— and afterwards you can book a treatment
at the Asian-inspired spa or unwind over
sundowners on the rooftop terrace.
ROOMS: From €2 40 (£199), room only.
hotelclaris.com
A bartender mixes cocktails
at The NeriClockwise from above: restaurant at
The Neri; garden lounge at Praktik
Garden; junior suite at Hotel Claris