Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona

The approach is pure Passeig de Gràcia — Barcelona's most elegant boulevard, lined with Modernista landmarks and flagship boutiques (there is even a Loewe vitrine by the lifts). Inside, Patricia Urquiola's double-height lobby is one of the loveliest hotel spaces in the city: warm oak, laser-cut screens, sunburst rugs and low olive-leather sofas, hung with contemporary art and wrapped in a quiet, residential calm despite the busy address. Service is polished and genuinely warm from the moment you arrive — understated rather than formal, in the best Mandarin Oriental way.

Our suite carried Urquiola's soft, textured signature throughout — a generous living room with a city-view window, a serene bedroom in navy and ochre, and a separate entry foyer. It feels like a design apartment rather than a hotel room: uncluttered, tactile and full of considered detail, from the bespoke joinery to the sculptural lighting. Arrival is marked with a proper welcome — champagne on ice, a bowl of fruit and Catalan sparkling water laid out on the suite's dining table.

The best suites open onto private terraces — a real luxury in the dense Eixample — with loungers, potted greenery and an outdoor soaking tub, looking straight out over the rooftops of Passeig de Gràcia to the ornate domes and towers of the neighbourhood. On a bright Barcelona morning it is the sort of space you simply do not want to leave.

The bathroom is a highlight in its own right — a freestanding sculptural tub set against a full-height window, twin basins (one white, one graphite), framed prints and warm stone and oak throughout. In the terrace suites the tub looks straight out to the sky, and the natural light pours in all day.

Downstairs, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental is one of the city's best — a proper urban wellness floor built around a moody, low-lit indoor pool lined in deep blue tile and backlit green glass, with steam, sauna and a full menu of treatments. It is an unexpectedly serene world beneath the bustle of the street, and a genuine reason to book here.

The fitness centre is well equipped and rarely crowded — a full spread of cardio and resistance machines, free weights and a functional-training area — more than enough for a serious session before a day in the city.

Breakfast is served in the Mimosa Garden, the hotel's light-filled interior atrium at the heart of the building, framed by Urquiola's white lattice screens. The spread is generous and proudly Catalan: a carving station of jamón ibérico, a selection of Spanish cheeses (Manchego, Idiazábal, Garrotxa and more), pa amb tomàquet with Arbequina olive oil, house-made local jams, pastries and fruit, alongside cooked-to-order dishes. The hotel's dining also includes the Michelin-starred Moments, the celebrated Catalan restaurant from Carme Ruscalleda, plus further bars and a rooftop — but breakfast in the atrium is a lovely ritual in its own right.

Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona is the city's benchmark for calm, design-led luxury — an Urquiola-designed sanctuary in the very best location, with a superb spa, beautiful rooms and, in the top categories, private terraces with a view. It is not a historic palace or a beach resort; it is a polished, grown-up urban base for Passeig de Gràcia, Gaudí and the Eixample. Perfect for: Design lovers, couples and shoppers who want to be on Passeig de Gràcia, with a spa and pool to come home to Skip if: You are after a pool-and-beach holiday, an old-world palace feel, or a quieter address away from the city centre Book the: A suite with a private terrace if the budget allows — for the outdoor tub and the rooftop view — and don't miss the spa pool and breakfast in the Mimosa Garden.