Barcelo Raval

Hotel description

This is another one to file under the heading of “only in Barcelona.” That metal skin, those modern interiors, the mini-tower construction, looking down on the rooftops of the historic Barrio Chino — it’s a perfect fit with the raucous blend of old and new for which the Catalan capital is so well known. The Barcelo Raval belongs to a chain, but not the kind of chain you have to be afraid of — and if they’re all this stylish, then we’ll be on the lookout for what they’re planning next.

You’re close to Las Ramblas, but the walk takes you through a still-improving neighborhood — so it’s perhaps not the place for the absolutely classic Barcelona pedestrian experience. But you won’t mind a bit once you’re installed in one of the rooms, where the wide-open floor plan and the funky minimal furnishings are just accessories to the main event: the views of the city itself, seen through full-length windows and the metal screen of the building’s skin.

A roof terrace and a swanky lobby bar are by no means unique in this town, but the rooftop here is perhaps better-placed than most, and the tapas lounge, with its adjacent terrace, is a sight to see, a minimal/baroque hybrid that you’ll remember long after you’ve left.