Kimpton Vividora Hotel

Once solely known as America’s friendliest and most accessible purveyor of boutique hospitality, Kimpton is now a worldwide phenomenon. It’s a long way from San Francisco to the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, but the Kimpton Vividora looks right at home here, a luxury boutique hotel crafted in partnership with a local design studio and conceived as a faithful reflection of one of the Catalan capital’s most vibrant neighborhoods.

The experience is a decidedly high-end one, as it must be, in a city with some of the finest boutique hotels on the planet. But it’s never a needlessly ostentatious one, and it never sacrifices character in the name of comfort — or vice versa, for that matter. Even the smallest rooms come with Nespresso machines, in-room yoga mats, and Vifa bluetooth speakers, and by the time you’re in a suite you’ve got a freestanding soaking tub and a balcony or terrace with a view of the city.

For an introduction to the local culinary scene you could do much worse than Fauna, the flagship restaurant, overseen by chef Ferran López. And for a more literal bird’s-eye view of it all there’s Terraza de Vivi, a rooftop bar serving classic small plates to go with its expansive views.