Almanac Barcelona

A decade or two ago Barcelona’s boutique-hotel style leaned heavily towards dark, moody, eccentric styles, while it was in Madrid that you’d find stately buildings refurbished with contemporary-luxe interiors. Just off the Passeig de Gràcia in the upscale Eixample district, the Almanac Barcelona is an example of the second type: an elegant 19th-century edifice (plus 20th-century addition) whose interiors, by designer Jaime Beriestain, recall several well-loved eras of design history, from Art Deco to mid-century modernism to the present day.

The elegance of the design is matched by some substantial comforts; the beds are custom-made in Austria, the bath products made in Barcelona by the local perfumier Jimmy Boyd, and the hyper-modern bathrooms are clad in classic white marble. The rooms are high-tech and clean-lined but still warm and enveloping, and admit plentiful sunshine through full-length windows.

This neighborhood is among the best places in Barcelona for shopping, and it’s not hard up for restaurants either. But you’ll be in good hands inside the Almanac — Virens, the ground-floor restaurant, specializes in plant-based cuisine, and Azimuth is a triumph, not least for its rooftop setting, with indoor and outdoor views of the city panorama.