Hotel CRAM

Architecturally-minded visitors to Barcelona can’t help but have high expectations these days — it seems every building is either an ultra-modern masterpiece or a centuries-old treasure. These expectations are more than satisfied by Hotel CRAM, a bit of both worlds: a tour de force of modern interior architecture behind an elegant 19th-century facade.

Here modern design doesn’t mean monochrome, either. The obligatory white walls and polished light hardwood floors are livened with splashes of color, from blood red and rust orange to subdued gun-metal grey. The bedrooms are on that highly desirable line between funky and futuristic — they’re sleek, to be sure, but eminently habitable, with plentiful natural sunlight, sprawling platform beds and all the modern must-haves, including 32-inch LCD televisions and wireless internet access throughout.

An outdoor swimming pool offers a break from the heat and the crowds of central Barcelona, while the cocktail bar Mareva is the perfect transition into this city’s legendary nightlife. When it comes time to head out, the life of the city is close at hand; the hotel is four blocks from the Passeig de Gracia and six from the Plaça Cataluña and the Ramblas.

Most fortuitous, though, is the fact that the hotel just happens to be the new home of the Michelin-starred Angle Barcelona restaurant, where chef Jordi Cruz serves innovative takes on traditional dishes.