Alma Barcelona

All that Gaudí architecture has set the bar rather high for Barcelona’s builders, and the Alma Barcelona proves it’s very much up to the challenge. It’s no cathedral, but its interiors, all minimalist subtlety, epitomize the quieter side of Barcelona’s visual style, which is at its best in the largely residential Eixample. It’s the next best thing to keeping your own pied à terre, just off the legendary shoppers’ boulevard Passeig de Gràcia, but without having to look after your own upkeep and service.

There are subtle high-tech touches throughout Alma, most notably the fingerprint-activated room entry, but for the most part the atmosphere is contemporary, not futuristic, depending on the more timeless charms of rich hardwood and leather. The furnishings are a mix of modernist classics and custom pieces, and while the bedrooms are as dark as you’d want a Spanish hotel room to be, the bathrooms are a revelation in bright light and white stone.

Where it all comes together is in the public spaces, whether the rooftop terrace lounge or the restaurant serving inventive Mediterranean cuisine. And this being Barcelona, things do tend to go on a bit late — a fact which makes 24-hour room service and a mid-day check-out all the more welcome.