Grand Hotel Central Barcelona

Spacious, cool and clutter-free, the Grand Hotel Central melds the scale and efficiency of a business hotel with the textures and colors of a city-center boutique hotel. The minimalist-chic design looks immediately familiar, immaculately clean and gracefully illuminated, but is confidently handled, and finishes lengths ahead of the average minimalist boutique. And the location elevates it as well: the proximity to Barcelona’s cathedral and the Gothic quarter makes it tourist-friendly, and the arty El Born district which surrounds is the natural habitat of the young and stylish.

Inside it’s well-equipped for business or pleasure; each of the 147 guest rooms features crisp white linens, spotless glass doors, a large flat-screen television, high-speed internet access, and conveniences like an oversized work desk, a hands-free telephone, and ruthlessly efficient soundproofing. Some guests report Blackberry connectivity issues, though whether that’s a feature or a flaw depends somewhat on one’s perspective. In any case, luxurious bathrooms contain anti-steam mirrors and roomy bathtubs. And fully half of the guest quarters are actually rather extravagant, especially the suites, with high ceilings and huge windows facing out to the cathedral.

Head to City Restaurant to satisfy your cravings for fresh Mediterranean cuisine and even fresher sparkling cocktails. The rooftop’s sparkling blue infinity pool, however, may be the hotel’s most notable feature, as the panoramic views of ancient monuments and the contemporary city-dwellers that bustle around them are truly unmatched in Barcelona.