Barcelona and Madrid have been rivals since the early 18th century, when the Catalan Parliament was abolished and Catalonia came under the rule of Spanish King Philip V. But having visited this competitive pair many times, I've concluded that they actually have more in common than they might care to admit, since both are creative and cosmopolitan cities of immense charm, with thriving art scenes and superb restaurants and museums.
To be sure, there are significant differences. Home to the Spanish crown, Madrid has an aristocratic gloss, while Barcelona remains one of the world’s great urban laboratories, characterized by a constant ability to reinvent itself as an increasingly livable and dynamic 21st-century city. For the American visitor to Spain, however, they are complementary places that can be paired, especially now that the country’s high-speed AVE trains have reduced the travel time between them to a comfortable and convenient two-and-a-half hours.
Barcelona has been one of my favorite European cities ever since it renovated its Mediterranean seafront for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. Over recent years, it has become an enormously popular destination, which means that it is sometimes a challenge to avoid the hordes who throng lovely, tree-lined La Rambla, the city’s most famous thoroughfare. This is why I instantly liked the location of the new 28-room Mercer Hotel Barcelona in the Barri Gòtic, Barcelona’s historic center. Though right in the heart of the city, the hotel’s immediate surroundings are peaceful and authentic. The ancient limestone house, which includes part of the wall the Romans built to protect their settlement of Barcino in the first century, has been beautifully renovated by distinguished Pritzker Prize-winning Spanish architect Rafael Moneo.
When we arrived on a hot afternoon, the welcome was exceptionally cordial. Formalities completed, the young woman at the front desk suggested that we might like a cool drink in the shade of the hotel’s interior courtyard garden. There, we relaxed for a while, enjoying the delicate perfume of orange blossoms and listening to doves cooing overhead. Upstairs, we quickly took to our spacious Junior Suite, in which a large sitting room featured a beamed ceiling, an exposed stone wall, wide pine-plank floors, a sofa upholstered in cyclamen worsted wool, and an étagère filled with candles, books and delicate white porcelain vases. Potted white orchids were scattered around the room. Nowadays, Barcelona rivals Milan as a center for contemporary design, and the separate bedroom was furnished with a stylish modern four-poster bed. The walls were decorated with large, colorful paintings of Catalan scenes, including fishermen’s shacks and beach cabanas. A well-lit bath came equipped with an egg-shaped soaking tub and a separate rainfall shower.
Having unpacked, we spent the remainder of the afternoon reading on the tranquil rooftop terrace and cooling off in the plunge pool there. For dinner, we opted to try the hotel’s Mercer Restaurante, where chef Jean Luc Figueras’ lengthy tasting menu included an assortment of tapas-style small plates such as shrimp salad with romesco sauce (made with tomatoes, peppers and almonds), and baked duck foie gras with a peach tarte Tatin garnished with rosemary. Service throughout the meal was alert and charming.
Overall, I felt very much at home, and I recommend the Mercer Hotel to those who like smaller properties with individual character. The location is ideal, with many of the city’s principal sights within walking distance, and the narrow lanes of the city’s oldest neighborhood are a consistent delight.
AT A GLANCE
LIKE: The stylish renovation of a richly historic property in one of Barcelona’s most charming neighborhoods; the rooftop terrace with plunge pool and bar.
DISLIKE: The water pressure in the showers could be more forceful.
GOOD TO KNOW: One of my favorite Barcelona tapas bars, El Xampanyet, is a short and easy walk from the hotel.
Mercer Hotel Barcelona 94 Gran Deluxe Room, $580; Junior Suite, $800. Carrer dels Lledo 7, Barcelona. Tel. (34) 93-310-7480.
If the Barri Gòtic corresponds to New York’s Greenwich Village in terms of its atmosphere and history, the Eixample is Barcelona’s stylish Upper East Side. Located there are the Passeig de Gràcia, the city’s most fashionable shopping street, and many buildings by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, including the Sagrada Família cathedral. The district also contains the 98-room Mandarin Oriental and the 125-room El Palace Hotel, both of which I continue to recommend.
Since I am always interested in places that offer good value for money, however, I decided to spend a night at the Alma. Renovated in 2011, this 72-room property on the quiet Carrer de Mallorca just off the Passeig de Gràcia occupies a seven-story Belle Epoque limestone building that once housed the offices of a pharmaceutical company. Our suite came with oak parquet floors, crown moldings and a lounge area with a desk and chairs behind a mid-height room divider. French doors opened onto Juliet balconies. (Many rooms face Gaudí’s famous La Pedrera building opposite.) The black, gray and cream décor struck us as a little stark at first, but the uncluttered aesthetic grew steadily more appealing, and we soon began to feel comfortable. The spacious modern bath came with a separate stall shower and excellent lighting.
The Alma is especially notable for a large and leafy garden, which provides an idyllic place to have breakfast in the fresh air in the heart of the city. There is also a glamorous rooftop bar that affords views stretching from the Sagrada Família to the Mediterranean. The hotel’s lap pool is in the basement along with a gym, hammam and sauna. Throughout our short stay, the service was polite and obliging.
For anyone seeking stylish and comfortable lodgings that are considerably less expensive than those at the nearby Mandarin Oriental, the Alma is worthy of serious consideration.
AT A GLANCE
LIKE: Good-value room rates; fine location in the Eixample district; courtyard garden that is great for drinks; indoor plunge pool, welcome after a day of sightseeing.
DISLIKE: The rather spare interior design.
GOOD TO KNOW: Request a room on a high floor overlooking the Carrer de Mallorca, as those facing the busy Passeig de Gràcia can be a little noisy.
Alma 93 Executive Room, $360; Grand Deluxe Room, $415. Carrer de Mallorca 271, Barcelona. Tel. (34) 93-216-4490.
During summer and early fall, Barcelona is frequently hot and humid. On previous occasions, we have sought a rural escape in the lovely countryside that lies just a few miles inland from the Costa Brava. There, 90 minutes northeast of the city, Mas de Torrent, a 250-year-old Catalan farmstead, remains one of my favorite Spanish retreats. Alternatively, we have often driven northwest for two hours to the idyllic Cerdanya Valley in the Pyrenees, where a family-owned inn, El Castell de Ciutat, overlooks the picturesque old town of La Seu d’Urgell and provides superb regional cuisine. On this occasion, however, we decided to head for Catalonia’s wine country.
The best-known wine town is Vilafranca del Penedès, an easy 50-minute drive from Barcelona. We had booked tours and tastings at the internationally recognized Torres winery, plus the less well-known Parés Baltà vineyard, where some exceptionally good wines are being produced from organically grown grapes. At Torres, we especially liked the Mas La Plana, an elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, while the star of our Parés Baltà tasting was the superb white, Electio, which is made with indigenous Xarel.lo grapes and has a creamy finish that would make it perfect with seafood.
The star of our Parés Baltà tasting was the superb white, Electio, which is made with indigenous Xarel.lo grapes and has a creamy finish that would make it perfect with seafood.
Vilafranca del Penedès itself is a pleasant working town that is proudly dedicated to the grape, but that displays none of the self-conscious airs of similar places in France or Italy. Instead, it is small and hospitable, with an interesting wine museum, several good restaurants, a lively open-air market on Saturday morning and a single good hotel. The 16-room Casa Torner i Guell is a sister property to the Mercer Hotel Barcelona and occupies a recently renovated 19th-century townhouse with an attractive façade ornamented with lacy wrought-iron window railings and inserts of white-and-blue tile.
Our suite came with white walls and white parquet floors, and was furnished in a contemporary style with a pair of black leather rockers and a marble table in the sitting area. The bath was fitted with a large white Corian sink and combination tub-shower. That evening, we enjoyed a fine dinner at the elegant, glass-enclosed Mercerino Restaurant, which serves appealing dishes such as Cantabrian anchovies on toast, and roast lamb stuffed with pesto, accompanied by an outstanding list of local wines. Though not a true luxury hotel, the Casa Torner i Guell is an extremely agreeable place to spend the night.
AT A GLANCE
LIKE: Convenient location; outstanding list of local wines at the Mercerino Restaurant.
DISLIKE: Lack of a swimming pool.
GOOD TO KNOW: Request one of the rooms at the back of the hotel, which are quieter.
Casa Torner i Guell 89 Junior Suite, $200; Suite, $235. Calle Rambla de Sant Francesc 26, Vilafranca del Penedes. Tel. (34) 93-817-4755.
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