Caelis, resident chef Romain Fornell's Michelin-star restaurant. Photo / Supplied.
Caelis, resident chef Romain Fornell's Michelin-star restaurant. Photo / Supplied.
Location: In the heart of Barcelona on Via Laietana, less than 10 minutes' walk from La Rambla, the Gothic quarter, La Catedral and many of the city's great museums and attractions.
Getting there: A taxi from the airport cost less than $50 and took about 20 minutes in afternoontraffic. Or, for less than $10, you can get the Aeroport bus, which will drop you off at nearby Playa Cataluna — about five minutes' walk from the hotel.
First impressions: The building is a very grand neoclassical stone 8-storey building, on the site of the former palace of the first Count of Barcelona. The exterior is embellished with a Gaudi-inspired sculptural work by artist Frederic Amat.
Check-in experience: Reception is on floor 0.5 (very Harry Potter), and two staff seated behind a small desk sorted the check-in for me and my travel buddy. After they copied our passports and credit cards, we were given keys and directed to the rather small lifts to go up to our rooms. The lifts took a while to work — sending us down instead of up, then not moving anywhere — but we got there eventually.
Room: On the fifth of six accommodation floors, my room was sleek and modern, with the bathroom a major feature of the room. The shower cubicle is basically in the middle of the room — an untinted glass box less than 1m from the bed. If you don't already know very well the person you're sharing the room with, you will by the end of your stay. Mercifully the toilet is more hidden — so much so it took me a little while to work out where it actually was. I found it behind what looked like a black wall — a panel opens inwards to reveal the small toilet space. Other features include desk, armchair, mini-bar (not complimentary), flat-screen TV and built-in luggage rack.
Bed: A firm, comfortable double, with gorgeous white linen and squishy pillows.
View: Down to Via Laietana and across to some beautiful gothic style buildings.
Facilities: There's a gym and sauna on-site, and a show-stopping roof-top pool, with excellent views of the city. This is obviously a hotel for exhibitionists though — the clear glass-sided pool is in the middle of the bar area ... so the people sipping their evening aperol spritz can see what you look like underwater.
Food and drink: One Michelin-star restaurant Caelis is on site, from chef Romain Fornell. We had a 14-course tasting menu, which was exceptional — a Mediterranean molecular gastronomy meal where nothing was as it seemed but everything tasted delicious. There's also a tapas bar, La Plassohla; and a wine bar, Vistro 49. The buffet breakfast was small but offered all you need to set you up for a day exploring Barcelona ... including free-pour cava and orange juice to make your own mimosas.
Wi-Fi: Free and fast, throughout the hotel. Rooms are also provided with Handy, a data-enabled smart phone to use around the city. It gives access to Google Maps, and provides tips and guides for what to see and do. Super useful.
Noise: A little bit of road, and a tiny bit of corridor noise, but nothing enough to disturb.
Perfect for: A five-star stay in beautiful Barcelona.
