{"id":94480,"date":"2023-04-07T23:15:25","date_gmt":"2023-04-08T03:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.tablethotels.com\/en\/?p=94480"},"modified":"2023-06-05T13:34:53","modified_gmt":"2023-06-05T17:34:53","slug":"keeping-up-with-the-joneses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.tablethotels.com\/en\/2023\/04\/keeping-up-with-the-joneses\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping Up With the Joneses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Mercer
Mercer Hotel \u2014 Barcelona<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the city of Gaud\u00ed, aesthetic standards are high. Barcelona\u2019s hotels happily rise to the occasion, as evidenced by attention-demanding designs and an improbable number of rooftop spaces.<\/h4>\n

It\u2019s nice to think that Antoni Gaud\u00ed is the main reason Barcelona\u2019s hotels have such terrific architecture and design. That the presence of his tremendous works throughout the city is a constant motivating force. La Sagrada Familia<\/em> staring down, silently judging. As with all things, though, economics likely plays a larger role. Barcelona is an elite tourism city. It has a world-beating collection of sophisticated, high-style hotels with personality-filled public spaces. The bar is high. No one’s taking any plays off. If you want to make it here, you’ve got to up your game.<\/p>\n

For evidence, look no further than Barcelona’s hotel rooftops. Pools, bars, restaurants, lounge areas \u2014 these days, nearly all of the Catalan capital\u2019s premier hotels have something great going on topside. In most cities, a rooftop amenity is somewhat of a novelty \u2014 not unheard of by any means, but not exactly standard practice either, and certainly not an expectation. In Barcelona, it\u2019s hard to find a notable hotel that doesn\u2019t have a pool on the roof, let alone a bustling cocktail bar and a selection of extremely comfortable chairs.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tempting to wonder why. An easy permitting process, perhaps. Or maybe it’s the weather. Barcelona\u2019s climate makes rooftop spaces a sound, year-round investment. In the end, the only motivation that matters is keeping up with the competition. You’ve got to give the people what they want, and in Barcelona they want amazing spots for a sky-facing soir\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

Of course, that’s not all they want. To be in our selection, the rest of the hotel needs to be just as impressive as the scene upstairs. The standouts below all have wonderful rooftop spaces, and a whole lot more.
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Casa Bonay<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Casa<\/a><\/p>\n

When you arrive at Casa Bonay, if there\u2019s one thing the team here will impress upon you, it\u2019s that this hotel was a community effort. From the furniture to the blankets to the soap, this is Barcelona \u2014 and Catalan culture \u2014 on full display. The rooms aren\u2019t exactly enormous, but most include outdoor space from which to enjoy the view. And at the rooftop restaurant, Chiringuito, it’s all barbecue and tapas with a beach-club vibe.<\/p>\n

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Hotel Brummell<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Hotel<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a refreshingly down-to-earth sensibility at play here, probably due somewhat to the neighborhood’s abundance of cheap watering holes, which in turn fuel the charming tapas-and-galleries vibe on every street. Roll that all into one and you have Brummell; this hotel\u2019s got you covered whether you\u2019re after cocktails, rooftop poolside day-drinking, a crashpad, yoga and fitness classes \u2014 free for hotel guests \u2014 or all of the above.<\/p>\n

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Almanac Barcelona<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Almanac<\/a><\/p>\n

Just off the Passeig de Gr\u00e0cia in the upscale Eixample district, the Almanac Barcelona is an an elegant 19th-century edifice (plus 20th-century addition) whose interiors, by designer Jaime Beriestain, recall several well-loved eras of design history, from Art Deco to mid-century modernism to the present day. The elegance of the design is matched by some substantial comforts, not least of which is Azimuth, the rooftop bar with indoor and outdoor views of the city panorama.<\/p>\n

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Serras Barcelona<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Serras<\/a><\/p>\n

Even against stiff competition, Serras stands out. It\u2019s rare here, or in any city for that matter, to find something that so effortlessly straddles the line between boutique chic and ultra-high-end luxury. It occupies a building of some distinction on the Passeig de Colom, where the Gothic Quarter meets Port Vell, which accounts for one of its most desirable attributes: the marina-facing rooftop pool deck, restaurant, and bar.<\/p>\n

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Mercer Hotel Barcelona<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Mercer<\/a><\/p>\n

Walking the halls of the Mercer Hotel Barcelona is a bit like hanging out in a forward-thinking gallery of modern design, where the exhibits never close and management lets you stay the night \u2014 except here, the impeccable modernist furniture and glass partitions are housed in an ancient defense tower. The amenities only get dreamier as one ascends \u2014 there\u2019s a fourth-floor terrace that provides sweeping views of the Gothic Cathedral, along with a bar and rooftop pool.<\/p>\n

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H10 Cubik<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"H10<\/a><\/p>\n

H10 Cubik begins with a refurbished modernist building in the center of the city, an emblem of Barcelona\u2019s adventurous architectural spirit, and takes it one further with colorful, vibrant contemporary interiors by designer L\u00e1zaro Rosa-Violan. Meanwhile, up top, there\u2019s the Atik Tapas Bar, a self-explanatory eatery with an impressive view, and just outside is the Atik Rooftop Bar, complete with plunge pool and loungers.<\/p>\n

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Antiga Casa Buenavista<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Antiga<\/a><\/p>\n

What began just over a hundred years ago as a family-owned restaurant in Barcelona, in a central location where El Raval meets L\u2019Eixample, is now a stylish and memorable boutique hotel. Still family owned, it’s one part historical, drawing on Barcelona\u2019s 20th-century modernist tradition, and one part contemporary, exhibiting the simplicity and focus that are hallmarks of 21st-century hospitality design. On the rooftop, a pool and small garden sit intimately secluded from the rest of the space.<\/p>\n

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Kimpton Vividora<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Kimpton<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a long way from the Kimpton’s San Francisco headquarters to the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, but the Kimpton Vividora looks right at home here, a luxury boutique hotel crafted in partnership with a local design studio and conceived as a faithful reflection of one of the Catalan capital\u2019s most vibrant neighborhoods. Fauna is the flagship restaurant, and Terraza de Vivi is the rooftop bar \u2014 either is a wonderful introduction to the local culinary scene.<\/p>\n

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Hotel Pulitzer Barcelona<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Hotel<\/a><\/p>\n

The Pulitzer is unashamedly upscale, the public spaces festooned with velvet sofas, lacquered bookshelves lined with books, and a collection of contemporary and antique artworks; bold and clean it is, but minimal it certainly isn\u2019t. The roof terrace is a genuine treat, ideal for a sunset cocktail.<\/p>\n

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Sir Victor Hotel<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Sir<\/a><\/p>\n

The most recognizable aspect of the Sir Victor Hotel is its fa\u00e7ade, by architect Juli Capella, where limestone panels curve open like turning pages, letting just enough sunlight into the guest rooms. This is quite possibly Barcelona\u2019s most calming, most meditative boutique hotel, thanks to its rubber-lined corridors, its exceedingly tranquil spa, and its rooftop pool bar with pleasing views of the Sagrada Familia cathedral and Casa Mil\u00e1.<\/p>\n

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Arai Aparthotel<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Arai\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In an 18th-century structure still decorated with the original sgraffito \u2014 a large-scale wall decoration that falls somewhere between a fresco and a carving \u2014 the original building materials come through in a natural way all throughout. Exposed beams make the big rooms seem positively cavernous, and the high ceilings allow for some fairly stunning floor-to-ceiling windows. And though the outdoor pool isn\u2019t exactly Olympic-sized, it\u2019s as neat and charming as the rest of the hotel.<\/p>\n

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Hotel 1898<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Hotel<\/a><\/p>\n

Set in the building that once housed the headquarters of Philippines Tobacco, this an urban hotel, but one with a decidedly resort-like atmosphere (though incongruously placed on the corner of Pintor Fortuny and La Rambla \u2014 Barcelona\u2019s famous market boulevard). One of the hotel’s two pools sits on the terrace, alongside the cocktail bar that serves house-made tapas.<\/p>\n

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The One Barcelona<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The One certainly looks like the five-star hotel that it is. Across the hotel and its 89 guest rooms, there\u2019s a lot of marble, mirrors, and gold accents, done in an elegant way \u2014 the handiwork of designer Jaime Beriestain, whose studio created a lot of the furniture too. If it\u2019s city views you\u2019re after, though, head straight to the rooftop and its plunge pool, which offers unobstructed views of the Barcelona skyline.<\/p>\n

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Ohla Eixample<\/a><\/h2>\n
Barcelona, Spain<\/h5>\n

\"Ohla<\/a><\/p>\n

The fa\u00e7ade, with its repetitive geometric patterns, announces that the Ohla Eixample is no ordinary hotel. And what\u2019s behind that fa\u00e7ade is modernism of the most utopian, optimistic sort \u2014 if not for the blazing Mediterranean sun outside, you might just wonder if you were in Stockholm or Copenhagen. Rooms strike a thoughtful balance between high-fashion minimalism and welcoming warmth. As for the public spaces, the rooftop pool and bar provides an alternative to the Michelin-starred restaurant.<\/p>\n

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