El Palace Barcelona: old-world luxury in the heart of the city

El Palace, situated in Barcelona's electric Eixample district, is one of the city's most iconic hotels. The historic former Ritz outpost has hosted some of Catalonia's most vaunted personalities over the decades and is home to 120 rooms and suites, ranging from the tastefully opulent to the gobsmackingly luxurious.

For two days, our home is the hotel's flagship Salvador Dalí Art Suite, an enormous complex of rooms that takes up what feels like an entire floor. Dalí was a frequent patron of the hotel – photos of him in the suite are dotted around the place – and this was his own personal hangout spot.

Why stay here?

Despite its flagship suite bearing the name of one of the greatest boundary-pushers of the 20th-century art world, El Palace Barcelona is soaked in tradition and old-world grandeur. It stands tall in the Eixample neighbourhood, offering the area a flourish of Roaring Twenties flair with rich red awnings and ornate electric lamps flanking the building.

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Inside our suite, shimmering golds and rich vermilion tones dominate the living room's ornate furniture. Enormous, plush armchairs sit alongside a beautiful mahogany dining table and wonderful period piece wardrobes. And in the bedroom sits a four-poster bed that wouldn't look out of place in Anne of Cleves' house, so draped in rich, heavy brocade is it.

And yet the hotel is not remotely stuffy. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a bright interior colour palette ensure the suite feels airy and comfortable; the kind of room that gives you a little shot of adrenaline as you wake up and remember where you are.

Eating and drinking

One of the most idiosyncratic, yet genius, aspects of El Palace is the restaurant up on the roof, where the concept of seasonal fare is taken perhaps more seriously than in any other restaurant on the planet. We stepped out into the temperate climes of a Catalan January and on into an indoor section of the restaurant to be greeted with what can only be described as a Swiss chalet. A Swiss chalet, perched atop what is effectively a skyscraper in downtown Barcelona.

And yes, the menu reflects the fascinating design choice; we opted for an enormous Emmental fondue, complete with potatoes and crispy bread, pairing it with a glass of Ruinart, from the world's oldest champagne brand.

More traditional is El Palace's extraordinary breakfast taken in a large, chequered-floor courtyard topped with a glass ceiling and adorned with enormous white drapes. The food choices are vast and of exceptional quality, even by five-star hotel standards. A notable high point is pa amb tomaquet (bread and tomato), a local Catalan dish made from crusty bread infused with garlic and oil, topped with liquified tomato. It sounds simple, but when it's made with tomatoes this good, it's a total showstopper.

Things to do

After sampling any of the hotel's myriad bars and restaurants, guests can make their way to El Palace's gorgeous roof terrace, for this is where the magic happens. On one side is a splendid open-air pool overlooking the city to the south, towards the glimmering Mediterranean. But perform a 180 and you're face-to-face with the open-air cinema. Barcelona's gloriously moderate climate is perfect for the hotel's week-long monthly mini film festival, with a different movie shown on the big screen each night. Guests can hunker down in the terrace's comfy deckchairs and a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for a night of laughs – or tears – under the stars.

The verdict

Wonderfully decadent but restrained enough to know where to draw the line, El Palace is a touch of old-school refinement in a city known for its modern tourist scene. It's both cosy and luxurious, offering a unique twist on the dusty 'grand hotel' stereotype, particularly with its stupendous – and positively imaginative – gastronomic options. It's truly a palace in name and nature.

Gabriel Power was a guest at El Palace Barcelona