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?
Soaked in tradition and old-world grandeur
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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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
The swanky cocktail lounge at Hotel El Palace Barcelona
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
The perfect spot to relax and unwind
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
Where the magic happens: the gorgeous roof terrace
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
-
Quiet vacationing: Workers doing trips on company timeThe explainer You can be in two places at once
-
11 cool pools and lazy rivers to try this summerThe Week Recommends You'll want to dive right in
-
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac helped trigger the Great Recession. Would an IPO create new dangers?In the Spotlight It depends on the 'implicit guarantee'
-
Sleep like you are in a gallery at these art-filled hotelsThe Week Recommends Prepare to be inspired
-
How can we fix tourism?Today's Big Question Local protests over negative impact of ever-rising visitor numbers could change how we travel forever
-
Spring forward this March at these 6 delightful hotelsThe Week Recommends Celebrate the return of spring at luxe properties in the Bahamas, Marrakech and Barcelona
-
The building of Barcelona's Sagrada FamiliaIn Pictures The iconic Barcelona cathedral is nearing completion after over 140 years of construction
-
Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I Barcelona hotel review: luxury city resort fit for a king or queenThe Week Recommends As Freddie Mercury said… Barcelona, it’s ‘like a jewel in the sun’
-
Antoni Gaudi: Casa VicensSpeed Read As the architect's first house opens its doors to the public, we explore some of his most famous and spectacular creations
