From ace architecture to top tapas, the Spanish city that is mini-break heaven
LOUNGING on a double sunbed by the rooftop infinity pool as the sun sets, it’s amor at first sight at Barcelona’s Grand Hotel Central.
With views stretching from the Mediterranean to the hilltop of Montjuïc, this is sundowner heaven, with a cocktail list to match.
As I sip a Solera’s Delight – a mix of rum, vanilla syrup and chocolate bitters that tastes like golden hour in a glass, £14.50 – while Balearic beats play, I can’t think of a cooler spot to celebrate my first wedding anniversary with husband Nick.
Go gaudi
You’ll find The Grand Hotel Central in the bustling Old Town – not that you’d know it once you cross the imposing 1920s facade.
With a marble lobby and wood-panelled library, plus a spa, sunrise yoga and staff who can’t do enough to help, this is a chic oasis of calm.
Our superior room is equally stylish, with a rainfall shower and a bed so comfy we wish we could bring it home.
Dinner at the hotel’s Restaurant Can Bo offers a fusion of Spanish tapas with an Italian twist served in a lively, Mediterranean-inspired space.
Top marks for the octopus brioche, £6.80, tagliatelle with oxtail ragu, £14.50, white asparagus in carbonara sauce, £11, and the decadent chocolate three ways, £7.65.
As tempting as it is to chill at the hotel, Nick and I venture out to explore.
The hop-on, hop-off bus takes you everywhere from Barceloneta beach to Catalan architect Gaudi’s awe-inspiring Sagrada Familia basilica.
Day tickets cost £25.25 per person (Barcelona.city-tour.com).
Gaudi’s magical Park Guell is a must-see.
With jaw-dropping buildings, sculptures and mosaics, this architectural wonder leaves us speechless.
Entry costs £15.30 per person (Parkguell.barcelona).
Take a ramblas
The following day, fortified by a top-notch buffet breakfast, we mooch around the Gothic Quarter and El Born – two districts that form a labyrinth of cobbled streets, lined with bars, shops, restaurants and galleries.
Nick picks up a shirt in Humana Vintage, while I can’t resist a ceramic plate from Artesanat, plus a huge pistachio cinnamon roll from bakery Demasie, £3.50 (@Cookies_demasie).
Food market Mercat de Santa Caterina delivers another gastronomical marvel in the form of cheese and Iberian ham cones, £4.25, which have lived rent-free in my head ever since.
Fearing gout is imminent, we take a stroll around Parc de la Ciutadella, with its golden Cascada Monumental waterfall and lake, then hit the Picasso Museum.
With an extensive collection of the artist’s early work, it’s well worth the visit.
Entry costs £14.50 per person (Museupicassobcn.cat).
No Barcelona trip is complete without seeing the boulevard of Las Ramblas, thronged with tourists, locals, flower sellers and street performers.
To rest our legs, we grab daiquiris, £11.50, in Boadas, Barcelona’s oldest cocktail bar, beloved by everyone from Hemingway to Dalí.
The tiny room with art-deco furnishings and tuxedo-wearing bartenders, is like stepping back in time.
With time for one final indulgence, we hit restaurant Sagardi Argenteria for Barceloneta Bombas – a local speciality of meatballs encased in potato and breadcrumbs, then deep-fried and served with spicy brava sauce, £2.20 a pop – and swear to return for our second anniversary.
Gout permitting.
FYI
Double rooms cost from £250 a night (Grandhotelcentral.com).
UK return flights to Barcelona with Vueling cost from £56 (Vueling.com).