Location of The One Barcelona
The One Barcelona hotel is conveniently located for exploring the best bits of the city. It’s on a section of the Carrer de Provença and despite it being at the heart of great shopping, restaurants and cultural sites, it sits quietly and elegantly a few minutes away from the bustling crowds.
It’s a 5 star hotel at the top of its class and is perfect if you’re working or holidaying in Barcelona. It’s also worth noting the hotel is under half an hour’s drive from Barcelona’s El Prat airport. A taxi would cost you around 35 to 40 euros at the most.
Art at The One Barcelona
Expect to see plenty of well positioned, original, yes original pieces of art while you walk around the common parts of The One Barcelona. An eminent Spanish family who’ve been in the hotel industry since the 1980s own the hotel, but they’ve been collecting works of art from way before then. So luckily for us, some of their collection has found it’s way onto the walls of their H10 group of hotels.
Why H10?
Different countries have various ways of rating hotels, and in Spain the highest score a hotel can achieve is a 10 – hence the name of the group – H10. They aspire to and I think achieve a perfect 10 score for The One Barcelona. But I also think their Hotel Casa Mimosa just across the road deserves that score too, especially for lunch in the courtyard.
The Rooms
The rooms are in line with the very comfortable but contemporary style prevalent throughout the hotel. We loved our teal blue velvet chairs and cool white marble tables with Spanish blue water bottles on them. While there is some opulence evident in the brushed gold taps at the basins and wardrobe handles, it’s that stylish, quiet kind as opposed to the loud, sometimes brash kind. It is a five star hotel after all; so a little gold is a good thing.
The Roof Top Mood
All our meals were superb at the hotel and Barcelona really is a foodie city. But don’t leave without experiencing dinner at the very atmospheric Mood Rooftop Bar restaurant at The One Barcelona. Sure, the pool is a little on the small side relative to what we’re used to in our part of the world, but the style and ambience of the roof top more than make up for that inconvenience! Do note that the Mood Rooftop Bar is only open in summer.
In fact we really thought we were in a European version of Bali while we were up here! The talented designers have been very clever with their planting schemes and outdoor furniture, but still manage to give you a sense of where you are by incorporating both historic and modern Barcelona roof tops into your experience of the terrace.
Try a couple of oysters with a glass of something cold and fizzy to begin with and then order anything you like off the menu, it’s bound to be good. We liked all our food, but recommend you start with some classic Crystal Bread and Tomato then try the lobster and avocado rolls to follow.
Sister hotel for lunch
Try a couple of different tapas plates and something cold to drink after a morning’s shopping at the lush, hidden courtyard at the Casa Mimosa hotel. That’s also part of the H10 group. We loved our crispy squid served with black squid ink and burrata salad. The smaller plates of tapas or half portions as they are sometimes known in Spain are such a sensible way of trying a variety of different dishes without feeling too full or spending too much!
We were always impressed with the quality of food in Barcelona and especially at this particular lunch at the Casa Mimosa. Take some time out to indulge yourself and catch up with your travelling companions Spanish style, or simply do some people watching!
What’s nearby The One Barcelona
The hotel is actually based a few minutes walk away from the Passeig de Gràcia – the wide, tree lined avenue that has every major shopping brand you can think of. I suggest you stock up from the stylish and not yet everywhere Spanish fashion store Bimba y Lola. It’s known for it’s accessories and contemporary women’s fashion.
The architecture of the city really is treat to be around. Don’t miss the iconic Gaudi house on the Passeig de Gràcia itself and you can also visit Gaudi’s La Pedrera (Casa Milà) house on the same road as the hotel.
Both the Gaudi park known as Park Güell and the Sagrada de Familia are also nearby, but definitely take the short taxi ride to these two attractions especially if it’s hot!
You will need to book in advance for both of these sites. Remember though there is a free section of the Park Güell that is really beautiful, so see this bit before hand. Do wear comfortable walking shoes and have a bottle of water with you if you’re there in the summer.
Barcelona really is a beautiful city, and our experience was made all the more pleasant by the kind and considerate staff at The One Barcelona. We were really impressed by their concierge service as well as all their in house facilities.
Thank you Monica, who shopped a alot at Mango and Zahra in Barcelona and of course Bimba Y Lola. But wait that’s not all.. need a good restaurant tip while in Barcleona? Read on
Google Map showing location of hotel
We travelled to Barcelona from London on this trip via Vueling and then went to to explore San Sebastian.. a city by the sea and a real foodie destination.
We loved our dinner at Tapas 2254 walking distance from the One Barcelona hotel and recommended to us by their concierge service.
Price range: About Euros 70 for 2 people sharing 4 or 5 dishes including 2 large glasses of home made sangria and an incredible cheesecake.
