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Review: Hotel Arts (Barcelona)
Barcelona’s most iconic hotel. Barcelona’s tallest hotel (and likely to stay that way for a while, now that the proposed conversion of the Torre Agbar has been put on hold). Barcelona’s best-known luxury hotel. But is it Barcelona’s best hotel?
It’s certainly a strong contender, and one of my personal favourites. The views, as you’d expect from a beachfront skyscraper, are spectacular. The room design? Beautiful, but you won’t remember: your attention will be fixated on the window.
The Club is the 5* Arts’ ‘hotel within a hotel’ located across some of the higher floors and it sets the standard for service in Barcelona. It offers a private reception and access to the Club Lounge, where drinks and snacks are available all day and a friendly, first-class concierge team work to meet your every request. For business travellers, it is an ideal place to work and hold informal meetings.
The Arts has a lot of square metres available, so its gym is unusually spacious and well-equipped. Spa 43 on, you’ve guessed, the 43rd floor is almost in the clouds, and its relaxation decks have incredible panoramas. It’s the only sauna in town where you can look through the steam and down to the beach, 150m below.
Restaurants include the two-Michelín-starred Enoteca and the excellent tapas terrace of Arola. Another option nearby is Bestial, located at the foot of the hotel beneath Frank Gehry’s Fish statue.
The Arts was opened in 1994 and renovated in 2006. There are a couple of places where it’s showing its age, but it remains a true five-star experience and, in many respects, it’s still the luxury hotel to beat.
Hotel Arts: Marina 19-21, 08005, Barcelona; Tel. (+34) 93 2211000
Price: €€€€€
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