Alexandra Hotel - Barcelona, Spain

There are at least two things worth mentioning about Barcelona’s Hotel Alexandra. The first, is its faultless location steps away from the city’s main shopping drag, Passeig de Gràcia, and the second are its new interiors, partly done by local firm Borrell Jover Arquitectura, who renovated the 19th-century pile with flare.

The hotel’s original elements such as the ornate corniced ceilings and colourful hydraulic tiles are decorative  mainstays to the modern interiors dressed with clean-lined low-slung furnishings and contemporary pendant lights in a subdued palette. The 116 rooms are spacious, while some of the suites come with their own terraces and outdoor baths.

A leafy internal courtyard complete with a pool and a bar offers a languid prelude to the meat-heavy menu at Solomillo, which serves up quality cuts of beef from France, Abderdeen, Nebrqaska and Galicia, along with accompaniments such as funghi porcini sauce and creamy parmesan rice.