Almanac hotel - Barcelona, Spain

With so many well-designed bolt-holes already in place, it hardly seems possible that Barcelona could accommodate yet another boutique hotel. Ahead of openings in Vienna, Prague and Zagreb, the Almanac group’s debut in the Passeig de Gracia neighbourhood, however, is a promising sign. 

Local studio Office of Architecture has joined two 18th- and 20th-century buildings into a 91-room cocoon which, in turn, Jaime Beriestain Studio has layered with spacious white marbled bathrooms, copper accents, low-hanging white drum lamps, and panels of oak and walnut in the bright bedrooms – some of which feature broad bay windows, cleverly converted from the building’s old Juliet balconies. 

Downstairs, in Línea’s high-ceilinged dining room dominated by deep blue hues and towering brass lamps, chef Sergio Ruiz works up an all-day menu based on Catalanian standards of grilled seafood, alongside gluten-free options. Otherwise, head for the expansive rooftop bar and lounge for views of the eternal La Sagrada Familia and Mount Tibidabo.