The best hotels in Barcelona

That shiny sail-shaped tower at the edge of the Mediterranean packed full of luxurious delights at every turn could be your home in Barcelona for as many nights as your budget will allow. Your every desire can be catered to as you relax in your stylish room and take in the stunning seaside views. When you do decide to venture out of your room, you can enjoy the spa, two pools, gourmet restaurants (one run by Michelin-starred chef Carlos Abellán), and the Eclipse rooftop bar. If you can break away from all that, beyond the hotel you're on the beach at Barceloneta and minutes away from the Old City, where you can stroll through the streets of the Barri Gòtic and the Born, both brimming with a huge variety of restaurants and bars.

This iconic, modernista building stands at the head of Barcelona’s chic Passeig de Gràcia. The stunning Casa Fuster is a monument in itself, built in 1908 by architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner. His work, including the hotel, is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Staying at Casa Fuster doesn't only mean sleeping in a luxury five-star hotel, but it's also a work of art, and it boasts a rooftop terrace with a pool and excellent views of the city centre, a jazz club, and a restaurant that serves up Mediterranean cuisine – Cafè Vienès, a singular space that's full of history.

The Arts is one of the most emblematic hotels in the city for many reasons – its coveted location near the sea, its design and its restaurant among them. In the kitchen is Sergi Arola, who combines local traditions and seasonal ingredients with characteristic creativity. Arola whips up imaginative reinterpretations of traditional Mediterranean cuisine served as tapas to be enjoyed as an informal meal. Definitely make your way up to the lovely rooftop terrace for impresive sea views.

El Palace is a bit of Barcelona's living history. The building first opened its doors in 1919, features a neoclassical façade, and classic, elegant rooms that have been completely renovated. When you're hungry, get tapas and Mediterranean dishes at 19/Nineteen, or head to the Winter Garden restaurant, an intimate space on the hotel terrace. You can also start or end your night at Bluesman with a tasty cocktail and live music. And if what you're after is a bit of R&R, El Palace houses a Mayan-style spa with a Temazcal sauna.

This exclusive 22-room hotel is set in an 18th-century aristocratic house with views of one of Barcelona's most favourite squares that's full of local history, Plaça Sant Felip Neri. The original façade remains and overlooks the square, and there's also an original 17th-century stone wall that separates the bar area from the restaurant. Knowing all that you won't be surprised to learn the Neri enjoys Special Monument status. And when you head out, you're very close to La Rambla on one side and the Cathedral on the other, both must-see stops during your stay in Barcelona.

The building where Cotton House lives was once the headquarters for the Association of Cotton Manufacturers, and it's easy to spot decorative and structural elements that are reminiscent of its past. The accommodations are set up for the ultimate in comfort for guests, with plush rooms and a lovely terrace on the interior patio that's typical of this part of the Eixample district and perfect for a snack during the day or a glass of cava at night.

Alma Barcelona stands on some coveted real estate just one street away from La Pedrera, a five-minute walk from Casa Batlló, and just over a kilometre from the city's central square, Plaça de Catalunya. The height of luxury has got to be the hotel's restaurant, El Jardi de l'Alma, an enormous garden where you can have a drink or a meal and feel like you're in a leafy grove. Sink even deeper into a relaxing break in the hotel spa's indoor pool, hammam or sauna.

Staying at the Majestic means staying in lush accommodations in a neoclassical style building with its original façade right on Passeig de Gràcia. Inside there's a full-treatment spa, a piano bar, a cocktail bar, and the modern Gourmet Bar on the rooftop terrace next to the pool. From there you get breathtaking vistas of the city: look this way and see Montjuïc mountain, look that way for the sea between the twin towers, look in another direction and there's the Sagrada Família. Michelin-starred chef Nandu Jubany serves as the culinary consultant, and you can discover Catalan cuisine in any of the hotel's three restaurants and two bars.

You'll find the Hotel Omm on Passeig de Gràcia, just a five-minute walk to Gaudí's La Pedrera. You've got perfectly equipped, boutique-style rooms with views of the city or the interior garden, and the spa option with its steam baths and selection of facial treatments and aromatherapy. You can't get much better than their gastronomic offering, called Roca Barcelona and made up of the Michelin-starred restaurant Roca Moo as well as the Roca Bar, which is a less formal spot where you can enjoy tapas and smaller dishes to share.

If you fancy staying out of the bustle of the city centre, Primero Primera in Barcelona's uptown neighbourhood of Sarrià is a great option for you. It's also a bit different from your typical luxury hotel in looks, with its stone and wood decor that gives you a cosy feel of a mountain home. One of the prettiest areas of this 30-room boutique hotel is its patio, full of greenery, and a spot in the back that's ideal for having a quiet drink or nibble. If you get hungry when the restaurant's not serving meals, don't worry, because there's a 'Between meals' plan that will save you.