Catalonia - 1
There’s nothing quite like a Catalan aperitivo on a rooftop terrace, and Girlahead was thrilled to be back at the 120-room Mandarin Oriental Barcelona, the century-old 11-floor building that thinks like a fashionista. To get to the lobby, you sashay six metres up a sloped blue-carpeted catwalk. To reach the rooftop terrace, exit the elevator at the 11th floor and instead of steps, there's another steeply inclined walkway that takes you to the rooftop.
Look down over Passeig de Gràcia and to the hills beyond. Simple furniture up here – the type you might have at home. No decoration at all apart from a few umbrellas but it’s not needed. The main point of focal interest is the 360° skyscape of Barcelona, from hills to Sagrada Familia. Next to you up here’s a lap pool. Sit right by, but not in, it. Ideally let the server choose from the tapas menu. Dishes come quick and fast. There were rice balls with something in it. There was beef tartare presented, minced up, in a bone container. Girlahead's favourite were big finger-sized potato shapes topped with cheese and little tomatoes - and the dessert of deep-fried croissant filled with chocolate, perfect with Rosé d'Une Nuit La Coste, Provence 2025.
Back down at lobby level, there are continual comings and goings, and the lovely team genuinely cares. There are meters and greeters continuously waiting further down, at pavement level, to whisk arrivals’ far-too-big cases away out of sight (regulars know to arrive with spare capacity, for all the merch they’re going to buy in this shopping heaven). Even at lobby level you’re tempted, by stylish vitrines. Local and not, Loewe, Prada and Zegna. See below.
Once again, home for the night was to be suite 324. This has to be in Spain. They wouldn't attempt it anywhere else, and if they did, it wouldn't work. Fairly high ceilings, and the walls go all the way up. No cornice. Some of the walls are pleated as if an opened-up screen. Others are just plain cream. And yet more are a brown and gold and cream Art Nouveau pattern. The whole thing, it's a walk-around from entry with door to half-bathroom, on to sitting, turn right to bed, turn right to bathroom, closet on your left, turn right to a aforementioned powder room. The whole thing is not more than 60 square meters. Designer Patricia Urquiola is definitely making a statement. This is forceful Spanish, she's saying. The sturdy dark brown pillars flanking the open door between the bed area and the sitting area. Overall colors are also dull sage green and soft gold. Of course, being Mandarin Oriental, there are toweling robes and also fabric, here, silk damask. And there's a hessian shopping bag stressing the fact that Barcelona is World Capital of Architecture 2026. There's more than a meal of welcome snacks, tapas personified, and a bottle of wine. Come around, and the bedroom has a desk in one corner with plenty of sockets and USBs. The desk is right by one of the two windows, both of which have nearly black shutters and steely gray sheers and curtains and blackouts. Open double-glazed French windows, and you hear street sounds. But otherwise, it's blissfully quiet. Toiletries are local, Natura Bissé for soap, and in the shower, wall-fixed containers by Miriamqeuvedo….
