A stone’s throw from the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona’s first five-star hotel opened its doors in 1919 flanked by landmarks including Gaudí’s Casa Batlló and the eclectic La Boquería of Las Ramblas. Its guest list has been no less impressive – a veritable Who’s Who of the great and glittering have chosen El Palace, including Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, Salvador Dalí, Sophia Loren and Ella Fitzgerald. Designed in the hotel’s neoclassical style, 120 rooms and suites offer havens of tranquillity and taste, with many now named after former illustrious residents. These Art Suites pay aesthetic tribute to this creative vanguard: the eccentric Salvador Dalí features handmade rugs, restored antiques and an authentic Roman bath adorned with mosaics; the El Palace Suite by Josephine Baker was the icon’s chosen home on every trip to Barcelona, and invokes her aesthetic through feminine pastel hues and Louis XVI furniture in keeping with Château des Milandes.
Outside, design homages continue in the Rooftop Garden – referencing those of politician Francesc Cambó’s palace and the work of modernist artist Ramón Casas. Under a pergola of tropical plants, surrounded by orchids and orange blossoms, this inner-city oasis offers a private viewpoint to the Gaudí-dotted skyline, while a dip in the majestic pool lends welcome respite from the midday heat. Climb higher into the clouds, where at El Palace Barcelona’s solarium, guests can pay witness to spectacular sunsets with a cocktail in hand. Perfection.
