The hip design
capital of Spain, spawning everything(or everybody)
from Custo Barcelona to schoolgirl favourite Jordi
Labanda. The congregation of creative talents to
this city is apparent- with everyone from
Madrid-born furniture designer Jaime Hayon to the
Campers setting up showrooms (and a hotel) in this
city.
Fans of designer hotels are bound to have a hard
time in choosing a hotel (or combination of hotels)
of their choice. Depending on your design
predilections, you might want to be based in the
eclectic Casa Camper, translating the design ethos
of the Camper brothers (we know them as the creators
of those funky Camper shoes), the sleek
sophistication of the much -lauded Hotel Omm
or the various virtues of the designer hotels- Hotel
Actual, Granados 83, Prestige Paseo de Gracia or
Hotel Grand Central- each exhibiting an exciting
design ethos, leaving the selection criteria down to
location, facilities and price point.
We''ll have you exploring the wonders of Gaudi,
sampling legendary local nightlife and bearing
witness to the resurgence
of Spanish cuisine. An exciting array of activities
include an architectural tour of Gaudi's works, a
tour exploring the workshops of artisans and artists
in Barcelona and hunting down future collectibles of
the finest names in contemporary Spanish furniture
design. Should all that fail to excite you, possibly
the idea of some of the best off-piste skiing on the
base of the Pyrenees on a heli-skiing trip would do
the trick. Or something more serene and meditative,
in the way of a paragliding trip or an
adrenaline-pumped aerobatic experience in a small
town just outside Barcelona? For something more
earthly-bound,test drive the Lamborghini Gallardo on
the famous Spanish Formula 1 racetrack of the
Circuit de Catalunya(1.7km) or the 3.2km Calafat
race track.
Romance
(with style) isn't low on the cards in Barcelona,
with a romantic cruise of the Mediterranean sea for
two or simply up the style ante by cruising around
the city in a classic car, offering a choice of
a 1963 Bentley S3 Continental,
a 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II or the 1960
Mercedes-Benz 300-D 'Adenauer'.
"Barcelona- the
treasure house of courtesy, the refuge of
strangers".- Don Quixote.
Main photo courtesy of Mirko Delcaldo