Barcelona confidential: Dazzling digs in the city of Gaudi

Hotel Review: ME Barcelona

Where: Carrer Casp 1-13, Barcelona

How much: From 450 euros ($750) per night

Part of the Spanish hospitality group Melia - which also owns Zel hotels (co-founded by tennis legend Rafael Nadal) - ME Barcelona opened in 2021, on a site that was once the location of a theatre dating back to 1869. There are 10 ME hotels around the world and they all aim to be in the epicentre of their respective cities; with this property indisputably hitting the bullseye.

You're in the heart of the Catalan capital when you check in to this hotel, located alongside the Passeig de Gracia - the Champs-Elysees of Barcelona - dotted with high-end boutiques and architectural landmarks. Placa de Catalunya - the city's enormous main square - is right next door, and just beyond it is La Rambla, the main tourist strip and the gateway to historic neighbourhoods such as the Gothic Quarter. Even Casa Batllo - the show-stopping UNESCO World Heritage house designed by Antoni Gaudi - is just a 10-minute walk away.

This is the city of Gaudi and you're at a hotel that's anything but cookie-cutter, so don't hold your breath for soaring ceilings and gleaming marble. Instead prepare yourself for walls clad in warm chestnut-hued timber panels, striking stainless steel sculptures by local artist Jordi Diez and large prints by famous Spanish fashion photographer Alberto Van Stokkum. But it is the service that truly takes the cake here; guests arriving before check-in time can hang out in the lobby - complete with textured teal couches, bright-coloured cushions, large centre tables and fresh flowers - with friendly staff offering complimentary coffees and teas.

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The stylish theme continues in the hotel's 164 rooms, without being over the top. And thank god for that, because there's nothing more stifling than checking in to an overly decorated room that feels like a museum. Mine is an entry-level Standard ME room, which at 28 square metres isn't exactly palatial, but feels quite spacious thanks to a light colour palette and large floor-to-ceiling windows with sheer drapes. A king-sized bed, a mustard-hued chaise and a well-equipped ensuite with rain shower make the stay utterly comfortable. Somehow we even manage to find room for the two large hard-shell suitcases we're travelling with.

It's hard to convince yourself to eat at a hotel restaurant when you're in the heart of Barcelona, with sensational tapas joints at every turn. But ME's flagship restaurant, Belbo Terrenal, still manages to draw big crowds with its bright and airy interiors, and Mediterranean mains such as sea bass baked - Provencal-style - in clay papillote. Another restaurant, Belbo Fasto, specialising in modern Italian, and the dazzling onsite bar, Belbo Luma, further add to the appeal.

There's no place at the hotel like its rooftop, where an al fresco bar, a photogenic pool and staggering views (the iconic Sagrada Familia in one direction, Placa de Catalunya in the other) await. But the property's hidden gem is its spa, where moody cavernous interiors dial up the Zen factor from the get-go, even before you indulge in one of its organic, vegan treatments.

Just beyond the air-conditioned dining room of Belbo Terrenal, there's a gorgeous courtyard that basks in the warm Mediterranean breeze during the summer months. Enjoying my breakfast here - far from the other guests who god knows why decide to eat indoors - was the single most memorable highlight of my stay.

Explore more: melia.com

The writer was a guest of ME Barcelona.