Barcelona has always been tempting for culture vultures, its architecture alone drawing visitors galore to soak up the sight of Gaudi’s famous creations.
And now the city’s Mandarin Oriental hotel is providing two more temptations for those looking for more than a bargain city break. thanks to a new opera and foodie package that’s a feast for the ears as well as the stomach.
Along with a ticket to the fabulous fin de siècle opera house Gran Teatre del Liceu, also home to spectacular ballet productions, there’s a backstage tour and a 13-course themed tasting menu designed by Carme Ruscalleda, who has been awarded seven Michelin stars throughout her career. Her son currently heads up the hotel’s two-star Moments kitchen.
There are vegetarian options for any or all courses of this gourmet extravaganza, though some are based on permitted fish, and the final five devoted to cheese and dessert. The wine pairing is included, with the vintages served of as high a quality as the food.
With some of the largest and most luxurious hotel rooms in the city, the Mandarin Oriental also has a prime location on the Passeig de Gracia, virtually opposite Gaudi’s wedding-cake-like Casa Batllo and less than 20 minute stroll from the famous La Rambla boulevard and opera house with its red velvet, oceans of gilding and hall of mirrors doubling as a bar.
If the opening ballet, Don Quixote, was anything to judge by, guests are in for a treat. The package includes transfers to and from the theatre, cava during the guided backstage tour, great seats and yet more cava with canapes during the interval.
The hotel has its own architectural pedigree; its magnificent art deco frontage was once the grand entrance to a bank.
It’s a reminder that there’s more to Barcelona building bravura than its most famous Modernist son — although almost a century after Gaudi died in 1926, attention is firmly on his fantastical Sagrada Familia cathedral as it finally approaches the last years of construction.
Behind the art deco façade, the hotel itself has all the modern touches you might want, converted then opened in 2009.
With the special packages setting couples back around £3,000 for two nights, the accommodation needs to be as memorable as the opera. Happily that isn’t an issue with these sumptuous rooms.
It’s not so much the walk-in dressing area that sets them apart. It’s not even the huge bedroom with its oversized, supremely comfortable bed.
The standout here is the hotel’s garden — a rare treat in a city which can sometimes feel claustrophobic — and a balcony equipped with chairs (including a Modernist rocker) from which to enjoy it.
A Nespresso machine also provides all the caffeine you might need to provide enough energy to enjoy Barcelona to the max. The only jarring note is the giant television on a stand which interrupts the seamless transition between the room and the tranquility of the garden.
With opera to delight the ears, Gaudi’s spectacular creations to treat the eyes, gastronomic treats galore for the tastebuds and those hotel gardens to soothe your soul, there can be few city breaks quite as indulgent as this one.
Like this? Sign up for more with our JC Life newsletter https://www.thejc.com/subscribe
From fabulous recipes, to parenting tips; travel and West End entertainment; insightful interviews and much more: there’s more to the JC than news
