Inside El Palace Barcelona, A Ritzy Stay With One of the City’s Largest Rooftops

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A throwback. We’re talking high-society style and the kind of old-school formality and opulence that’s hard to find in modern builds.

Long before it became El Palace Barcelona, this grand hotel opened in 1919 as the Ritz Barcelona, the last of the lavish stays designed by César Ritz himself. Set in the tony neighborhood of the Eixample, the stylish, tree-lined district of Barcelona known for its wide boulevards and Modernista architecture, the hotel was part of a cohort that included the Ritz Paris and the Ritz London, hotels that were and remain foundational to modern ideas of luxury hospitality. The name may have changed (even if the gilded letter R above the curved-glass Art Nouveau awning suggests otherwise), but the property still feels as elegant—and as ritzy—as ever.

The romance starts in the lobby, where curving twin staircases flank a crystal chandelier, and continues into El Hall, a grand lounge with soaring ceilings and multistory mirrors. But the real magic comes from the warm, attentive staff. At El Palace, you needn’t wear a searching expression on your face for more than a moment before someone swoops in to help. As might be expected of true hospitality experts, though, the service never feels obtrusive. You can simply relax, easy in the knowledge that you’ll be tended to at every turn. That level of care is a draw in and of itself, as evidenced by the crowd: business travelers and families, retired couples and groups of well-heeled friends on vacation, all finding themselves equally at home at El Palace.

In any grande dame hotel, a dose of modernity here and there keeps all the lavish frippery from feeling like the set of a period piece. At El Palace that role is played to great effect by Amar Barcelona, the gilded in-house restaurant run by lauded chef and El Bulli alum Rafa Zafra. A series of significant updates over the past couple of decades have left the rooms, too, feeling fresh, yet still in harmony with the rest of the experience.

The hotel’s Mayan Luxury Spa has one of the only two temescals (traditional Mesoamerican sweat lodges) in Spain, which it incorporates into treatments like the multisensory Mayan Rebirth Ritual. But its most notable feature, kitted out with modern attractions, is the cherry on top—literally. Upstairs, you’ll find one of Barcelona’s largest rooftop gardens, spread over two stories, complete with a pool, a large alfresco restaurant with multiple dining spaces and an elevated terrace where outdoor films are screened nightly in warm weather. Gaze out in one direction and see the honeycombed spires of La Sagrada Família, and in another to see the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor on the summit of Mount Tibidabo. The city spreads out in all directions, and there you are, poised to savor it all.

The Essentials

The Location

You’re just a 10-minute stroll from some of the Eixample’s most famous Modernista sights, such as Gaudí’s fantastical Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, and the less-legendary but no less awe-inspiring Palau de la Música Catalana; head 20 minutes north, and you’ll find the marvelous Sagrada Família. But the whole of central Barcelona is eminently walkable, so it’s easy and pleasant to get to other visitor hot spots like the Gothic Quarter on foot.

The Bars and Restaurants

The haute cuisine restaurant Amar Barcelona is the star of the show, serving classics such as sole meunière and lobster cardinale alongside spins on dishes like Basque kokotxas, a kind of seafood stew starring hake. There are little complimentary delights throughout the meal, such as tiny fried cod balls with a drizzle of honey as an amuse-bouche, or a quintet of petits fours before you wander upstairs, stuffed and smiling dopily.

The all-day Rooftop Garden is the place to go for Spanish staples—pan con tomate, anchovy toasts, ham croquettes—as the day goes on, all with a city view. In El Hall, meanwhile, the bar—set at the far end of the space beneath a glittering chandelier—stocks a long list of specialty liqueurs, plus a menu of signature cocktails that nods to the hotel’s many eras. Come midafternoon, the lounge tables in El Hall are bedecked with fine china and tiered stands laden with scones and tiny sandwiches, an afternoon tea that no doubt even the poshest Brit would approve of.

For an experience that feels a little less proper, Bluesman Cocktail Bar, which opens seasonally from roughly the autumn on through summer, is a subterranean speakeasy-style space with classic cocktails and live jazz, plus the city’s only cigar lounge (safely enclosed in a separate space with its own ventilation).

The Room

Rooms are lush and traditional, with a vintage feel yet modern amenities aplenty.

Rooms at El Palace are the definition of opulence—fireplaces, brocade wallpaper, sumptuous drapery, bathrooms clad in marble. The look recalls a bygone era of luxury, but in a way that feels classic, not fusty. And newer additions have helped the property keep pace with modern travelers’ needs, such as corridors that can close off to transform multiple rooms into a family-friendly suite.

The hotel’s most luxurious rooms are the El Palace Suites and the Art Suites, each named and designed for a noteworthy creative with ties to the hotel. In the El Palace Suite by English musician Ronnie Wood, you’ll find nods to rock legends of the past and a Wurlitzer jukebox at the ready, while the Salvador Dalí Art Suite features restored antiques from when the artist himself was a resident in the room.

The Standout Feature

Don’t miss a visit to the rooftop pool, as well as the terrace—either for a movie night or just an unbeatable panoramic view.

The rooftop is a stunner—it’s one of the city’s largest, with Mediterranean-style gardens, a pool, an all-day restaurant and bar, and an elevated terrace with sublime 360-degree city views and nightly film screenings. If you can’t make it for a movie night, head up for DJ sets on weekends after 8 p.m., or live rumba every Thursday.

The Time to Go

Spring or fall. Barcelona can get blazingly hot and crowded in the middle of summer, and though the ocean breezes mitigate the heat, you’ll be grateful for more temperate weather when you’re waiting in line under the sun at La Sagrada Família.

The Vibe

The bar sits at the far end of El Hall—an ideal see-and-be-seen perch.

What are people drinking? A Tierra de Jerez, a blend of Spanish brandy, grapefruit, vanilla and cinnamon, served in a lowball glass with a star anise garnish. Or one of the countless bottles of hard-to-find Spanish wines from the cellar at Amar Barcelona, the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant.

What’s on the speakers? A roster of soul giants intermingled with folksy favorites and jazz instrumentals. Sipping a martini in the grand hall while a croony saxophonist plays in the background feels like the height of old-school sophistication.

The activity you almost wouldn’t know about: An excursion on the hotel’s Sea Ray powerboat to see the city from the water—and if the spirit moves you, take a dip in the Mediterranean.

One of the sweeping twin staircases in the lobby, designed by César Ritz to showcase women’s gowns as they descended in the hotel’s high-society heyday.

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