Ohla Eixample Hotel - Barcelona

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this modernist hotel in Spain and unpacked their jamón ibérico and manchego, a full account of their city break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Ohla Eixample in Barcelona…

Barcelona could well be the best city in the world. It’s mini-break heaven, that’s undisputed; with the beach, the bars and the balmy climate – not to mention its iconic buildings and buzzing hipster centres of El Raval and El Born – it’s impossible to have a bad weekend here. And now there’s another reason to visit: a hip new kid on the city’s hotel scene. Step forward Ohla Eixample, so-called for the barrio it sits in, which was built as an extension (hence the name eixample, which means exactly that in Spanish) to the city, accommodating its expanding residential areas. It has a stand-out modernist facade and the interiors to match; Scandinavian-inspired simple lines, contemporary wooden features and plenty of concrete. The outdoor space has a similar urban edge, with more concrete instead of grass, though that’s not to say a clever use of plants has’t been employed – the huge windows in the restaurant frame an exterior jungle. From where we’re standing, Barcelona just keeps on getting better...