Mr & Mrs Smith

The hotel is beautifully designed, the rooms are spacious and the staff are beyond friendly. For pre-dinner drinks, make sure you head to the Pulitzer Hotel's Visit Up rooftop bar, where you can enjoy wine, music and nibbles that will leave you wanting more. We had a selection of seafood and cured meat raviolis, quite possibly the best thing I ate in Barcelona. We enjoyed the rooftop so much, we went back to the Pulitzer for lunch one day and were pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous atmosphere and food on offer. Note that lunchtime in Barcelona is 2pm, not midday. The strawberry gazpacho for entree was beyond scrumptious. We also had a meal at the Cerveseria, a stone's throw from the hotel. It's a beautiful, lively and amazingly well-priced tapas restaurant, where you must indulge in all the yumminess that is authentic Spanish tapas. As for the city, it is made to travel on foot. On every corner, the architecture is more stunning than the next. Take the time to enjoy and take it all in. The Parc Guell is definitely a must.

Hotel Murmuri felt like a cosmopolitan retreat, so as tempting as it was to stay in, we ventured out to Patagonia - an Argentinian Steak House on the Gran Via Cortes Catalanes (approx 15 minute walk). We were seated immediately, although would recommend making a reservation, as the restaurant was pretty full (and this was mid-November). The steaks were cooked to perfection, and the staff could not have been more helpful and informative, and recommended a fabulous wine that you'd be happy to pay double for. On our second day, we seemed to stop for a coffee every half hour in order to dodge the rain, so indulged ourselves with an evening at the restaurant Murmuri. The service was exemplary, the wine list extensive, and we shared virtually the whole range of asian tapas which were divine. The restaurant itself felt intimate, but I can imagine it would feel less so when it's light outside, as the restaurant has windows all down one side, so it may feel like a goldfish bowl. As it was pitch black outside, we however revelled in the gorgeous interior and lighting, and had a great time!

The MurMuri provided fantastic contemporary surroundings during our stay, feeling more intimate and personal than most city hotels we have visited previously. Recommendations and local advice from the friendly hotel staff was also refreshing.

Particular highlights include:

Tapioles 53, a tiny backstreet restaurant with six tables in an old umbrella factory in Poble Sec. The restaurant is run by New Zealand chef Sarah Stothart who personally explains the two menus of the day, either a three course or five course tasting menu based on seasonal produce. Quite possibly the best meal I have ever eaten.

CDLC, or Carpe Diem Lounge Club, based on the beach in Port Olympic for a private evening on your own day bed with a bottle of Cava, cocktails and trays of sushi is a rather different dining experience.

Font Magica, it had taken until my fourth trip to venture to this tourist hotspot, but watching a giant fountain 'dance' to Swan Lake and Abba definitely has a certain magic!

An excellent way to start your holiday off in Barcelona by drinking a bottle a Cava on the terrace in your room that overlooks Rambla de Catalunya complimentary of Mr & Mrs Smith.

With impressive surroundings of cafes and tree lined streets, the hotel is centrally located next to Gaudi's works of art. I headed out with after our Cava apertifs to Cuitat de Comtal that has a creative tapas menu that would impress even vegetarians.

The room came with modern fixtures, chic lighting options for the room and modern tub and shower with luxury tolietries. The bed was the best as each evening I floated off to sleep after a long night of tapas and Rioja.

An excellent place to stay in Barcelona with a beautiful bar and excellent Asian restaurant that takes a creative spin on spanish tapas.

Lovely looking hotel, extremely calm and peaceful. Perfectly situated. The bar has a great buzz around 10pm. Staff could be a bit more on the ball though! Would definitely go back.

The best idea is to take a big walk from the hotel down the Rambla de Catalunya, onto the main Ramblas and then into the port for a well deserved rest on the pier. Walk back up through the old town, passing many of the main sites and you've seen a lot of Barcelona's city centre in one big walk!

I was lucky to have a local as my guide so we visited some great places. Go down the small passage immediately to the left of the hotel. A great little Japanese restaurant and some funky looking bars are well hidden here. Also the 'El Born' district is a must! Found an extremely fun and socialable dinning experience at Sagardi, where you walk around the bar grabbing tapas on cocktail sticks – at the end you pay according to your number of cocktail sticks!