To tell you the truth, The One Hotel in Barcelona seems like quite an ordinary building from the outside. It’s just one block away from the famous Paseig de Gracia boulevard, lined with 19th century modernist style mansions and the best of upscale retailers. It’s also minutes away from Casa Batlo and Casa Mila, two of Gaudi’s best known architectural masterpieces.
In contrast to the stylish exterior flair of its neighbors in the Eixample district, The One seems underwhelming at first sight with its plain facade — there are no colorful tiles or wrought iron balconies here — and streamlined entrance. In fact, a business contact who met me in the lobby to take me to dinner asked me the very same question I had asked myself upon arrival: “I know it’s a five star grand luxe hotel. But is it really nice?”
INNER BEAUTY IN A HOTEL
The answer is a definite yes. The One may be understated from the outside, but inside it is all comfort, good design and luxury. My corner junior suite was a haven of light and space, and most importantly, of good taste. I had to force myself to leave my room to go sightseeing because sitting in bed with a good book — there is a coffee table book on Barcelona on the night table — and a view of the city from four windows seemed like an excellent way to spend the day.
A LAYOUT TO TALK ABOUT
The layout of my suite made for a good conversation at dinner too. For a junior suite, the foyer is way more spacious than most, which is wonderful for luxury travelers who arrive with a lot of luggage. However, most interestingly, you open the door and the first thing you see is the vanity table and sink, which are separate from the shower room and the bathroom. It’s part of the foyer and a necessary visual as you walk into the living room area and bedroom.
In one sense, this is perfect and practical because the traveler on holiday does appreciate the extra space that is not usually available in other hotel bathrooms. So I personally liked the idea of it, especially as the sink area is aesthetically pleasing to the eye with gold fixtures, grey marble and a large mirror that further adds depth to the area.
ANATOMY OF A JUNIOR SUITE
Meanwhile, the living room area and bedroom area are among the best I have seen in Barcelona, for a junior suite. The design is all calm neutrals with a sense of airiness and light — it’s the kind of room everyone will like regardless of style preferences. Furthermore, as always, the devil is in the details — to use a cliche. It had two large flat screen televisions, a beautiful artwork as a headboard, and high tech but simple wiring for lights and curtains that didn’t need an hour to figure out.
The latter is more important than you think, too. In spite of practically living in hotel suites for most of the year, and therefore quite used to hotel room wirings and systems, I have still recently encountered rooms with way too many buttons and switches. I can confirm that it is extremely annoying to be ready to sleep and to be unable to turn off the in-room bar light or the mirror light.
BREAKFAST TO REMEMBER
Further brownie points for this hotel relate to breakfast, which again is quite unlike others. Food is served just off the lobby in a rather simple space as far as luxury hotels go. And there is no lavish breakfast buffet either. Instead, guests are seated in this restaurant — and also in the lobby when there is an overflow — and asked to order from a menu. You can order what you want and in any combination, and the menu is quite appetizing and creatively worded so that it’s tempting to order everything.
For every morning of my stay, I chose a typical pan con tomato made ever so perfectly as only Catalans can do. The bread is hollowed out and crusty on the outside, and topped with fresh slices of Jamon iberico, drizzled with olive oil. I did not expect a simple breakfast worthy of being called a feast, but this is exactly what it was. In fact, breakfast was so deliciously addictive that I ordered two heaping plates of these every morning — calories all but forgotten.
There were other items on the breakfast menu too. Standard breakfast fare like yoghurt, fruits, eggs and pastry baskets. However this pan con tomate stole my heart.
Speaking of my heart, I would stay here again in a heartbeat. In fact, we’re already booking some of our Travelife Magazine readers at The One Barcelona for a food trip to the Catalunya in the spring of 2023.
