Hip Apartments in Barcelona You'll Want to Call Home

Around the corner from Passeig de Gràcia – shopping mecca and home to Casa Batlló – this aparthotel makes a great base for a weekend. The minimalist apartments have access to the hotel’s Mediterranean buffet breakfast, cocktail bar and pro-led runs around the city. Want a more local experience? Borrow a hotel bicycle for a free-roaming adventure.

Luxury isn’t exclusive to hotels, as these BCN apartments prove. The two apartment blocks are located along the Passeig de Gràcia and Rambla de Catalunya, and each apartment consists of an impeccable interior – think, gem-hued furnishings, free-standing baths and private terraces that present city skyline panoramas.

Designed by the architect Pere Falqués i Urpí in 1906, El Palauet sits in the former Casa Bonaventura Ferrer, which was listed as a historical and artistic heritage site in 1979. A stay in one of the apartment-style suites will have you feeling like royalty – and treated like one. With cornicing details to draw your attention to the high ceilings and stained glass windows to spotlight the iconic views, you’ll already be feeling spoiled. But the five-star experience doesn’t stop there, with amenities including a concierge, personal shopper and private chef.

Lying within the geometric grid of the Eixample neighbourhood is The5Rooms, an establishment with B&B charisma but holiday apartment privacy. This turn-of-the-century building is packed with Spanish charm, highlighted by a modern decor of bare-brick walls and pops of colour against a monochromatic palette. Oozing with warmth from personalised furnishings, this apartment will feel like home.

A plum spot on Passeig de Gràcia makes the luxurious Rocamora Apartments an attractive prospect for all-comers. The apartments come in earthy hues; some with a balcony or two, others with an inviting outdoor terrace. The Bunk Family Apartment caters for the whole clan, with four in-built bunks acting as a sleeping space for little ones. While the kids snooze, tired parents can rally themselves with a coffee from the included Nespresso machine.

A central location on the corner of Bruc and Casp streets makes the Midtown Apartments the ideal base for those itching to see the major attractions: La Rambla, the Gothic Quarter and Plaça de Catalunya are all within walking distance. If you fancy a slower pace, head to the observation deck to take a plunge in the ultra-stylish dipping pool and admire the cityscape.

In a city steeped in iconic architecture, it seems appropriate that your apartment is equally magnificent. In 1929, one of Gaudí’s contemporaries, Enric Sagnier, designed and built Casagrand on the edge of the Eixample district. Today, it houses a triad of luxury apartments where the philosophy is to promote true relaxation. This shouldn’t be hard with the wellness facilities: a pool, gym and spa plus a sauna set within the rooftop dome.

Plonked on the Passeig de Gràcia, Apartments Sixtyfour is adequately suited to any family, big or small. Modest in decor but by no means boring, spend your mornings sipping coffee on the balcony and your evenings reading in the mock library. And to make sure the parents have as memorable an experience as the children, there’s a babysitting service.

Casa Milà, the Gaudí-designed building popularly known as La Pedrera, is a must-see, and what can be better than admiring it through your apartment window? Suites Avenue can promise just that, as it’s placed opposite the iconic piece of architecture. Its own facade is worth raving about: designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, the modern exterior is a welcome interruption of the surrounding traditional landscape.