What do you do when you end up with Barcelona in your work schedule, or it’s a tantalisingly short hop away from where you are? You venture forth! A weekend in one of the world’s most beautiful and vibrant cities is a great experience; a must-rank in your bucket lists’ Travel Top Ten. TBR took in some first-hand experiences of the city and we present our two-and-a-half day extravaganza recommendation.
Few people care to remember that Barcelona has an amazing vibe with the Mediterranean at its door step. For a great experience, we highly recommend anchoring your stay at the Mandarin Oriental. Nestled in the heart of Barcelona’s main boulevard, Passeig De Gracia, the Mandarin Oriental is a central location that adds both luxury and convenience to your experience. And if you’ve forgotten something, all the brands on this boulevard, including TBRs favourite brand of all time, Brunello Cucinelli, are located a short stroll in either direction when you step out.
Friday
Checking out of immigration is a breeze but make sure you get transferred appropriately in your limousine. The best is Blacklane. Their service is impeccable and you’ll arrive in style at your hotel (anything less might not do the hotel justice). Check in and get your bags sent upstairs. Make sure you’ve booked yourself for a pampering spa treatment to shake off any possible jet lag.
That’s where the hotel’s luxuriously appointed spa and its treatments come in. They are designed to get you ready for your experience by providing a stunning environment to relax in. Highly recommended is the Essence of Barcelona Treatment which uses Spanish ingredients to nourish the mind and body. You’ll be welcomed with a foot ritual using local oranges, argan oil and an apricot scrub.
This is then followed by your full body massage
using citric, essential and argan oil follows on from this, culminating in a Tibetan bowl massage. The bowls are placed on different parts of your body and chimed, to set off calming, vibrating frequencies. Finish it off with a facial and relaxing head massage. The spa has its own 12-metre lap pool, allowing you to get as much peace as possible.
You’re in no rush to do anything just yet but we suggest a ride to the Barceloneta district and have lunch at La Mar Salada. It’s one of the best restaurants in town, with an amazing smorgasboard of culinary delights. The Paella with ‘shrimps and prawns from Barceloneta’ was bursting with wonderful umami flavours in our mouths. If you want to keep a client ‘wow-ed’ this is the place to bring him or her here ahead of your upcoming contract renegotiation! The tapas dishes aren’t bad either. You can then take in the sights as you walk around the district, while enjoying some sun. A must-do is a walk that starts from the esplanade all the way up to La Rambla.
Barcelona is full of markets and everyone talks about La Boqueria, which is off La Rambla. But since you just had a great lunch in Barceloneta, take a short stroll to Mercat de la Barceloneta itself. It’s a little more premium but has a great vibe and you’ll easily spend a couple of hours and a coffee (or two) exploring your favourite gourmet treats. Jamon Iberico de Bellota anyone?
The evening should be reserved for a private sunset sailing experience. Book one for your small group ahead of time and then wander down to Moll de la Barceloneta and be greeted by your skipper. You can book a yacht for two hours and catch the sun setting behind Barcelona’s skyline as you dine on tapas and drinks throughout the day. If it’s summer and the weather permits, the skipper will even let you take a dip in the Mediterranean waters.
Saturday
Keep Sunday low-energy and go for the Mandarin’s in-room dining for your breakfast. Then head out immediately to La Boqueria. This is the best time to explore it before the crowds come at lunch. Get dropped off outside Maremagnum mall and then walk up Rambla de Mar to soak in the views. Walk up La Rambla and discover the city. Amazing boutique galleries can be found on either side of the city’s main boulevard before you reach La Boqueria itself.
Then head down for lunch at Passeig De Gracia, since we highly encourage to make this your starting point. Take a walk down and experience El Nacional.
Now you need to get back and get ready for the next wash. Enjoy your luxurious bath before heading downstairs at the Banker’s Bar for an early drink. You can still see the safe deposit boxes that remain untouched as a reminder of the days when customers still deposited cash and family heirlooms via personal appointment with their personal bankers.
Doing dinner smart casual or in luxury is whatever your mood dictates on your biggest night of the week. If you want to maintain the luxury experience, we recommend Lasarte. It’s easily one of the best restaurants in the city with, again, an amazing array of Catalan dishes in a fine-dining setting.
Sunday
Sunday should start slow and then build up to one of the ultimate sporting experiences. Start your day with breakfast at the aptly named Blanc, with its airy and avant-garde design that puts you in a peaceful setting to while your day. Even with a small crowd, there’s a serenity here that helps you zone out and just enjoy a truly local, à la carte breakfast with primarily traditional Catalan offerings. Everything is focused on being traditional yet supremely fresh and healthy. Because it’s a Sunday, you’ll also get to savour the special ‘Sundays at Blanc’ menu, specially-designed by resident chef Ignacio Moreno himself.
There’s many things to do in Barcelona on a Sunday but unfortunately shopping is not one of them. Except the mall and select pharmacies, you may bump into the odd ‘supermercat’. The best place to really enjoy a Sunday is a walk to the nearby La Sagrada Familia, the towering creation by Antoni Gaudi. It’s Barcelona’s most famous landmark and unofficial city icon. About 140 years in the making, and still unfinished, it’s an amazing structure – worth just admiring up-close and even better with a guided tour.
Come back to the hotel and get ready for a Michelin-starred experience. Two stars, in fact. Moments restaurant will wow you with it’s own unique approach to healthy Catalan cuisine. Resident Chef Carme Ruscalleda will wow you with her offerings proving why she ranks right up there with the Jordi brothers as one of Spain’s best chefs.
No trip to Barcelona with the boys is complete with visit to Camp Nou to watch FC Barcelona in action, especially if you’re luck to be there when arch-rivals Real Madrid are in town. Located at the Les Corts district, it’s a short taxi ride away from the hotel and with a Players Zone VIP Ticket you get the best seats in the house, with a private entrance to boot. Upgrade to a VIP Suite and enjoy free tapas and drinks all night.
Tickets should be purchased more than a month in advance but don’t be picky. Any home match is a sacred experience as Catalonians come out in droves to support one of the world’s great football teams.
Win or lose (honestly, the chances are it will be a win) the best way to celebrate the end of the day is with the most unique of all Spanish traditions. Get into a good, narrow tapas bar that serves great local food in a buzzing ambience. Our recommendation is Tapeo, located in the city’s Gothic Quarter along Carrer de Montcada. We loved the vibe and the friendly service, plus the fact that we could book a table tucked away in a little nook down from the main bar. Must-tries are the sumptuous Patatas Bravas and Tapeo’s amazing rendition of Grilled Octopus. And never leave a tapas bar without enjoying their unique version of Pa Amb Tomaquet and some Iberico Ham on the side. Armed with reservations, you’ll enjoy a great night to cap off the boys’ weekend.
Make the travel one grade better. Whether you’re departing from Milan or Singapore, the best way to book-end this great experience is via Singapore Airlines. We don’t know who provides the better service, their stewardess or a Mandarin Oriental concierge. Either way, you’ll thank us for it.
One of our favourite European destinations, TBR keeps going back and back to Barcelona, enjoying the finest and most authentic experiences from truly friendly locals. We invite you to come back and check-in on Part 2 as we experience the surrounding areas of the city and some amazing neighbouring towns.
Editor’s Note: We use Spanish terms in our reporting to keep things simple, but please note that Barcelona is proud of its Catalan language. Expect differences in the terms presented above in your encounters.