Hotel Arts Barcelona

Built for the wave of transformation that followed Barcelona's 1992 Olympics, Hotel Arts is one of the twin towers that redrew the city's seafront—a 44-storey exoskeleton of white steel by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, standing over Port Olímpic beside Frank Gehry's shimmering golden fish canopy. Managed by Ritz-Carlton, it remains the city's definitive skyline hotel, its architecture as much a landmark as anything it contains.

Rooms are contemporary and light-flooded, arranged so that floor-to-ceiling windows frame either the Mediterranean or the city rolling up to Tibidabo; the higher the floor, the more cinematic the effect, culminating in duplex penthouse apartments near the summit. An outdoor pool and terraces sit in gardens at the tower's base, a few minutes' walk from Barceloneta's sands—a genuine beach-and-city double act few European hotels can offer.

Dining is led by Enoteca Paco Pérez, whose two Michelin stars make it one of Spain's most celebrated hotel restaurants, with a lively terrace scene closer to sea level. The 43rd-floor spa treats guests with the whole Mediterranean as backdrop. The Gothic Quarter and Eixample require a taxi or seafront cycle, which is the honest trade: this is Barcelona at its most modern, facing the water.