Nestled in Aribau, one of the main thoroughfares of the compact and largely tourist-free Eixample neighborhood, the restaurant "Five Senses" wins praise for its market-based tasting menus that change with the seasons. The creative Catalan cooking is prepared with wine pairings in mind, and English-speaking staff are happy to field any questions.

For more information: Cinc Sentis

Move past the Omm's large, swanky lobby and up to the intentionally dark hallways, and open the door to a large guestroom where natural materials predominate and smooth hardwood floors are a comforting counterpart to the asphalt tangle outside. Sleeping areas are separated from the bathrooms by semi-detached partitions, lending rooms a loft-like feel. Up above, from the rooftop pool there is a direct view over the Paseo de Gracia to Gaudí's Casa Mila, familiarly known as La Pedrera ("the quarry"), with its rooftop "scare-witch" chimney stacks. Ommsession is a huge nightclub under the Moo restaurant. For more information: Hotel Omm

Design hotels abound in Barcelona, and while most are on the pricey side, some can be surprisingly affordable. Case in point, chic&basic, a concept hotel in the heart of El Born. A grandiose central staircase reminds you that you're in a former aristocratic townhouse, but otherwise it's future-forward. The small but comfortable rooms are all white, but you can modulate the mood thanks to an LED lighting system. Chic and basic means clean too: there's a crystal shower in the center of every room. The lobby level features The White Bar, which true to its name is done up in gleaming white, but despite its name is also a contemporary Catalan restaurant.

For more information: chic&basic

Why bother visiting a music hall without actually seeing a show there? In the case of the Art Nouveau Palau de la Musica, the place is a stunner. It was built between 1905 and 1908 by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, who thought of his creation as a sort of fantasia on a crystal box. The vestibule, stairways and foyer are magnificent (and free), but do not miss a guided tour (starting at 9AM) of the concert hall itself, a riot of stained-glass windows, spectacular mosaic work and a glazed inverted cupola that hangs over the stage like a luminescent drop of glass. Florid sculptures of the Muses flank either side of the stage. Concerts range from opera to Joan Baez.

For more information: Palau de la Musica

Much of the hecho diferencial, the "differentiating fact" that Catalans say makes them a little different from other Spaniards, stems from the period of around 1137 to 1479 when Catalonia, and Barcelona in particular, was a Mediterranean sea power to be reckoned with. You'll get a good sense of that at the hulking 14th century Royal Shipyard, which is Europe's biggest civil Gothic structure. There are full-scale replicas of royal galleys and schooners, elaborate figureheads, antique maps, paintings and model ships.

For more information: Palau de la Musica

Manhattan doesn't have the monopoly on helicopter tours. In fact, with its dramatic Mediterranean seaside location, Barcelona is arguably more compelling to see from above than Manhattan. On these ten-minute flights ($150), you'll get bird's eye views of the Sagrada Familia, Tibidabo Mountain and its iconic church, the monument-studded Montjuic hill, the dramatic new seaside Terminal B at Barcelona's international airport, Jean Nouvel's soaring, cylindrical Torre Agbar skyscraper and more.

For more information: Life Style Barcelona

Whether you've bought chic sneakers at one of Barcelona's many Camper shoe outposts or to-die-for stilettos at Juan Antonio Lopez, you'll be kicking them off the moment you board your private chartered Barcelona yacht. There's no more refreshing way to get great city views of sprawling Barcelona than from the sea. You can hire a private yacht for a leisurely four-hour tour at the cost of $2,180. You and up to eight of your most deck-fabulous friends will leave from the Port Olímpic harbor and head south to Sitges, basking in the Mediterranean glow from the sundeck before tracing the rugged coastline back to Barcelona.

For more information: Life Style Barcelona

You say you can resist getting into the groove of an impossibly plush lounge overlooking the Mediterranean Sea? Well, we'd like to see you try. The Carpe Diem Lounge Club & Restaurant has got it going on, from its swish terrace dining to indoor lounging on oversized pillow-strewn day beds to making you stomp to the latest house music. Thursday and Friday nights host the Delicious and Nirvana parties, respectively. Drinking and dancing is unreservedly recommended, but we also recommend making a reservation.

For more information: CDLC Barcelona

All that culture, all that food, and nowhere to dance it off? Hardly. Barcelona has a burgeoning club scene, but one of the classic clubs is the always popular Luz de Gaz, in a ballroom setting located off the busy Diagonal boulevard. It's open nightly from 11PM until 5AM and there are occasional concerts too. Sala B, a smaller Luz de Gaz disco and chill-out space, is located right next door.

For more information: Luz de Gaz