PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

This is the current darling of the Barcelona hotel scene. Since it opened in 2002, rock stars and architects, actors, and media types who find classic hotels such as the Ritz or the Majestic just a tad too passé have been staying here. It's the first hostelry project from the Tragaluz group, Barcelona's most famous restaurateurs, so naturally the in-house restaurant Moo is first-class and the foyer cocktail bar one of the hottest places around for a pre-dinner drink. Hype aside, the Omm is an outstanding example of intelligent, well-executed design. The striking "wafers of stone" facade has already become a landmark and the cream of the city's design talent was employed for the interior. In contrast to the dark, low-lit halls, the rooms are bathed in natural light and make the maximum use of their size. Bearing in mind that most of their guests would be heavy shoppers (and packers), the hotel has provided ample but non-intrusive cupboard and wardrobe space. Add to that a color-scheme of steel gray and blue, a flatscreen TV, DVD, stereo, and every other state-of-the-art convenience you can think of and you have a hotel that is hard to beat in terms of sheer, streamlined comfort. From the rooftop lap pool you can see Gaudí's La Pedrera, and the chic sun deck is a privileged spot where you can laze away languid Barcelonese evenings.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Barcelona, 3rd Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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