Hotel Arts Barcelona Calle Marina

The graceful silhouette of Hotel Arts Barcelona offers guests spectacular views over the city and sea. Leave it to Ritz-Carlton to open its first European hotel on the waterfront in Barcelona. In a city known for centuries of trend-setting architectural masterworks, the 44-story Hotel Arts Barcelona brings a note of turn-of-the-millennium brilliance to the Catalonian capital's skyline. The Ritz-Carlton-operated hotel celebrates the city's avant-garde atmosphere at every turn, even by the pool, where a fish sculpture by California architect Frank Gehry watches over guests relaxing just 100 yards from the Mediterranean. Inspired by Spain's heralded fine arts tradition, American designers appointed the sunlit interiors. They called on contemporary Spanish artists to contribute murals, paintings, and sculptures throughout the lobby, restaurants, and other gathering places. Private spaces mirror the same appealing style, with soothing Mediterranean tones as backdrops for works by local artists.

Price: £423.50 from Otel