Since the summer Olympics in 1992 and the re-development of the beach front, you really can have the city of Gaudi’s architecture, incredible culture and cuisine, alongside design and shopping that never fails to please.
Keeping the Maclynn Consultancy finger on the pulse of romance is our consultant Julia. If you are new to dating in Barcelona, for an extended weekend you can plonk your bags down in the designer chic of the Hotel Murmuri or the Hotel Pulitzer from a shade under £100 a night. Or you could splash out and stay beachside at the W or the Hotel Arts but beware, the latter does not have a big pool. If you’ve got a money no object budget then you’ll want to slip between the sheets at the Mandarin Oriental. If you adore a Paella then get to Xavier Pellicer’s Baracca and make sure you have a table upstairs with a fabulous view of the Med.
Wander down around midnight to the Zahara cocktail lounge with an exotic and mixed clientele experiencing the beach bar vibe and order a Caipirinhas. After a lie-in hit Sant Sebastià beach and the Pukas Surf School. They offer Ocean Pilates classes combining the benefits of both stand-up paddle and Pilates workouts on the water with the Barcelona skyline as backdrop, marvelous.
You will definitely have earned your lunch at Bogatell Beach’s Xiringuito Escribà where showing up in beach gear chic is de rigour and you can savour incredible fresh tapas. Shake off the sand make sure you’ve secured a booking to experience Jordi Cruz’s ABaC which twinkles under two Michelin stars.
Top tip – Dating in Barcelona; chill out late afternoon and early evening for a siesta, dinner is 9pm earliest, and after dinner drinks midnight onwards.
