A journey in Gaudi Hotel in Madrid or Barcelona

From Gaudí to Kelly Hoppen

Among the most fashionable avenues of Barcelona is the Passeig de Gràcia, a real open sky architectural museum. At number 92, on the corner of carrer de Provença, you will discover the surprising Casa Milà, a magnificent building built between 1906 and 1912 by Gaudí. Nicknamed “la Pedrera” which means “quarry” in Catalan, its facade made of stone undulates nonchalantly. On the terrace, the chimneys pretend to be ghostly warriors while strange helical shapes rise to the sky. When you leave Casa Milà, stay on carrer de Provença until Rembla de Catalunya. To your right will be a magnificent building built in 1892 by the Catalan architect Enrique Sagnier and which is now a luxury hotel. One of the latest trendy addresses in Barcelona is the Murmuri Hotel. Its interior designer is Kelly Hoppen who also designed the first class cabins of British Airways and the Los Angeles villa of Victoria and David Beckham.

La Casa Batlló, l’étrange rêve de Gaudí

Returning on the Passeig de Gràcia, at number 43 you will see another of Antoni Gaudí’s eccentricities, la Casa Batlló. This house of dreamlike architecture is an allegory of St. Georges killing the dragon with its roof covered with dragon’s scales. At number 68 you will discover the neo-classic facade of the Majestic Hotel, the most prestigious palace in Barcelona. Since it opened its doors in 1918, this hotel of 303 rooms has welcomed a number of celebrities from the painter Joan Miro to Charles Trenet, Josephine Baker and the poet Federico García Lorca. Nicknamed the “hotel of the arts”, the Majestic is also renowned for its collection of contemporary art.