Alexandra Barcelona Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton

Step off Carrer de Mallorca and into the Alexandra, and the first thing you notice isn’t the Hilton branding—it’s the smell of money, history, and high-end animal fat. This isn't one of those soul-crushing, beige-on-beige corporate dormitories where you forget what city you’re in the moment the elevator doors close. This is a 19th-century Eixample townhouse that’s been gutted and reimagined for people who want the safety net of a major loyalty program but still want to feel the pulse of Barcelona beneath their feet.

The location is, frankly, ridiculous. You are dropped right into the geometric heart of the Eixample, the neighborhood where Barcelona’s 19th-century bourgeoisie decided to flex their wealth with wide boulevards and buildings that look like they were designed by architects on a steady diet of absinthe. You’re a five-minute stroll from Passeig de Gràcia, where the ghosts of Gaudí and the very real presence of Chanel and Rolex compete for your attention. It’s busy, it’s loud, and it’s unapologetically upscale.

But the real reason to give a damn about the Alexandra isn't just the proximity to high-end shopping; it’s the food. Most hotel restaurants are where culinary dreams go to die in a buffet of lukewarm scrambled eggs. Not here. Solomillo, the flagship restaurant, is a temple to the carnivore. They don’t just hand you a menu; they ask you to participate in a selection process. You pick your breed—Salers, Frisian, or maybe a local Galician blonde—you pick your weight, and you pick your sauce. It’s honest, product-driven cooking that respects the animal. Next door, the Charcutería serves up the kind of cheeses and cured meats that make you realize everything you’ve been eating back home is a lie. It’s the kind of place where you can sit with a glass of Priorat and watch the 'Gold' status travelers argue about their room upgrades while you focus on the jamón.

The rooms themselves are a tightrope walk between the old world and the new. In some, you’ll find the original hydraulic tile floors—those intricate, colorful patterns that are the DNA of Barcelona design—paired with mid-century modern furniture that looks like it was lifted from a Danish design museum. The 'Atic' rooms are the ones you want, offering terraces that let you look out over the rooftops of the Eixample, listening to the distant hum of scooters and the clinking of gin and tonics from the patio below.

Speaking of the patio, it’s the hotel’s real draw. In a city where outdoor space is at a premium, the Alexandra has a sprawling internal courtyard with a pool. It’s not a massive Olympic-sized thing, but when the Barcelona sun is beating down on the pavement in July, that water looks like a mirage. It’s a place to disappear for a few hours, shielded from the chaos of the street by thick stone walls and the general sense of exclusivity that comes with the Curio brand.

Is it perfect? No. The service can occasionally have that slightly detached, professional coolness that comes with high-volume luxury, and if you’re looking for the gritty, anarchic spirit of the Raval, you’re in the wrong zip code. This is polished. This is comfortable. This is for the traveler who wants to see the sights, eat a world-class steak, and sleep on high-thread-count sheets without any surprises. It’s a sophisticated home base in a neighborhood that demands nothing less.