Mandarin Oriental Barcelona

LobbyWhat I love about Mandarin Oriental properties is their consistency - you know you will get a sophisticated stay with a side of zen. The first Mandarin opened in Hong Kong, in a part of the world known for the best hotel service on earth. With each successive opening, Mandarin has taken that level of service and applied it to each of their properties.

EntranceWeather in Barcelona was all over the place when I was there - hot rain and humidity, then sunshine. After long days of walking the city, down to the port and back up, the cool lobby of the Mandarin was a very welcome sight. In my little notebook I carry everywhere, I wrote down "Best breakfast buffet" - the spread is serious fuel for a day of business or leisure in the city, with eggs, bowls of fresh fruit, "bikini" (ham & cheese) sandwiches, yogurt, and Asian specialties.

On a beautiful day, there is no better place in Barcelona for a chic crowd and panoramic view over the city and Passeig de Gracia than the hotel's rooftop pool. I had a room with a handicapped bathroom, which wasn't great, but other than that, the room was a sleek city hideaway. The best rooms have views of the Passeig de Gracia, so know that when you're booking. Moments, their one Michelin-starred restaurant, is one of the top tables in Barcelona.

The Park Hotel, Barcelona - A GREAT Value!

One of my favorite things about speaking in Barcelona was I got to meet one of my Twitter friends, @graupix, or Sonia Graupera. Turning twitter relationships into real-life relationships means a lot to me. I have admired Sonia for a long time because she is kind and funny and a total hotel nut like me. Like me, she won’t recommend a place unless she has been there herself.

I can’t even tell you how amazing Sonia was in taking me around to different hotels, introducing me to all her friends, and making sure I left Barcelona having seen the best of the best.

We first went to the Park Hotel for a late-night bite at their innovative tapas restaurant, Ten’s. We couldn’t stop looking at each other after each bite, like “Was it as good for you as it was for me?” We loved the octopus cooked in Spanish paprika, a slow-cooked egg and a coconut dessert with lemon and green apple.

Ten's restaurantCoconut Dessert at Ten'sKnow this above all else: The Park Hotel is an incredible value, and with free WiFi too! Standard rooms can be found for around 80 euros, and they're comfortable yet basic. They're bigger than many New York hotel rooms I've been in. The location is great - we ended up walking through the Gothic quarter after.

And you MUST eat at Ten's!

Bar

LobbyLove this staircase!

Joy Enabler: Barcelona

Gaudi's Casa Battlo on Passeig de GraciaWhat a fantastic city. After five days in Barcelona, I am leaving with new friends, great memories of the Hospitality Industry World Congress (and speaking with USA Today's Barb Delollis and travel writer Sonia Graupera), and a new love for the food, people, history, and culture of this city. I packed as much in as I could and really came away with a great understanding of Barcelona. It enables joy of life like not many cities do. I also saw/stayed in around 12 hotels, so I KNOW where to go, from 80 euros a night on up!

Much more to come!

The Huffington Post: Valencia Beyond Calatrava

Happy Labor Day!  You can see my piece on "Valencia Beyond Calatrava" here on The Huffington Post.  My late June trip to Spain was wonderful, with a week in Valencia and two days in Madrid at the Hotel Ritz Madrid (my post on the hotel is here). 

Starchitect Santiago Calatrava's masterpiece of design, the City of Arts & Sciences, has dominated the Valencia cityscape for more than a decade. While the city's pride in the work of its most famous son is well-deserved, Valencia has many other cultural highlights.

I arrived in Valencia on one of the sleek, high-speed trains that now connect the city with Madrid and Barcelona. The ride was such a pleasant experience that I wanted it to last longer.

I wandered around town and ate manchego and tomato sandwiches, which are sold everywhere like mozzarella and tomato in America. I drank glasses of fresh juice from Valencia oranges. (In a nod to local flavor, every Starbucks has an orange squeezing machine.) I craved crunchy bits of paella every day. I tasted the overly sweet local beverage Orxata, made of water, sugar and tigernuts and sold on street corners.

A tour of the City of Arts & Sciences is not to be missed for its space-age, jaw-dropping size, scope and design, but, on a closer look, the gleaming white exteriors show dirt in the cracks, like it needs a giant hose to wash it down. On every visitor's list is the Oceanografic Aquarium and the cool displays at the Museo de Las Ciencias (Science Museum), both equally appealing to both kids and adults.

Beyond Calatrava, here are 10 things I loved about Valencia.

Read more here

Travel + Leisure Post: Valencia's Best Paella

Click here to view my latest post on Travel + Leisure's Carry On blog on Valencia's best paella.

"In Valencia, the city that gave paella to the world, greedy forks scrape the bottom of the pan for the best bites of crunchy rice, or socarrat. No surprise when the Formula 1 European Grand Prix roared into Valencia last month, the city’s restaurants were buzzing with racing fanatics—all of whom took a break from their fast-paced itineraries for a leisurely lunch of paella at one of these top spots:"

READ MORE HERE