Member for a Night at the Soho House Barcelona

"Not a member, I booked a room and walked in as if I belonged, thanks to the hotel's member‑for‑a‑night loophole—though at check‑out my privileges vanish like Cinderella’s carriage. Just outside the historic Barrio Gotico, facing Marina Port Vell at the corner of the Duc de Medinaceli Square, the house occupies an 18th‑century building where a bohemian aesthetic meets Catalan bricks and opulent ceramics, all under a strict ban on video, photography, tablets, or PCs. Mornings here feel built for the gym—teeming with runners, cyclers, and weight lifters—so I detour to the basement’s large indoor pool, its tiles echoing Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The Club is the beating heart: not a place to read a book or seek an ashram’s hush, but an elegant, informal hub where designers, stylists, architects, and artists sip Soho Mules and pop olives, and where membership favors those in creative fields. A few floors up, the spectacular rooftop terrace—among the most beautiful in the city—mixes a bar/restaurant and a nicely sized pool; I lingered over an avocado toast with a view, resisting the urge to sneak a photo. My Tiny Room (21 square meters) was a charming refuge in shades of ochre, black, brown, and deep green, with an old‑fashioned atmosphere and modern comforts (bedside Bluetooth speakers and USB plugs); the bathroom’s two‑toned ceramics framed a courtesy set bursting with creams, serums, and shampoos, and while my window faced an ordinary side street, the terrace more than satisfied any craving for vistas. Each evening between 7 and 9:30 pm a mixologist rolls up a bar cart for in‑room cocktail service; a house caipirinha kept me company while I wrote. I may not be the artsy, well‑to‑do creative they court, but the amenities are a resounding enticement, the room a thoughtful refuge, the public spaces among the city’s most sparkling, and the terrace view alone feels worth the price of admission—and, no, no one will force you to use the gym." - Anna Bonci