Barcelona, already one of Europe’s hottest destinations, has in recent years consolidated its position as a worldwide culinary capital. It’s no longer just about tapas bars that stay open long after other countries have gone to bed, it’s about cutting-edge culinary experimentation as well, pushing high-end dining beyond its traditional limits. And so we see hotels like the Àbac Restaurant Hotel, hotels that quite literally put the restaurant first.
And why not, when you’ve got a chef like Xavier Pellicier, presiding over a kitchen that’s been recognized with not just one but two Michelin stars. He’s moved his operation from another hotel in central Barcelona to his own digs here in the hilltop residential neighborhood of Tibidibo, a good fifteen minutes outside the city center. A restaurant of this quality doesn’t depend on walk-up business, and the slight remove contributes to the hotel’s atmosphere of privacy and exclusivity.
As for the rooms and suites, there are just fifteen of them, outfitted in a smart contemporary style, a century-old building modernized with a few touches of real luxury: high-end beds and bath fixtures, Bang & Olufsen televisions and sound systems, and remote-control infrastructure. Most fifteen-room hotels stop there, but the Àbac adds a full-service spa, complete with a thermal pool and a separate cold-water pool.
author watson@mouselink.net, source www.tablethotels.com
