Few Barcelona hotels are works of art in themselves, but Hotel España Ocean Drive is exactly that. Opened as the Fonda España in 1859 and transformed at the turn of the century by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, a father of Catalan modernisme, it sits a minute from La Rambla in the heart of the Raval. Now, within the Ibiza-born OD Hotels portfolio, interiors have been carefully renovated by designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán, and inspired by Art Nouveau, showcasing modernista details of the property. The best of the 82 rooms open onto private terraces with skyline views. The soul of the place is comfort, art, and music, with a library of the figures who shaped Barcelona and a vinyl corner of vintage records, fitting with the Liceu theatre as a neighbour. Breakfast is taken beneath Ramon Casas’ murals in the Sirens Lounge, and dinner is at Fonda España, where Martín Berasategui, the most Michelin-decorated chef in Spain, guides honest Catalan cooking. Evenings are savoured at the Dorita cocktail bar and at the rooftop OD Sky Bar, open to the whole city, not only to guests. True to what OD calls its ‘neighbourmood’, this is a hotel where locals and visitors share the best of Barcelona.