Recently in Barcelona Category

While I'm a devoted tea drinker, I adore the scent of freshly roasted coffee, and on certain occasions, a frothy cappuccino is just the thing. On the other hand, my husband, is the biggest coffee snob I know, and can't function without his morning espresso. The perfect place for us in Barcelona? Cafés El Magnifico and Sans & Sans Fine Tea Merchants. The former is Spain's finest coffee roaster, located at at number 64 Carrer de l'Argenteria, about a ten minute walk from Le Méridien Barcelona And the latter is just across the street at number 59. Both shops are run by Salvador Sans, a third generation coffee roaster who brought the family business into the gourmet realm nearly three decades ago, and has built a solid reputation around his brand.

Burlap bags stacked on either side of the coffee shop's entry are nearly busting with beans from the world's best destinations for coffee bush cultivation. Places like Sumatra, Colombia, Ethiopia and Kenya are stamped upon their rough brown surfaces. Each day Sans roasts a new batch, and offers a free sample to customers as they enter. I'll leave my husband here to chat with the friendly proprietor, and head across the street where they've also got a sample of the day's leafy brew on hand. It could be a Lung Ching green tea, a Darjeeling, or some exceptional herbal concoction like the Infusion Equilibrio, which mixes Rooiboos with honey and chamomile. With nearly 300 types, it's hard to know what the day's special will be, but I've always got my fingers crossed for a transporting cup of fine Earl Grey. Both shops offer their products in bulk, and carry a range of tea and coffee accessories like cups, pots and filters. Set aside some room in the carry on.

[image via Sans & Sans]

Sometimes the sound of waves lapping the shore is all you need to reconnect with tranquility. But having some time to really listen to music also helps with recharge and focus. The perfect place to indulge in this relaxing, and enlightening combination is Le Méridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa, a luxurious resort located directly on Spain's Mediterranean coast, 35 miles south of Barcelona, and one of the newest members of the Starwood Spa Collection.

Guests can indulge in endless pampering at the resort's Ra Wellness Thalasso Spa, which includes an iodine-rich seawater pool, solarium, and a wealth of therapeutic treatments which utilize the natural treasures of the Mediterranean Sea. For a dose of culture, guests need only venture a mile down the road where they'll find The Pau Casals Museum. The regal Mediterranean manor was the birthplace of one of Catalonia's greatest classical music stars, Pau Casals, known professionally as Pablo Casals, who spent his later years in Puerto Rico. The museum tells the story of Casals' life and career through displays of musical instruments and memorabilia, and each July, a festival is held in the auditorium across the street, in the cellist's honor.

People often describe Barcelona as a surreal place, and what they're referring to is the mark put on the city by some of its legendary surrealist artists and architects. Creative minds such as Antoni Gaudí, Joan Miró and other members of the Spanish Art Nouveau movement had a profound effect on Barcelona in the early part of the 20th century, and rather than being cloistered behind gallery walls, some of their most creative work can be seen in the city's beautiful sculpture gardens.

Parc Guëll and Parc Joan Miró are beautiful examples of the inventive designs of these artists. Parc Guëll, for example, features some of Gaudi's most fascinating works, including a curved double staircase, pavilions with colored tiles and pointy spires, and a serpentine bench that looks like it was plucked from the dreams of Dr. Seuss. Parc Joan Miró, the newer of the two parks, has a great collection of the artist's sculptures, including the 70-foot-tall Dona i Ocell which is a rather loose interpretation of a woman and a bird. Scandalous even when it was completed just a year before Miró's death in 1983, today it's one of the most popular pieces of outdoor art in the city, drawing legions of visitors during the warm weather months. Le Méridien Barcelona is a perfect jumping-off point for an artistic tour of the city, located on the iconic Las Ramblas thoroughfare and convenient to some of Barcelona's greatest attractions.