Facing the Passeig de Colom where the Gothic Quarter meets the waterfront, a nineteenth-century Eixample-style building with wrought-iron balconies and a salmon-washed facade was converted into Hotel Serras Barcelona — one of the city's more quietly considered boutique properties, with 28 rooms across five floors and a rooftop that frames Frank Gehry's copper fish sculpture and the Port Olímpic marina beyond. The conversion, completed in 2015, was overseen by architect Toni Arola, who balanced the building's classical bones against a contemporary interior programme without forcing the two into conflict. Inside, the rooms deploy a palette of oak-plank flooring, monochromatic hydraulic-tile headboards in geometric patterns, and mustard velvet accent chairs — the kind of carefully pitched palette that signals design literacy without demanding attention. Freestanding black stone soaking tubs anchor the larger suites, positioned to catch light from the iron-railed balconies overlooking the palm-lined promenade below. The ground-floor restaurant runs along floor-to-ceiling windows onto the street, furnished with distressed leather swivel chairs and lit by faceted brass pendant lamps on articulated wall arms — a warm, slightly industrial register that holds its own against the neighbourhood's more theatrical dining rooms. On the roof, a compact plunge pool sits within a timber-decked terrace, the port spreading out in every direction and Frank Gehry's gleaming fish catching the last of the evening light on the horizon.

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Serras Barcelona is perfectly located in one of the most up-and-coming areas of the city, Paseo Colón. It sits directly opposite Port Vell, the new marina for the most luxurious yachts in the Port of Barcelona. With panoramic views of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea and set in the heart of the Gothic Quarter, the hotel is just a short walk from the famous Basilica of La Mercè, the city’s Cathedral, the Picasso Museum and Las Ramblas. This hotel offers highly personalized service for each guest and features luxurious, spacious rooms and suites, as well as two restaurants: Agreste Mar, serving Italo-Catalan cuisine, and Informal. Its rooftop terrace boasts an infinity pool overlooking the port and a cocktail bar high above the city. The hotel also offers a gym equipped with state-of-the-art cardiovascular equipment. Designed in collaboration with interior designer Eva Martínez, whose eclectic and distinctive style defines the space, the hotel exudes comfort and understated luxury.