The Hotel Arts is hands down the best hotel in Barcelona. The staff is great, and the rooms are some of the sexiest you'll ever see, fancy but very confortable. It just went through a full renovation (rooms and public areas), including new concepts for the fantastic restaurants. Close to everything with a $4 cab ride, but far enough that you can just relax by the pool and watch the sunset.

This hotel, part of the Ritz-Carlton chain, is located in the tallest building in Spain with 44 floors. The elegant tower, embellished by a bold cage of white structural steel, was designed by the notable architecture firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill. Opened in 1992, the hotel has nearly 500 magnificently appointed rooms and suites. Located in the Olympic Port area, you are very close to the Mediterranean, tons of restaurants and dance clubs, and a casino.

My standard room would be a junior suite in just about any other hotel. Being a Ritz-Carlton brand, everything is 5-star elegance. The posh bathroom is enormous, with a great seated shower stall (and separate bathtub too) and loads of toiletries. The room was spacious and had a nice view of the sea and the surrounding cityscape. Of course, you get amenities like minibar, in-room safe, plush bathrobe, etc. The check-in lobby is one floor above the ground floor. There is an outdoor pool with a superb view of the Mediterranean and the Frank Gehry-designed "fish" sculpture. There is also a fitness center and massage service. I was able to leave my suitcase with the bellhop for about 16 hours, something that did not seem to be an inconvenience for the hotel.

Now for the minor quibbles! There is a bit of gadgetry to deal with, such as the Bang and Olufson entertainment ensemble. I had to read the accompanying instructions card to find out that the red dot is the "off" button. The wall has a bunch of buttons, for operating the numerous lights and the window shade. I think I may have inadvertently turned on an alarm button on the phone, so it took me a few minutes to deactivate it.

This is a top-notch hotel, but it is almost a shame to stay in such luxury when there is so much to see and do in Barcelona! I would recommend staying here if you have euros to burn and a light sightseeing schedule.

It was the flowers I noticed first -- a fanciful and clever profusion of arrangements in a mulitude of style and colors, the likes of which I have never seen quite before. The floral art throughout the hotel changed a few times during our stay and never failed to startle in a pleasant way.

After our early-morning arrival, we waited for check-in behind a rather tedious line of cruise passengers arriving on overnight flights from America. My room was not ready, but I was escorted to the veranda on the second level.

What? Another sight for sore eyes, the Frank Gehry designed "bronze fish" three stories tall overlooking the Mediterranean ocean. Fresh herbs bloomed in the little patches of terrace separating the pool, dining rooms and cafes. The entire rooftop landscape was accomplished with a similar flair to the earlier admired flowers.

When shown to our room, we found the stylish decor minimalistic but most utterly comforting in the cool colors and neutral tones of "hush, do not disturb."

We stayed at the Hotel Arts for ten days and really enjoyed every minute of it. The concierges were extremely helpful as I had many travel plans to secure and reorganize during my time there. They often placed the calls themselves, as even though Barcelona is Spanish, the language is Catalan and even though everyone speaks Spanish and some English, they respond better to Catalan.

Later at the wine/cigar bar we discovered a favorite concoction or two. In this setting we continued to be entertained throughout our stay by the international clientele and the attentive staff who always brought nuts and snacks with every drink.

Tea time in the lobby cafe is a royal treat with harpists strumming and murmuring multi-lingual conversations in the background.

It was only a $4 taxi ride to the Ramblas, Pasea de Gracia, the Old City or the Wharfside. With a wonderful view from the 30th floor overlooking the Olympic Village and the sea to one side and the entire city of Barcelona stretching to the mountains on the other, we felt we had found a truly comfortable spot to roost.

The Hotel Artes is a Ritz-Carlton association and seems to capture the eccentric, fanciful and beautiful flavor of the city of Barcelona.

There is simply no better way to recover from a grueling transatlantic flight (which included a change of planes and hour-long layover in an empty, closed-up airport in Madrid at 7am, thank you very much!) than checking into a Club room at the Hotel Arts in Barcelona. We were ushered up to the 33rd floor of this glass-and-metal high-rise, and greeted with ''what would you like to drink'' and ''which table would you like to sit at?'' while we checked in. Our drinks were brought to a cozy table overlooking a marina on the Mediterranean sea, and as we sipped our bracingly strong coffee and grazed at the buffet teeming with cheeses, cereals, pastries, and made-to-order strawberry pancakes, our bags were brought to our room.

The room itself was beautifully presented, with a red rose on the turned-down bed and muted classical music playing on a Bang & Olufson stereo. Checking into a hotel has never been so relaxing.

The Club Floor has its own restricted access lounge, with ocean and city views and a full-time concierge, not to mention five different daily buffets: breakfast, mid-morning snack, afternoon tea and cakes, pre-dinner tapas, and evening cocktails and chocolate - all served with an assortment of drinks, including unlimited Veuve Clicquot champagne. One need never leave the hotel - or pay for a meal, while staying in a Club Room.

The concierges, though unfailingly polite, occasionally disappointed. One offered to make us a 2pm lunch reservation, but called back to tell us that since 2pm was ''early'', a reservation would not be needed, and we could just show up. When we did, the restaurant was closed, with a sign outside stating that they only serve dinner.

Note: room rates depend on the season. Call ahead!