%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2FTAL-pool-sls-barcelona-SLSBARCELONA0525-6a66d876e4174dce97ef6013de665536.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Barcelona's Coolest Hotel Just Opened, but Already Has Some of the Best Restaurants in the City
The hotel's prime location near Parc del Fòrum and several local beaches provides easy marina access.
The hotel's bold interiors and tongue-in-cheek design capture Barcelona's buzzy design scene.
Each guest room has a private balcony or terrace, perfect for enjoying the sunshine in complete privacy.
Standout culinary experiences include the wood-fired Mediterranean dishes at Lora and tapas at L'Anxova Divina.
The hotel's soon-to-open rooftop pool and chic Cosmico lounge will offer epic city and sea views.
Only one thing came to mind when I walked through the front doors of the new SLS Barcelona: I need to add more color to my wardrobe.
From that very first step inside, it was clear that this is not your standard luxury hotel—it's more of a vibrant playground. Located in the waterfront enclave of Port Fòrum, the hotel exudes a youthful energy that's equal parts classy and frisky.
'SLS Barcelona has all the luxury and glamour of a grand hotel, delivered with a playful wit and charm that is its [SLS] signature," Ignacio Rodriguez, the hotel's general manager, shared with Travel + Leisure .
Those glam moments stem from decor elements, such as the grand chandelier dripping from the ceiling, only it's slightly askew, tilted up and to the left, signaling that a 'swing from the chandeliers' mentality isn't just welcome, it's encouraged.
Designed by Rockwell Group, AvroKO, and AIME Studios, the hotel is packed with dramatic lighting and opulent detailing, partially inspired by the Mediterranean Sea. There's also a hot pink, neon-lit hallway leading to a restaurant, one of many Instagram moments on-site. The hotel's patio pool is dotted with private cabanas, and its soon-to-open rooftop pool has the potential to become Barcelona's coolest spot in no time. Even its common area bathrooms are filled with quirky design details and tilework that made me want to go home and redo my bathroom. Walk through the neon tunnel-turned-catwalk in the lobby.
The bold interiors are just the tip of the iceberg; SLS Barcelona also leans heavily into the city's creative culture, from collaborations with celebrity-favorite local designer Caro Luna to partnering with the Primavera Sound music festival. It's a hotel built for those who want to immerse themselves in Barcelona's modern lifestyle and support the local community.
"SLS Barcelona is a resort for the curious, the creative, the stylish, the relaxed, and everyone in between. Whether you're planning a couple's getaway, a friends' trip, a family adventure, or a solo recharge, this is a place that adapts to your energy," Rodriguez added. 'If you're someone who wants to trade everyday life for something extraordinary, even for one night, you've come to the right place.'
Here's everything you need to know about staying at the SLS Barcelona. The bedroom opening up to the terrace of the Luxuriate Suite.
The hotel's 471 rooms and suites, designed by Rockwell Group, marry high-end elegance with youthful whimsy. Each accommodation boasts a private balcony or terrace, providing access to lovely views of the marina. Bold colors, reflective surfaces, gold-hued hand curtain holdbacks, pendant light fixtures, all create an atmosphere as indulgent as you'd expect from an SLS hotel.
Guests who want to level up should opt for the Euphoria Apartment, which offers residential-style comforts, such as a stove, oven, microwave, and mini-fridge. It also includes a dining space and a private balcony or terrace.
I also got a sneak peek at the soon-to-open Celestial suite, and it packs quite the design punch. The suite features a massive light fixture that doubles as an art installation, a stunning marble bath, and a 1,044-square-foot private rooftop terrace overlooking the marina. Enjoy a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fusion at Lora.
If you need a single reason to book a stay at the SLS Barcelona, it's this: The dining is simply spectacular. Once complete, the hotel will offer six distinct restaurants and bars. Lora, designed by AvroKO, channels the relaxed coastal charm of the Mediterranean, where seasonal dishes are prepared in a wood oven and coal-fired grill—think charred flatbreads, perfectly seasoned seafood, and shareable plates. (Do not skip over the muhammara , a dip made with grilled pepper, chili, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses, which is so flavorful I asked for seconds and was tempted to go for thirds.)
Then there's L'Anxova Divina, which pays homage to Barcelona's legendary tapas culture with bite-sized delights. According to the hotel's team, its design is a nod to Antoni Gaudí's iconic architecture, channeled in the undulating curves of its banquets and splashy decor. Pro tip: on warmer days, ask for a table out on its sunny seafront terrace.
At Deluxe, the hotel's lobby lounge and bar, guests can enjoy morning coffee, lunch, or an evening cocktail. Coral, a poolside bar, offers a selection of sunny day drinks and whatever frozen concoction you can dream up.
And in June, the hotel will open Kyara, a cocktail bar, designed to evoke a curated perfumery, where the cocktails will be just as custom as a scent. Also opening this summer is Cosmico, a rooftop lounge that could easily become Barcelona's most sought-after nightlife spot. Aerial view of the SLS Barcelona across from Port Forum.
SLS Barcelona is almost anti-experience, and I mean that in the best way possible. Here, things are tailor-made to simply relax and do nothing. Its infinity pool is lined with chaise loungers, private cabanas, and day beds that made me want to snooze away the day in the sun. Its soon-to-open rooftop pool will be an idyllic spot to unwind, while the lounge is all about kicking back and savoring every last drop of your coffee or cocktail.
Guests who like to stay more active and explore are also in luck as the hotel is just feet away from Port Fòrum, the perfect place to charter a boat for some water-based fun.
SLS Barcelona also offers access to Primavera Sound, the city's coolest music festival. Guests booking the Primavera Package for the festival dates over June 6 and 7, 2025, will also receive VIP tickets to the event.
SLS Barcelona's spa is set to open later this year.
However, guests can work up a sweat in the bright gym, open 24/7. The massive space is equipped with treadmills, bikes, free weights, a variety of machines, a full spin studio, and classes offered through Edan Studios.
Currently, the hotel has one pool, with two more in the works, so there's plenty of room to splash. Connecting rooms and suites are available to families and multi-generational groups, with more family-friendly touches like kids' menus, cribs, rollaway beds, and babysitting services provided upon request.
The hotel is fully accessible and has 14 accessible rooms (including twin-size beds and queen-size bed options) that offer roll-in and transfer showers, visual alarms, and closed captions on TVs.
Sustainability is an essential part of the SLS ethos. The hotel complies with some of the EU's strictest environmental regulations, including ventilated ceramic facades, high-efficiency thermal windows, LED lighting, and solar panels to ensure energy efficiency. The artwork handing in the Events Lobby.
SLS Barcelona is located slightly outside of the historic city center, where you'll find some of the best vintage shopping (don't miss the Mercat dels Encants) and all of Gaudí's masterpieces (I can't recommend this specific guided tour via GetYourGuide more). However, it's still easily accessible via public transit (there's a tram stop about a three-minute walk from the hotel). It was incredibly easy to explore the city and hop on and off the tram for just a few euros per ride.
The hotel is also within walking distance of Parc del Fòrum, the venue for the Primavera Sound music festival and Mar Bella Beach.
Dis-loyalty, Ennismore's travel and dining membership, gives members 50 percent off stays at new hotels, including SLS Barcelona, until July 1, 2025, along with 20 percent off first-time stays, 10 percent off return visits, and 10 percent off food and drinks at participating venues.
Nightly rates for the SLS Barcelona start from €350 (about $391).
Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lebanon aims to lure back wealthy Gulf tourists to jumpstart its war-torn economy
BEIRUT (AP) — Fireworks lit up the night sky over Beirut's famous St. Georges Hotel as hit songs from the 1960s and 70s filled the air in a courtyard overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The retro-themed event was hosted last month by Lebanon's Tourism Ministry to promote the upcoming summer season and perhaps recapture some of the good vibes from an era viewed as a golden one for the country. In the years before a civil war began in 1975, Lebanon was the go-to destination for wealthy tourists from neighboring Gulf countries seeking beaches in summer, snow-capped mountains in winter and urban nightlife year-round. In the decade after the war, tourists from Gulf countries – and crucially, Saudi Arabia – came back, and so did Lebanon's economy. But by the early 2000s, as the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah gained power, Lebanon's relations with Gulf countries began to sour. Tourism gradually dried up, starving its economy of billions of dollars in annual spending. Now, after last year's bruising war with Israel, Hezbollah is much weaker and Lebanon's new political leaders sense an opportunity to revitalize the economy once again with help from wealthy neighbors. They aim to disarm Hezbollah and rekindle ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, which in recent years have prohibited their citizens from visiting Lebanon or importing its products. 'Tourism is a big catalyst, and so it's very important that the bans get lifted,' said Laura Khazen Lahoud, the country's tourism minister. On the highway leading to the Beirut airport, once-ubiquitous banners touting Hezbollah's leadership have been replaced with commercial billboards and posters that read 'a new era for Lebanon.' In the center of Beirut, and especially in neighborhoods that hope to attract tourists, political posters are coming down, and police and army patrols are on the rise. There are signs of thawing relations with some Gulf neighbors. The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have lifted yearslong travel bans. All eyes are now on Saudi Arabia, a regional political and economic powerhouse, to see if it will follow suit, according to Lahoud and other Lebanese officials. A key sticking point is security, these officials say. Although a ceasefire with Israel has been in place since November, near-daily airstrikes have continued in southern and eastern Lebanon, where Hezbollah over the years had built its political base and powerful military arsenal. Tourism as a diplomatic and economic bridge As vital as tourism is — it accounted for almost 20% of Lebanon's economy before it tanked in 2019 — the country's leaders say it is just one piece of a larger puzzle they are trying to put back together. Lebanon's agricultural and industrial sectors are in shambles, suffering a major blow in 2021, when Saudi Arabia banned their exports after accusing Hezbollah of smuggling drugs into Riyadh. Years of economic dysfunction have left the country's once-thriving middle class in a state of desperation. The World Bank says poverty nearly tripled in Lebanon over the past decade, affecting close to half its population of nearly 6 million. To make matters worse, inflation is soaring, with the Lebanese pound losing 90% of its value, and many families lost their savings when banks collapsed. Tourism is seen by Lebanon's leaders as the best way to kickstart the reconciliation needed with Gulf countries -- and only then can they move on to exports and other economic growth opportunities. 'It's the thing that makes most sense, because that's all Lebanon can sell now,' said Sami Zoughaib, research manager at The Policy Initiative, a Beirut-based think tank. With summer still weeks away, flights to Lebanon are already packed with expats and locals from countries that overturned their travel bans, and hotels say bookings have been brisk. At the event hosted last month by the tourism ministry, the owner of the St. Georges Hotel, Fady El-Khoury, beamed. The hotel, owned by his father in its heyday, has acutely felt Lebanon's ups and downs over the decades, closing and reopening multiple times because of wars. 'I have a feeling that the country is coming back after 50 years,' he said. On a recent weekend, as people crammed the beaches of the northern city of Batroun, and jet skis whizzed along the Mediterranean, local business people sounded optimistic that the country was on the right path. 'We are happy, and everyone here is happy,' said Jad Nasr, co-owner of a private beach club. 'After years of being boycotted by the Arabs and our brothers in the Gulf, we expect this year for us to always be full.' Still, tourism is not a panacea for Lebanon's economy, which for decades has suffered from rampant corruption and waste. Lebanon has been in talks with the International Monetary Fund for years over a recovery plan that would include billions in loans and require the country to combat corruption, restructure its banks, and bring improvements to a range of public services, including electricity and water. Without those and other reforms, Lebanon's wealthy neighbors will lack confidence to invest there, experts said. A tourism boom alone would serve as a 'morphine shot that would only temporarily ease the pain" rather than stop the deepening poverty in Lebanon, Zoughaib said. The tourism minister, Lahoud, agreed, saying a long-term process has only just begun. "But we're talking about subjects we never talked about before,' she said. 'And I think the whole country has realized that war doesn't serve anyone, and that we really need our economy to be back and flourish again.' Kareem Chehayeb, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
Lebanon aims to lure back wealthy Gulf tourists to jumpstart its war-torn economy
BEIRUT (AP) — Fireworks lit up the night sky over Beirut's famous St. Georges Hotel as hit songs from the 1960s and 70s filled the air in a courtyard overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The retro-themed event was hosted last month by Lebanon's Tourism Ministry to promote the upcoming summer season and perhaps recapture some of the good vibes from an era viewed as a golden one for the country. In the years before a civil war began in 1975, Lebanon was the go-to destination for wealthy tourists from neighboring Gulf countries seeking beaches in summer, snow-capped mountains in winter and urban nightlife year-round. In the decade after the war, tourists from Gulf countries – and crucially, Saudi Arabia – came back, and so did Lebanon's economy. But by the early 2000s, as the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah gained power, Lebanon's relations with Gulf countries began to sour. Tourism gradually dried up, starving its economy of billions of dollars in annual spending. Now, after last year's bruising war with Israel, Hezbollah is much weaker and Lebanon's new political leaders sense an opportunity to revitalize the economy once again with help from wealthy neighbors. They aim to disarm Hezbollah and rekindle ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, which in recent years have prohibited their citizens from visiting Lebanon or importing its products. 'Tourism is a big catalyst, and so it's very important that the bans get lifted,' said Laura Khazen Lahoud, the country's tourism minister. On the highway leading to the Beirut airport, once-ubiquitous banners touting Hezbollah's leadership have been replaced with commercial billboards and posters that read 'a new era for Lebanon.' In the center of Beirut, and especially in neighborhoods that hope to attract tourists, political posters are coming down, and police and army patrols are on the rise. There are signs of thawing relations with some Gulf neighbors. The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have lifted yearslong travel bans. All eyes are now on Saudi Arabia, a regional political and economic powerhouse, to see if it will follow suit, according to Lahoud and other Lebanese officials. A key sticking point is security, these officials say. Although a ceasefire with Israel has been in place since November, near-daily airstrikes have continued in southern and eastern Lebanon, where Hezbollah over the years had built its political base and powerful military arsenal. Tourism as a diplomatic and economic bridge As vital as tourism is — it accounted for almost 20% of Lebanon's economy before it tanked in 2019 — the country's leaders say it is just one piece of a larger puzzle they are trying to put back together. Lebanon's agricultural and industrial sectors are in shambles, suffering a major blow in 2021, when Saudi Arabia banned their exports after accusing Hezbollah of smuggling drugs into Riyadh. Years of economic dysfunction have left the country's once-thriving middle class in a state of desperation. The World Bank says poverty nearly tripled in Lebanon over the past decade, affecting close to half its population of nearly 6 million. To make matters worse, inflation is soaring, with the Lebanese pound losing 90% of its value, and many families lost their savings when banks collapsed. Tourism is seen by Lebanon's leaders as the best way to kickstart the reconciliation needed with Gulf countries -- and only then can they move on to exports and other economic growth opportunities. 'It's the thing that makes most sense, because that's all Lebanon can sell now,' said Sami Zoughaib, research manager at The Policy Initiative, a Beirut-based think tank. With summer still weeks away, flights to Lebanon are already packed with expats and locals from countries that overturned their travel bans, and hotels say bookings have been brisk. At the event hosted last month by the tourism ministry, the owner of the St. Georges Hotel, Fady El-Khoury, beamed. The hotel, owned by his father in its heyday, has acutely felt Lebanon's ups and downs over the decades, closing and reopening multiple times because of wars. 'I have a feeling that the country is coming back after 50 years,' he said. On a recent weekend, as people crammed the beaches of the northern city of Batroun, and jet skis whizzed along the Mediterranean, local business people sounded optimistic that the country was on the right path. 'We are happy, and everyone here is happy,' said Jad Nasr, co-owner of a private beach club. 'After years of being boycotted by the Arabs and our brothers in the Gulf, we expect this year for us to always be full.' Still, tourism is not a panacea for Lebanon's economy, which for decades has suffered from rampant corruption and waste. Lebanon has been in talks with the International Monetary Fund for years over a recovery plan that would include billions in loans and require the country to combat corruption, restructure its banks, and bring improvements to a range of public services, including electricity and water. Without those and other reforms, Lebanon's wealthy neighbors will lack confidence to invest there, experts said. A tourism boom alone would serve as a 'morphine shot that would only temporarily ease the pain' rather than stop the deepening poverty in Lebanon, Zoughaib said. The tourism minister, Lahoud, agreed, saying a long-term process has only just begun. 'But we're talking about subjects we never talked about before,' she said. 'And I think the whole country has realized that war doesn't serve anyone, and that we really need our economy to be back and flourish again.'
Washington Post
4 hours ago
- Washington Post
Lebanon aims to lure back wealthy Gulf tourists to jumpstart its war-torn economy
BEIRUT — Fireworks lit up the night sky over Beirut's famous St. Georges Hotel as hit songs from the 1960s and 70s filled the air in a courtyard overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The retro-themed event was hosted last month by Lebanon's Tourism Ministry to promote the upcoming summer season and perhaps recapture some of the good vibes from an era viewed as a golden one for the country. In the years before a civil war began in 1975, Lebanon was the go-to destination for wealthy tourists from neighboring Gulf countries seeking beaches in summer, snow-capped mountains in winter and urban nightlife year-round.
