Majestic Hotel & Spa - Barcelona
- Nick, Editor
- Sep 16
- 7 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Barcelona's grande dame on Passeig de Gràcia that still knows how to flirt
Article summary>>
In this article, you will get our unbiased, independent review and thoughts on the Majestic Hotel & Spa in Barcelona
Rooms & suites
Food & Drink
Amenities
Service
Vibe
Location
Thoughts
Booking
Some hotels sit politely in a city, and then some hotels belong to it. The Majestic is the latter. It doesn’t just take a prime position on Passeig de Gràcia; it occupies a piece of Barcelona’s imagination. You notice it first as a slice of belle-époque theatre, balconies scalloped along a neoclassical façade, flags snapping in the sea breeze that wanders up the avenue. Step inside, and the outside world hushes. Polished marble. Fresh flowers. The faintest wink of a signature scent. A lobby that’s both salon and stage. I’ve checked in here solo, on assignment, with a carry-on full of notebooks, and I’ve checked in with friends, intent on long lunches and longer sunsets. Each time, the hotel has adjusted its lens, sometimes softly glamorous, sometimes briskly businesslike, always sure of itself.
The Majestic Hotel & Spa opened its doors in 1918 and has looked out on a century of Barcelona in motion, from Catalan art salons to post-Olympic swagger, yet it remains resolutely present tense. Partly because of the location, partly because of the food (serious Catalan produce, bubbles-and-brunch bravado), and partly because this is the rare grande dame that keeps renovating its bones without losing its soul.
A building with memory, a house with taste:
The Majestic is a family story, owned for generations by the Soldevila-Casals clan, and you can feel that continuity in the way the place is edited rather than themed. After a multiyear refresh under Mallorcan designer Antonio Obrador, the look is “updated classic”: satinwoods and stone, creamy textiles, judicious modern lines, and light that behaves like a material. It’s a Barcelona aesthetic, elegant, not ostentatious, and it’s aged exceptionally well. The hotel also leans into its nickname, “the hotel of the arts,” displaying more than a thousand works across public spaces and corridors. (If you’re a gallery-goer, consider it an amuse-bouche for the city’s museums.)
Then there’s the terrace, La Dolce Vita, the city spread out like a map; the Sagrada Família pricking the skyline; the pool a slender gleam under a pergola. I’ve lost count of how many golden hours I’ve spent here.
Rooms & suites at the Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona:
Room categories start at a civilised footprint (think around 20–25m² for entry rooms, more as you climb), but the real story is choice. The Majestic counts 211 rooms and 47 suites in the main building, plus an annexe of serviced apartments directly across the avenue (a gift for longer stays and families who want kitchens but not compromises). Boulevard-facing rooms feel like theatre boxes onto Passeig de Gràcia; interior, garden-facing rooms cocoon nicely if you prefer to wake to quiet. Marble bathrooms, the sort of mattresses that erase a red eye, and an amount of wardrobe storage that suggests the house understands shopping. It does.
The crown jewel, and I don’t use that lightly, is the Majestic Royal Penthouse: around 467m², terraces that peer at Sagrada Família and down Passeig de Gràcia, and that rarest of luxury-hotel amenities: real privacy. Yes, it’s the largest hotel suite in Barcelona; yes, it has its own mythology (butler service, a chauffeur, after-hours cathedral tours have been arranged for guests in the past). For most of us, it’s a barometer for the hotel’s ambition, and a pleasing one at that. Having said that, all rooms across the board are exquisite, luxurious, and a traveller's dream.
If you’re travelling as a group or settling in for a week or more, consider a Majestic Residence, 28 full apartments with living rooms, terraces and skyline views, in a separate building opposite the hotel. They’re serviced, sensible and still plug you into the hotel’s ecosystem.
Editor’s notes
For design-lovers: High-ceilinged Junior Suite Passeig de Gràcia, balcony drama.
For light sleepers: Interior Deluxe City View or courtyard rooms; the glazing is excellent, but the cocoon is real.
For celebrators: A Penthouse (not just the Royal) buys you rooftops and terraces that feel like your own Barcelona nest.
Eating & drinking:
The culinary rhythm here feels tuned to how people actually travel: breakfast and brunch taken seriously, a produce-led restaurant for the “one big dinner in-house,” and a rooftop that evolves through the day.
SOLC is the signature dining room, a serenely lit ode to Mediterranean produce, much of it from the hotel’s own Maresme-coast farm. It’s Catalan in technique and generous in spirit; the kind of menu that reads simply and tastes like someone has been paying attention.
On Sundays, Barcelona dresses up for the SOLC Brunch, a hotel ritual that begins with a glass of Moët & Chandon and rarely ends with just one dessert. Book it to anchor a lazy day; plan for a post-feast stroll through the Eixample grid.
La Dolce Vita on the roof runs a Nandu Jubany-curated menu, crisp and Mediterranean, with cocktails built for sunsets and terraces. The views are ridiculous, in the best possible way.
El Bar del Majestic does the lobby-lounge thing properly, espresso mornings, cava afternoons, martini evenings, and draws a good mix of locals and in-house guests.
The spa:
If Barcelona’s a city of late nights and long walks (it is), Majestic Spa is the reset button. The partnership with Natura Bissé means facials and body treatments with a serious pedigree; therapists combine Spanish products with Kobido techniques in rooms that feel more cocoon than clinic. Between the hydrotherapy circuits and the rooftop plunge pool (better for cool-downs than laps), you can calibrate your day as needed, invigorate then explore, or unwind then drift to dinner.
Service & scene:
What I’ve come to like most about the Majestic is the way service threads the needle between discreet and warm. Bell staff who remember you, concierges who go beyond the obvious (yes, they can get you into Gaudí; they can also steer you to a neighbourhood vermutería where the only tourists are lost), and housekeeping with the sort of timing that suggests invisible choreography. The hotel’s Leading Hotels of the World membership telegraphs standards; the reality on the ground backs it up.
The clientele mirrors Barcelona’s year: well-heeled city-breakers, design pilgrims who’ve come to orbit Gaudí, families claiming the apartments, and a steady stream of business travellers who know a club sandwich worth its salt. Even at full buzz, the house absorbs it. The rooftop hosts DJ-scored sunset sessions in summer; the bar feels quietly conversational the rest of the year. The art on the walls isn’t just décor, it’s a hint that the owners are collectors, and that you’re staying in a place with a point of view.
Where you are:
The Majestic’s address, Passeig de Gràcia 68–70, matters. You can walk to Casa Milà (La Pedrera) in the time it takes to finish a cortado; Casa Batlló is a four-block flânerie; the Gothic Quarter is 20 minutes if you dawdle. You’re on the metro grid, near Renfe and FGC rail links for day trips, and, this is crucial, your “pop out for one shop” problem is real. Chanel, Dior, Loewe and friends are essentially downstairs. If you came to eat, the concierge will sketch your tapas circuit on a map; if you came to look, the Modernisme trail starts at the curb.
My quick two-day itinerary:
Day 1: Check in, drop bags, and make straight for La Dolce Vita. Order something sparkling and let the city introduce itself. Dinner at SOLC: Catalan product with a clear accent and none of the fuss. Nightcap at El Bar del Majestic; sleep like you earned it.
Day 2: Start early at Casa Batlló, then La Pedrera; both are whispers rather than shouts before 10 am. Coffee and a slice of ensaïmada at a nearby pastisseria, then a slow loop of Palau de la Música Catalana or the Picasso Museum. Back for brunch on Sunday, if you’ve timed it right; otherwise, a lazy lunch on the roof. Evening stroll down Rambla de Catalunya; head wherever the day takes you.
Practicalities & pricing:
As with any high-performing city hotel, rates swing with the season and events. Recent snapshots from reputable booking engines put entry rooms in the £300–£500/night band on ordinary dates, higher over peak weeks. If you prefer an apartment format, Majestic Residence is just across the street at Passeig de Gràcia 69, with kitchens and terraces and access to the mother ship as needed. It’s the easiest way to spend a week in Barcelona with children or friends without sacrificing style. Check availability and start planning your trip here.
verdict:
The Majestic is a Barcelona archetype for a reason. Its location is the city’s living room; its style is classic without costume; its food reads like a love letter to Catalan markets; its spa understands that travel is as much about recovery as discovery. Most importantly, it knows how to meet you where you are, first-timer or frequent flier, and still surprise you. If you want a hotel that feels stitched into the city’s fabric, put the Majestic at the top of your list. Bottom line: If you want Barcelona’s grand boulevard as your living room, and a hotel that marries history with appetite, the Majestic still lives up to its name, and for that reason, it has to be a recommended stay.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
Benchmark Passeig de Gràcia address; walk to Gaudí, shopping, galleries and the Gothic Quarter.
Rooftop La Dolce Vitae with cinematic city views and a chic plunge pool.
Produce-driven SOLC and a Moët-kissed Sunday brunch; an all-day bar that functions as a real city lounge.
Natura Bissé-powered spa with expert therapists; easy reset after a Gaudí day.
Strong room mix (and 28 serviced apartments at Majestic Residence) for families, long stays and celebratory weekends.
Cons:
Rooftop pool is for cooling dips, not laps; loungers are coveted on blue-sky days.
It’s a magnet address, prime weeks price accordingly; book shoulder seasons or mid-week for value.
Boulevard-facing rooms get more urban hum; light sleepers should request interior orientations.
Key facts at a glance:
Location: Passeig de Gràcia 68–70 (08007), Eixample; steps to La Pedrera and Casa Batlló; metro and regional rail close by.
Hotel rating: 5-star Gran Lujo (5 GL)*; member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
Hotel vibe: Historic grande dame with fresh, contemporary interiors by Antonio Obrador; art-forward (“hotel of the arts”).
Food & drink:
SOLC - farm-to-table Mediterranean dining with produce from the hotel’s Maresme farm.
La Dolce Vita (rooftop) - Nandu Jubany-curated menu, cocktails, skyline views.
El Bar del Majestic - all-day city lounge for coffee, cava, martinis.
Sunday Brunch - starts with Moët & Chandon; a local favourite.
Hotel amenities: Majestic Spa with Natura Bissé treatments; hydrotherapy; rooftop plunge pool; fitness; concierge; valet; robust event spaces.
How many rooms: 258 in the main building (211 rooms + 47 suites), plus Majestic Residence apartments across the street.
Pricing: Highly variable; from £317/night, peaks rise with season and events.
Location recommendations & attractions:
Casa Batlló & La Pedrera - Gaudí showstoppers a short walk away.
Palau de la Música Catalana - a modernist jewel box; book a tour or performance.
Picasso Museum - best reserved ahead.
La Boqueria - lunchtime theatre and tapas smashed against colour and noise.
All hotels & resorts on The Five Star Edit are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive a small commission from advertisers when using our affiliate links.
The Majestic Hotel & Spa (Barcelona) 2025
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