Urban youth: Uncovering Barcelona’s fun and family-friendly side

There are plenty of luxury beach resorts that welcome small children, so why take on a city? Caroline White discovers how to enjoy Barcelona with a toddler in tow.

There’s a hell of a lot of marble in the Great Hall of the Hotel El Palace in Barcelona. It’s the sort of space whose neoclassical splendour I used to find romantic, but now what strikes me is the potential of polished stone to amplify my two-year-old daughter’s cackle. I now see all surfaces primarily for their reverberative potential. 

There are people sipping afternoon tea here, eating delicate pastries, warmed by a flood of spring sunshine from the crystal dome above them – an architectural feature that’s really going to dial the volume up to 11. Are we mad – or bad – to bring Holly here, to a lavish city hotel?

There are plenty of luxury beach resorts that offer outstanding facilities for small children. She could be making pottery, baking bread or at an outdoor cinema – and crucially, being minded by someone who’s not me nor my husband. 

But my earliest memories are of shuffling around the world’s great museums with my father, eating steak frites in wood-panelled Parisian bistros and stalking Roman cobbles thrillingly after bedtime, clutching a pistachio ice-cream. Must small children – and their parents – always be kettled in beach resorts? Surely cities can be as rewarding for small children as for adults, when approached intelligently and with a (reasonably) well-behaved toddler.

The capital of Catalonia might offer Europe’s best chance of proving me right. Barcelona offers friendly locals, a walkable city, excellent food, nearby beaches and beautiful green spaces. For competitive sailing fans, this year it boasts the added attraction of the America’s Cup, whose nail-biting races took place here between 22 August and 27 October.

But whyever you’re in town, Barcelona offers spectacular hotels that welcome children: take the Mandarin Oriental for modern, low-key (but superlative) luxe and El Palace for traditional glamour. If El Palace’s silk-draped Great Hall feels theatrical, that’s because it is.

“In the 19th century it used to be a theatre,” says Pedro Rodríguez Madrigal, general manager of the hotel. “Then, in 1919, a very influential politician in Catalonia convinced The Ritz to open a hotel here (and convert the theatre). It became the first luxury hotel in Barcelona.” No longer under the Ritz brand but still a luxury heavyweight, El Palace’s door has been revolving for visiting heads of state, musicians and film stars for more than a century, from Cary Grant and Salvador Dalí to Madonna. 

Freddie Mercury composed an Olympic theme tune in the Great Hall, and Ronnie Wood stayed so long he ended up redesigning his suite. It now features his artwork, a Wurlitzer jukebox, and (when you stay there) guests can enjoy a daily “Bubbles O’Clock” afternoon champagne tasting from the bar cart, served in-suite with canapés.

There’s the Mayan Luxury Spa, the Bluesman Cocktail Bar hosting regular live music and fine-dining seafood restaurant Amar, opened last year under Sevillian superchef Rafa Zafra.

So it’s great for foodies, spa bunnies and rock stars – but smaller divas get treated surprisingly well here too. El Palace provides children’s bathrobes, slippers and toys while the vast Art Suites – some of the biggest in Barcelona – feature a separate dining and sitting room. But the key is people. Staff here are multigenerational, multinational and uniformly charming. “When we hire, we always look for attitude, not for skills. They are genuine. And then of course we train them,” says Rodríguez Madrigal.

Stepping into the Carlos Ruiz Zafón Art Suite, whose neutral tones backdrop Louis XVI furniture, the most arresting feature is perhaps the teepee set up for Holly in the corner of the room, along with the welcome kit with cookies, juice and a colouring book on the marble coffee table. A staff member is along promptly with a wrapped-up toy. 

Cots and cribs are available upon request and children under 12 stay free.  The César-Ritz-designed Roman bath serves well, it turns out, as a lavish paddling pool. Another staff member arrives just before bath time to supplement the shampoo by Lab Noma (a local, sustainable brand with ingredients grown in the nearby Parc de las Flors) with toys for the tub.

Things are going pretty well for this two-year-old. But can there be too much of a good thing? “Toddlers become extra stimulated by new sensory aspects, sweet treats, toys and fun experiences on holiday, and this might create changed or heightened behaviours,” says family counsellor L J Jones. 

“You can go with the flow on holiday and allow your child to enjoy their temporary surroundings, just as we do.” However, Jones, a parenting expert who is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, adds that you will have an easier time if you maintain some kind of routine.

Next day we’re dining (at Holly’s regular teatime) on Cantabrian anchovies and Iberian pork loin at Betlem, a local favourite on an street corner in super-central Eixample. From here and north of Avenue Diagonal, Espai Cultural Sendak offers an excellent arts and crafts programme for kids.

Down in the trendy, windy alleys of El Born, meanwhile, there’s the La Puntual Teatre de Titelles puppet theatre, and one of several outlets of Barcelonian artisan bakery Demasie, serving a variety of cookies, doughnuts and a speciality cinnamon roll that deserves the title.

Floating on sugar, we breach the Mandarin Oriental’s grand façade on the Passeig de Gràcia. A staff member gives Holly a toy dragon before leading her to a mirrored wall outside Banker’s Bar, to open a secret door and collect a chocolate coin from a cache of “gold” – a treasure hunt experience the hotel offers young guests.

In the calming, low-lit Boulevard Suite, a miniature panda cupcake is waiting, as well as a Mandarin-Oriental-branded panda teddy. The hotel also offers kids “lollypops, cookies and even a popcorn corner,” says Mireia Vidal, from the Guest Experience team. “We also provide a dedicated area for children to play in the privacy of their room, ensuring they have a space where they can unwind and enjoy themselves.” 

From a practical point of view, the Mandarin Oriental also provides a child’s bath as well as child-friendly Secrets de Provence products and, during specific periods of the year, a playroom is available with games and activities. Like El Palace, there’s a bijou rooftop pool that’s perfect for a splash before Holly hits the hay in a super-soft bed.

She wakes eager to know about the day’s plans – her expectations of day-to-day life have taken a dramatic upturn. “You should inform your toddler of your upcoming itinerary, as this will keep them reassured and reduce any uncertainty as they will know what is going to happen next,” says Jones. Luckily for Holly, the day ahead entails a picnic.

Even from this central location, there are plenty of peaceful alfresco dining spots within easy reach, including Parc de la Ciutadella, Barceloneta Beach and Montjuïc Hill. The Mandarin Oriental can create a bespoke picnic basket featuring tapas, gourmet sandwiches, fresh fruit and local desserts.

Once you’ve had your fill in the sun, Barcelona offers a wealth of activities to engage the most discerning of tiny travellers. It’s such a glorious feeling of freedom that Holly breaks into a joyful laugh, and this time it’s easy for us to laugh too.

First published in the October 2024 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.