Hotel Omm travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

Hotel Omm is one of the most unique hotels in Barcelona. Located in the city’s fashionable Passeig de Gracia district (which is great for shopping), Omm is the joint creation of architect Juli Capella and interior designers Sandra Tarruella and Isabel Lopez. The futuristic design and soft lighting immediately make you feel like you have stepped into a surrealist, funky mothership. The style is very much postmodern minimalism. Photo by: Hotel Omm in Barcelona, Spain

Consider the open-plan lobby, which has a floating fireplace or the decked roof terrace, which offers not only fabulous views of Gaudi’s La Pedrera and La Sagrada Familia, but also a sexy plunge pool. The rooms are light and bright, with curved walls and a host of high-tech gadgets. Front-facing rooms have balconies, whereas those at the back have terraces and upper rooms that overlook Gaudi’s Casa Mila. Photo by: kaboiano

The restaurant - Moo - is equally well conceived and is entered via a glass-fronted courtyard garden and features giant bamboos and stainless steel sculptures. The kitchen serves exquisite, modern Catalan cuisine. Postprandial entertainment is provided in two bar lounges where cocktails are served while DJs and live music play through much of the week and on weekends. It might all sound a little overstimulated for an escape destination, but it is not. In any case you can head down to the in-house spa and indulge in any one of a range of therapies, including underwater massage. Location: Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Photo by: Alison Zavos