Tried & tested: Kimpton Vividora Barcelona

A sleek rooftop with a pool and cocktailbar, warm design, guest rooms dressed by local artists and a daily wine hour on the house: Kimpton Vividora opened big in Barcelona and puts the accent on enjoying the goods in life. A look inside Spain’s very first Kimpton hotel.

Just when Barcelona’s touristy Gothic Quarter with the hustle and bustle of La Rambla started to sound like a cliche, Kimpton Vividora swung open its doors - bringing a new buzz to Barcelona’s city center. A stylish sanctuary that blends the tradition - you’re in the middle of the Gothic Quarters historic alleys - with the modern. Think colorful design, a small gym, a rooftop lounge with a pool overlooking Barcelona and complimentary tokyobikes. Add to that friendly staff that just knóws how to be informal and sophisticated at the same time - in the end, you’re bedding down in a 5* hotel - and you’re new go-to hotel is here. In the heart of it all with both Placa de Catalunya as the subway station of Urquinaona at a five minute walk from the hotel.

The rooms

Kimpton Vividora’s 158 guest rooms are divided into rooms and suites. In-room facilities are more or less the same, the differences are mainly in size and outdoor space. The rooms are designed with calm earthy tones, locally designed furniture and sleek white marble bathrooms with bespoke toiletries that have the same sexy scent as you’ll find in the lobby. Other features we liked are the yogamat (Kimpton does weekly yoga sessions at the roof), a Nespresso coffee maker, those oversized fluffy hotel bathroom towels and the kimono-style bathrobes from California-based brand House of Hiatus. Opt for a superior room to get a Juliet balcony or splash on a suite to get a proper balcony with views over the Gothic Quarter.

Food and drinks

Main restaurant Fauna opens for breakfast, lunch and dinner to both hotel guests and locals. Breakfast is not included in the standard room rates but we highly recommend you book it - worth every euro. It’s a combination of an extensive buffet with a selection of complimentary a la carte add-ons like avocado toast, eggs or pancakes. Bottles of cava turn breakfast into true feast. Lobbybar GOT on the ground floor is the place for daytime coffee’s and people-watching behind the huge floor-to-ceiling windows before it turns into a social affair during the daily free aperitivo hour at 19:00. Only for hotel guests obviously.

The Roof

Then let’s discuss Kimpton’s major asset: it’s gorgeous rooftop area. A social hub from sunrise (with weekly yoga classes) to sunset when both hotel guests as locals mingle at rooftop restaurant Terazza de Vivi over drinks and small dishes. The restaurant’s design is giving us Moroccan vibes with red patterned pillows and rattan lamps while the dishes are true Catalan, with pan con tomate, anchovies and Iberian hams.
The adjacent rooftop pool is for hotel guests only and has DJ’s playing over the weekends in the summer months. From each and every corner the views over Barcelona’s terracotta-tiled roofs are superb - as are the rooftop brunches with bottomless mimosa’s and bloody maries. Talking about Vividora - or: putting focus on the good things in life.

Kimpton Vividora, rooms from EUR 200 per night