Located in the heart of Barcelona in the Ciutat Vella district, Kimpton Vividora is one of the newest modern luxury boutique hotels in the city - and it may possibly be one of my favourite European hotels yet. Opening in early 2020, with as great timing as the Four Seasons in Bangkok, the hotel is almost like new thanks to the little use the property had due to two lost years. Thankfully with everything looking a little bit better for travel, you too will be able to sample the Kimpton Vividora soon. 

Getting to the hotel

The property is located around 30 minutes from the main Barcelona airport, El Prat, and an Uber costs around EUR 35 - which felt pretty steep. The quickest way on public transport is by using the A2 Airport Express Bus towards Plaça de Catalunya costing EUR 5.90 one way. We opted for Uber as we arrived quite late in the evening.

Initial impressions

This hotel is dressed to impress but somehow equally manages to embrace the heritage of the surrounding area maintaining the gothic style. The public areas of the property consist of the uber modern furnishings that you expect from a new property like this - bright colours, patterns, use of light woods and lots of textures across the board. 

Staff on arrival were brilliant and they were really helpful in getting us checked in - as well as giving us some advice on places to visit in the nearby area, as well as a nearby restaurant for some late night food (even thought we had been spending most of our day lounge hopping and eating our way around at Heathrow Terminal 3). 

The room

During our 2-night stay at the property, we were based in the highest level non-suite - the Superior Room. The primary differences in the rooms are size but also that the Superior is the only non-suite room type that has a balcony that overlooks the beautiful city view - which you’ll see later. Now onto the room itself, it’s pretty compact but manages to pack in everything you will need during your stay. 

Starting with the essentials, the toilet and shower are two separated areas of the room which are surprisingly large but quite narrow. The shower room features a handheld and overhead rainfall-style shower which has all the power and warmth you expect at this price point. It is a little dark thanks to the navy blue tiling but there is significant lighting that does enough to make it a cozy atmosphere. 

Amenities are available in the form of their own branded shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser with a beautifully scented Amber and Cedar Wood smell.

My only slight irritation with the design is that the wash basin and tap is located within the primary room space which is to save space - but I just prefer having a separate integrated area for the washing and toilet facilities. The design, though, is on point with a snazzy looking marble design that finishes off this part of the room - and contrasts excellently with the rest of the space. 

Nestled alongside this is a open wardrobe area with ample space to place your clothes on hangers and to place clothes in the drawers below. The area at the base consists of a stand for your luggage as well as a pull out safe that is probably large enough to fit most laptops on the market. 

A small table with a well-padded chair is also available for you to do some light work, however I would expect this may get a little cramped for most people - I could probably do a few hours here and take calls on Zoom using my MacBook. Internet speeds were pretty healthy and I had no need to disconnect for faster speeds on 4G - although the sign in process was a little bit ropey due to needing to first go through a portal on your web browser.

The bed itself is a decent King Size that is more than big enough for two people to relax in whilst the cool greys of the plush cushions and blanket contrast excellently with the vivid, leather-effect headboard. I slept really well here and the temperature was just right to get a good rest - thanks to the air conditioning being enabled (which some European properties turn off during winter or only allow heating).

Nestled on both sides of the bed are two bedside tables, one side having a retro style clock and the other side a Bluetooth speaker (which I didn’t test out). Ample European power sockets and 2 x USB-A ports can be found also which makes it easy to visit if you’ve forgotten your power brick during your trip. 

If you’re looking to kick back and watch television, the only place to relax is on the bed itself. The regular array of channels can be found here including local networks and BBC World News - although the internet features seemed to not work properly on our set. 

Finishing the room in the corner and there is a storage area for the kettle and a Nespresso machine - alongside the required pods and teabags. In addition, a minibar is available (with a menu unlike The Socialist in Copenhagen) as well as a small fridge - which we used to store our own goods in. A few small bottles of water were provided free of charge by the hotel on arrival and after the room was cleaned - but do note that tap water is drinkable in Barcelona, so the bottles really aren’t necessary.

And finally, the main event, the view from the balcony. While they are super small, they do seem to be the original balconies from when the building was originally built and the view across this Catalan city is beautiful - and a perfect morning sunrise even in the middle of January (when we visited). I was so glad we were in this room and managed to have this balcony even though we only spent a bit of time on it - it really made this room even greater.

Communal areas

Kimpton Vividora have spent a lot of time and money investing in the experience of the communal areas of the property. Starting on the ground floor, there is a bar called GOT which serves coffee and cocktails from 07h30 through to 23h30 - embracing the light ambience and pattern of the previously mentioned reception area.

On the mezzanine area is the primary reception, but tucked away on the right side of the hotel is a communal working area where, if you need a larger or different space to work in, you can do during weekday working hours (as the space is used for other purposes in the evenings). This is a great little area and I could imagine being really productive here. 

The first floor is home to the Fauna restaurant, which is where breakfast and dinner is served and will be covered in a separate review, as well as the gym. The gym is small (similarly sized to a regular room) and, at most, probably only fits 2-3 people at a time (not taking into account capacity limits from the pandemic). You do not need to book in a time slot to use the gym. It is reasonably well stocked with plenty of dumbbells in a variety of weights, a ski ergometer, rowing machine and stationary bicycle. We used it once during our stay and it is enough to get your fitness fix while on a city break . 

The top floor is home to arguably one of the most impressive aspects of this property - the Terraza de Vivi. It is quite breathtaking to get a 360 degree view of Barcelona from this rooftop terrace that is not like anything I’ve seen before - thanks to very few super tall high rise buildings in the centre. The terrace is open all day, but there doesn’t seem to be any set opening and closing hours. It features a fairly sizeable rooftop pool that you wouldn’t expect at a property of this age as well as plenty of sunbeds, seating areas and an extensive bar. It’s fab - and I would have spent a fair bit of time here had we spent longer at the Kimpton Vividora. 

Conclusion

Kimpton Vividora is a fantastic luxury boutique property in Barcelona that excels on every front. While there are some aspects, such as the separate wash basin, that I wasn’t a fan of - this is purely personal preference and the operator of the hotel has put a lot of effort into ensuring there is a clear, cohesive and beautiful design throughout the hotel. This high quality effort extends into the food, which is detailed in a separate review out on Monday, and I would recommend to anybody visiting Barcelona that fancy a slightly chic, different and less mainstream place to stay to consider the Vividora. Although it may be part of the IHG family of hotels, the Kimpton brand ensures the high quality but uniqueness of every property to ensure you feel like you are visiting a new city - and not just copy and paste job hotel. I would return here in a heartbeat - it is a great hotel that really sets itself apart from the rest of this crowded hotel market in Barcelona.