Barcelona in 48 hours
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The famous basilica of Sagrada Familia is expected to be finished in 2026 (Marco Ng)
The Itinerary
Trip Dates: 19-21 February 2022 (2 nights)
Flight to Barcelona: Club Europe, British Airways - £91 + 9,000 avios
Flight to London: Club Europe, British Airways - £57
Hotel: King Collection Room, Alexandra Barcelona Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton - £150 (£75/night)
How to get there (and back)
This trip was always going to be ambitious. Booked for a weekend and arriving back on the morning before a rostered night shift, it was an opportunity go somewhere warm(er) but mostly, it was to lounge-hop through the various premium lounges that I have access to at Heathrow’s Terminal 3. Given that the objective was to lounge-hop, I didn’t need to travel in Club Europe, as I have lounge access via my British Airways (www.ba.com) Executive Club Silver status and my American Express Platinum Charge Card (www.americanexpress.com), and so I had originally booked both of these flights in British Airways’ EuroTraveller cabin. The original flights cost a total of £95 return, inclusive of taxes, on an Economy Basic ticket - which doesn’t include seat allocation or hold baggage. British Airways Executive Club Silver members receive their seat allocation benefit on an Economy Basic ticket but not the additional hold baggage benefit, so you’ll need to pay for a bag if you’re planning on taking one.
I upgraded my outbound flight to Club Europe, British Airways’ European Business Class, using avios, British Airways’ loyalty currency, when they enticed me through a marketing email. The process was simple via Manage My Booking and this set me back an extra 9,000 avios + £13 in taxes. I did end up in Club Europe on my return trip too, but more on that later.
Entry requirements are now gradually easing, with less stringent requirements for countries where most residents are fully vaccinated. Spain is one of those countries with no COVID testing required for fully vaccinated visitors, however, you do need to prove your vaccination status with a COVID vaccination certificate and you do need to complete a health declaration prior to departure. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (www.gov.uk) travel advice page is a good starting point for official information on entry requirements but be sure to check the consular or embassy website of the country you’re visiting too.
Checking in for the outbound flight was easy and simple but you do need to upload your documents in advance via Manage My Booking to be able to check-in online. Fast Track at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 was empty when Joe and I arrived after having check-in online. That didn't stop us from spending more time than was necessary in Security though as Joe had forgotten he had quite a few things in his hand luggage that he should’ve removed!
Once we’d left Security, we headed off to our first lounge, the American Express Centurion Lounge (www.thecenturionlounge.com), which is only accessible to holders of specific American Express products including the American Express Platinum Charge Card (www.americanexpress.com). This would be followed by the Cathay Pacific Lounge, which is one of the more superior of the oneworld airline lounges in Terminal 3. You can read more about these two lounges in the ‘Where to lounge’ section below.
Our flight would depart from Gate 26, a few minutes walk from the main departure lounge in Terminal 3. Arriving at the gate room, it was already very busy with an almost full flight out to Barcelona. Boarding was delayed due to the crew being late to the aircraft but it turned out this wasn’t the only thing causing a delay. Adverse weather from Storm Eunice the previous day had caused significant disruption to British Airways’ operation with crew and aircraft out of place, as well as increased loads due to cancelled flights, and this led to knock-on delays to catering - which was the other thing that we were waiting for. After waiting for over an hour for catering, the crew made the decision to leave without it. This was disappointing given that it was a service we’d paid for but the crew, led by David, performed exemplarily by running a drinks service using the bar from the previous flight.
Arriving into Barcelona a total of 1h07m late, we were whisked through immigration relatively quickly and into the back of taxi via the app, FREE NOW (www.free-now.com). The journey from the airport to our hotel took 21 minutes and costs us £29/€34.
The impact of Storm Eunice on British Airways lasted a little longer than expected and I received a notification from the Heathrow App that our return flight had been cancelled a little less than 18h before scheduled departure. We quickly logged on to look at alternative flight options and found that there was no availability for the whole of Monday and phone calls and web searches were very quickly made to look for alternative options - all of which were unable to get me back for the start of my night shift. Thankfully, Joe had access to staff travel with British Airways and he managed to secure us a spot of the standby list for the first flight home. It wasn’t a guaranteed seat, but it was the best we could do given the circumstances. We kept our hopes low, knowing that flights would be full as a result of the other cancelled flights.
Arriving at the airport about 1h30m before departure, we were checked in and given standby boarding cards to get ourselves to the gate. Given the distance to the gate and how long we had left until boarding, we steered clear of the lounge, opting to wait at the gate instead. As you can imagine, the stress levels were pretty high so when Joe found out that we’d been allocated seats, it was an extremely joyous moment. What was even better, was that it was in Club Europe - miracles do happen!
Upon boarding, we’d noticed that we had the same crew as on the flight out and after chatting to David and the rest of his team onboard, it turned out that they too had been affected by the cancellations. Having boarded with the rest of Group 1, I planted myself firmly in Seat 3C and, thankful for the perks of staff travel, finally allowed myself to relax. Catering had been loaded this time round (hoorah!) and the service was exceptional again, proving that British Airways needs to reward their crew more as, too often, they are the only saving grace when there’s disruption.
Where to lounge
Terminal 3 is by far the best terminal at Heathrow for lounge selection. Granted, you’ll need some sort of frequent flyer status with the right airline alliance or be travelling business class with the right airline but if you have either of these, there’s a lot to choose from. Being the designated oneworld alliance terminal at Heathrow, you’re most likely to benefit from the range of lounges if you’re flying with one of their member airlines.
The American Express Centurion Lounge
The American Express Centurion Lounge (www.thecenturionlounge.com) is by far the most exclusive of the lounges here given that you must hold one of their select American Express products to gain entry, it is also the newest (and hardest to find!). Located after security, you need to head to the furthest end of the main shopping area in the departure lounge where you’ll find access opposite Yo! Sushi and the new InMotion store.
As you walk in to the lounge for the first time, it is evident that a lot of thought has been put in to the design of the lounge. The use of wood, select colours and art helps to uniquely style each part of the lounge in a modern and welcoming way. There are a variety of areas around the lounge including soft seating, private booths, privacy rooms for phone calls and a restaurant/bar area centred around a very classy looking bar.
The bar offers a good selection of signature cocktails as well as your typical beers, spirits and wine. Food is pre-plated and self-service but the quality is extremely good and it tastes amazing! Just thinking about the braised beef cheek as I’m writing this is making my mouth water. There’s also an afternoon tea trolley in one of the lounge sections if you’re after a sweet treat!
The Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge
The Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge (www.cathaypacific.com) is one of the best, if not, the best oneworld business class lounge at Heathrow. Located next to Gate 11, the lounge is signposted as Lounge C after Security. Arriving into the lift lobby, you are immediately greeted by Cathay’s iconic brushwing and sleek, sophisticated lounge design. Upstairs, you’ll be greeted by a member of the team who will then direct you into either the business or first class lounge.
The business class lounge features washrooms and showers, shared with the first lounge, as well as a food and drink area (which I can only describe as Cathay’s ode to the iconic Hong Kong style diner), a self-service cold food buffet area, bar and ample seating to suit your needs. Each area is thoughtfully designed and is easy on the eye. And, for those avgeeks out there, the lounge also offers one of the best views of the airfield.
What really sets the Cathay lounge apart is their made-to-order food and signature cocktails. From wonton soup noodles to Cathay delight, it’s the closest you’ll get to being onboard on of their flights - something that I’m still very much looking forward to when Hong Kong eventually opens up.
Getting around
Aside from using FREE NOW to get to and from the hotel, we used public transport for the rest of our trip. Barcelona has a pretty decent and comprehensive public transport network with inexpensive tickets. There are options for day travel cards as well as carnets of 10 single trips. We opted to buy single tickets given how little we were using public transport. You can found out more from Transports Metroplitans de Barcelona (www.tmb.cat).
Where to stay
For our weekend stay, I picked the Alexandra Barcelona Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton (www.hilton.com). Located in Barcelona’s central district of Eixample, the hotel is round the corner from Passeig de Grácia, Barcelona's culture and fashion street, and a short walk from some of Gaudi’s architectural masterpieces, including the famous Basilica La Sagrada Familia, which is a 15-minute walk.
We arrived at the hotel a little after 23:00 and entered a semi-busy bar and lobby area. Check-in was seamless and we were upgraded from a Queen Superior Room to a larger King Collection Room thanks to my Hilton Honors (www.hilton.com) Gold status. The hotel’s design is what you’d expect from a hotel in the upscale Hilton Curio collection, reflecting the elegance and charm of Barcelona in a building that dates back to the 19th Century. Our room was a bit smaller than I’d expected but was sufficient for two people for a short weekend break. The decor of the room featured a mix of parque flooring and modernist tiles, a balcony and a modern bathroom featuring a rainfall shower.
The hotel also features a bar, outdoor pool, restaurant and spa. The bar has a wide selection of wines and spirits and I was particularly impressed by their selection of gins.
Places to eat and drink
Cerveceria Catalana
Mediterranean, Spanish | Address: Carrer de Mallorca, 236, Barcelona, Spain | Pricing: ££-£££
Having arrived late into the night, it was really convenient having Cerveceria Catalana a few doors down the road. Offering good tapas well into the early hours, it was the first taste of Spanish that we needed. The place gets busy given how late Catalans having dinner so you may need to join the waiting list.
Xurreria Sagrada Familia
Cafe, Dessert | Address: Placa de la Sagrada Familia, 26 Situado entre la calle Siclia y Mallorca, Barcelona, Spain | Pricing: £
Love churros as much as I do? Then you’ll need to visit this place that my friend Louise recommended. I’m a classic guy and went for original churros with chocolate dipping sauce and it was amazing. Xurreria Sagrada Familia (www.laselectachurros.com) also do giant churros with fillings which will appeal to those of you who are sweet-toothed!
Vivo Tapas
Mediterranean, Spanish | Address: Carrer del Rossello 255, Barcelona, Spain | Pricing: £££
Bringing together my love for cocktails and tapas, Vivo Tapas (www.vivotapas.com) was what we needed to get over the drama of having our flight cancelled. Enjoying their delightful sangria with dishes like the octopus with mashed potatoes sent all of our stresses melting away. Definitely book ahead if you wanted to be seated in the restaurant area.
Things to do
With a limited amount of time and Joe not having been to Barcelona for over ten years, we decided to cover off some of key sights in Barcelona. Round the corner from our hotel is one of Gaudi’s many famous buildings in the city, Casa Batlló. This masterpiece was redesigned by Gaudí in 1904 and is now a museum.
From there, we headed to Montjuic, a mountain in the city of Barcelona, via the Montjuic Funicular Railway (which is included in your metro ticket, so make sure you don’t leave the station) and then the Telefèric de Montjuïc (www.telefericdemontjuic.cat), which is a cable car that takes you to the top of Montjuic. Tickets cost around £12/€14 for a round trip. Here, you’ll find Montjuïc Castle (www.barcelona.cat), which is a military castle dating back to the 1600s. Entry costs £4.50/€5 and gives you access to the castle for stunning views of the city, as well as temporary and permanent exhibitions on Barcelona’s history.
From there, we headed back down to Plaça d'Espanya, which is one of Barcelona’s most important squares, leading to the two Venetian Towers that stand either side of the road leading up to the Palace of Montjuic. Unfortunately to Magic Fountains that stand in front of the Palace of Montjuic were under maintenance at the time and we didn’t get to see these.
To the south of the Palace of Montjuic is the Barcelona Olympic Park. Barcelona hosted the 1992 Olympic Games and many of the park’s features remain today. The main stadium continues to host a variety of concerts and events throughout the year.
Heading east via the Metro, we decided to try and grab lunch along the seafront at Playa de la Barceloneta. Barcelona is one of the few cities I've been to that can boast an almost pristine beach front. Unfortunately the restaurant we wanted to grab lunch in was fully booked and we settled for somewhere along the marina.
We finished our day of sightseeing at the renowned basilica of La Sagrada Familia (www.sagradafamilia.org). Entry costs £22/€26 but it is well worth it to admire Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece. As a plus, the money goes directly to funding the finishing of the project, which is expected to be in 2026.
Bottom Line
I’ve never been one to do short, weekend breaks in less than 48 hours, but even with the issues with flight cancellations, Barcelona was the perfect weekend trip. The Spanish culture, food and drink is one of my soft spots and being able to reconnect with Barcelona outside of stringent COVID-19 measures was pretty awesome. For those of you still unsure of whether or not to travel, I really encourage you to start looking at short breaks like this to get yourself back into the swing of travelling!
