'More stylish retreat than owner-managed home from home', this designer hotel gran luxe in the Eixample district 'delivers a comforting base for forays around the city', say trusted Guide correspondents. The neo-classical facade of the 19th-century Palacio Vedruna 'hides a stunning modern interior: acres of marble, honey-coloured woodwork, glass lifts, works of art'; there is a small museum of Egyptian antiquities collected by the owner, Jordi Clos. Everyone praises the staff: 'Courteous, helpful, without a trace of coldness.' One couple had a 'luxurious duplex suite', but another complained of a 'dark, noisy' room. A restaurant, Terraza del Claris, on the rooftop terrace by the 'opulent' swimming pool, has a glass ceiling and a bar ('perfect for a 2 am nightcap on a hot summer night') and serves Mediterranean cuisine; East 47, with Warhol lithographs, serves cocktails and tapas. Breakfast is a 'beautifully presented' buffet in a pleasant basement room. 'Unabashedly pricey, but we found a good rate on the Internet.'