Barcelona is a Mediterranean city as well as a busy shipping, fishing and ferry port with numerous beaches and pleasure boat marinas, but few hotels in the city sit as close to the sea as the Accor Pullman Barcelona Skipper, a property located just a five-minute walk to a long stretch of beach in the Barceloneta neighborhood.

I arrived on an early summer morning via the convenient Ciutadella/Vila Olímpica metro stop, a three-minute walk through a lovely park to the hotel’s front entrance. A friendly front desk staffer informed me my room was not yet available but I could enjoy the buffet breakfast at the ground-floor Syrah restaurant while I waited, and/or change into a bathing suit in the Fit & Spa Lounge and use one of the two outdoor swimming pools.

The interior of the property is colorful, with red, black and white accents throughout, with lots of wood furnishings in the public areas and guestrooms and a somewhat nautical theme. The former owner and builder of the hotel, which opened in 2006 and was purchased by the French chain Accor in 2009, maintained a yacht in a nearby marina. All 241 guestrooms are quite spacious, about 325 square feet, larger for the suites, and many feature balconies large enough for two chairs and a table, overlooking the hotel’s pool, flower garden and the Mediterranean. The 40-inch televisions rotate out from the wall, making it possible to watch from the work desk, the bed or from the room’s comfortable reading chair. Another nice in-room amenity is the bar area with coffee/tea accoutrements, two wine glasses, china cups, silverware and a fully-stocked minibar. There is complimentary WiFi throughout the hotel, including at the outdoor swimming pools.

The long, rectangular bathroom sink with two faucets and a large, heated fog-free vanity mirror complete a unique concept that works well. Other bath amenities include a phone next to the toilet commode, a large rain shower head and C.O. Bigelow toiletries.

Located on the lower level, more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space includes 10 meeting rooms lit by skylights and a 675-person assembly hall. The Connectivity Lounge business center on the lobby level offers desktop computers, printers, additional meeting space and audiovisual hardware for small-group presentations.

The hotel restaurant on the lobby level serves full lunch and dinner menus, with indoor or outdoor dining options, offering everything from salads and sandwiches to grilled fresh fish, organic beef and Iberian ham. The Power Lunch serves a healthy, energy-packed lunch in 45 minutes for business guests on the go.

I enjoyed the rooftop pool terrace, with its views of the sea and architect Frank Gehry’s huge steel fish sculpture; it’s a great place for an early-morning or late-afternoon swim. The pool is heated and open year-round; there are chaises for sunbathing and a covered patio where light snacks and drinks are served from the rooftop service bar.

The Pullman Skipper lies within the Barceloneta neighborhood, with its historic narrow streets, a beachside biking and walking promenade, small seafood restaurants and outdoor cafés. The hotel is also near El Poblenou, a former semi-industrial neighborhood now a vibrant and revitalized urban district with a wonderful local ambience and design-driven buildings by Jean Nouvel, Herzog & de Meuron and Dominique Perrault. It is not yet infiltrated by tour buses. Barcelona’s popular downtown attractions, including the Gothic Quarter and the Picasso Museum, are a 15- to 20-minutes walk from the hotel.

Accor Pullman Barcelona Skipper

Av. del Litoral 10
Barcelona, Spain