Cathedrals, gardens & Futbol: A Whirlwind London, Barcelona and Costa Brava Girls' trip

We were fortunate to take this trip due to my teenage nephew, Lucas, living in, and playing fútbol in Paris. Our travel planning started with the idea of seeing him play in the MIC Tournament, which was held in the Costa Brava region of Spain. We noticed that our itinerary was growing, as our plans evolved. This trip was originally going to be just me and my sister, but my daughter, Eliza, was able to join us, because dates coincided with her spring break. Using a mixture of points and dollars, we treated ourselves to the JetBlue MINT class of travel, flying out of Boston and into London's Gatwick Airport. I love how efficient arrivals in the UK are - slip your passport into the kiosk machine and you are on your way!

Image 1: The narrow winding streets lead either up to the ancient all or down to the Jewish Quarter. | Image 2: Sara and her daughter standing in front of the entrance to the Flemings Mayfair Michelin Star Restaurant Ormer.

First Stop:

Flemings Mayfair Hotel in Mayfair, of course! One of the Fora preferred perks included when booking this hotel is the one-way transfer to/from Heathrow Airport. (We were able to take advantage of that later.) I was very eager to experience this hotel as so many of my fellow advisors had raved about it. The service indeed was spectacular. From my initial correspondence at reservations onward, the attention to detail was superb. We stayed in a one-bedroom apartment, which felt like our own little refuge in this bustling city.

Eliza turned eighteen on the exact day that we arrived. The staff surprised her by setting up the dining table of our room with balloons, tins of biscuits, and candies from Harrods. They also left a sweet note wishing her a very happy birthday. As for the hotel itself, the staff is amazing, the design is lovely, there is the fantastic Michelin Star Ormer Restaurant, and the location is conveniently a few blocks away from a tube station. We stayed here for three nights, and our apartment even had a washer/dryer combo in the kitchen!

Notable Mentions:

We had the celebratory eighteenth birthday dinner at Kitty Fishers on our first night in London. The restaurant is cozy and candlelit in the perfect way you would want a little spot in London to be, tucked away in historic Shepherd Market. The bartender surprised Eliza with a cocktail that he referred to as their special birthday drink. I did not taste it, but she seemed pleased! The food was quintessentially British with a modern twist - and all delicious.

Parks!

Hyde Park, St. James, Green, Kensington Gardens - we loved all the lush, verdant open spaces!

Don't Miss These Spots in London!

•Westminster Abbey - a must do and get the audio tour if nothing else.
•London Walks Jack the Ripper Tour - very entertaining in a creepy way?
•Ave Mario for big personality Italian dining in the Theatre district. Truffle pasta was delicious and I know this sounds weird , but you must check out the toilets.
•SIX the Musical which is all the more special in LONDON! And a fun activity after you have just gotten a serious dose of English history during your tour at the Tower of London
•Harrods because you must - at least walk through the food halls.
•Brick Lane Vintage Market - we got my daughter a prom dress!
•Dinner in an igloo at Coppa Club Tower Bridge

Second Stop:

We were off to Barcelona on a very early flight out of Heathrow (we got to use the Flemings transfer perk!). We checked into The Almanac Hotel where we stayed in a family connecting room. While Eliza was thrilled to have her own room/bed, I was awed by the electronics in this place. Curtains (one button for the sheers, one for the blackouts), lights, the Toto Japanese toilet! And the welcome bottle of Cava waiting on ice for us in our room was a special touch. I loved this hotel. Unfortunately, we were only able to enjoy it for one night as our plans were to head to Girona, via a car-rental in the morning. We ended up putting off our departure time in order to enjoy the extravagant breakfast spread.

Image 1: St Clotilde Gardens - A pleasant discovery on a stop in Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava of Spain ; Image 2: Sagrada Familia - Absolute perfection despite the fact that the church has yet to be finished

Activities:

The Gothic Quarter, the Old Cathedral, Boqueria Market. We did a whirlwind tour of all of these spots on our first afternoon.

Next:

Girona is a small city with tons of personality and great food. We checked into Casa Cacao, a boutique hotel with an amazing rooftop, where the three Michelin Star restaurant El Celler de Can Roca lives. The breakfast at this hotel was three courses, I kid you not. We always took the third, the homemade pastries, to go and shared them with the fútbol players.

We happened to be in Girona a few days before Easter, and in our efforts to find La Bastia, the tapas restaurant where we'd made a last minute reservation, we found ourselves blocked by crowds of spectators watching a parade go by of people dressed as Roman legionnaires on horseback. We got to the restaurant eventually!

During out time in Costa Brava we watched six plus Fútbol matches, cheering on Lucas' team, as well as our adopted home team of Girona. We explored the magnificent Jardins de Santa Clotilde in Lloret de Mar, which sit upon the cliffs above a very dramatic coastline overlooking a raging Mediterranean sea. We explored the old city of Girona, walked the ancient Roman walls, and meandered through the winding streets in the well preserved Jewish Quarter.

Image 1: A stone statue memorial to William Shakespeare in Westminster Abbey.; Image 2: Almanac Hotel - Modern amenities with classic decor. The windows opens for fresh air onto the busting streets of Barcelona

Back to Barcelona:

We left the peaceful coast and headed back to the city, where we checked into our fourth hotel, Sir Victor, a member of the Design Hotels consortium. This hotel is edgy and fun. Despite being told a week prior to our arrival that our reservation did not qualify for the perks promised, manager Juame set us up with all of them upon arrival. He also found us a coveted table in the fantastic Mr. Porter that night. Sir Victor's rooftop bar is a delightful place to enjoy a cocktail, while taking in the great views - we could see tourists milling around the rooftop of Casa Mila, one of Catalan architect Antoni Guidi's many gems.

Speaking of Gaudi, of course we visited two of his most famous Barcelona designs: Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. To enter the Sagrada Familia, the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world, and take in its beauty is to feel utterly awed. I don't know how else to describe this Cathedral, but to say that it overwhelms the emotions in a glorious way. Park Guell is a huge space filled with delights from the Instagram-worthy tile-shard mosaic bench, to the whimsical buildings, to the aqueducts, all of which deserve a full afternoon to be explored.

Final stop:

We flew back to London for our last night. Our final hotel was Rubens at the Palace, which was the perfect ending to our stay. The doorman alone would've sold me on this hotel - he sang an enthusiastic rendition of "Happy Birthday" to my sister on the front steps, and was always there ready to help, with the most jolly disposition ever. Our room screamed tradition with its bright red silk covered walls and gold accents in a magnificent and royal way. Every single staff member was absolutely delightful at the Rubens. Our last day in London happened to be on Easter Sunday, which meant many shops were closed, but that was okay as we met up with more family (including the sister with the birthday), who arrived in London while we were in Spain. Our group of 8 enjoyed a celebratory Easter dinner at Granger & Co. Chelsea - which I highly recommend as well.

Checking out of the Rubens hotel the next morning was actually a delight, due to the demeanor of the woman who was working at the front desk. She was the sweetest person I'd ever met! She even said my signature was "lovely." The hotel is close to Victoria Station, and that allowed us to utilize the Gatwick Express Train the next morning. Our friendly doorman pointed us in the right direction, and we were off. Easy, quick and efficient. I love an organized queue!

I recommend all five hotels we stayed in - Flemings Mayfair for elegance and service and going the extra mile to make our stay special, the Almanac Hotel for modern amenities and location, Casa Cacao for the amazing breakfast and chocolate workshop next door, Sir Victor for fun, hip vibe and decor, and Rubens at the Palace for top notch attention to detail and traditional ambiance. This was a sister/mother/daughter trip for three but could easily suit other groups. You just need a flexible attitude, a desire to see new places and a good pair of walking shoes!