Waikiki Beach Near Barcelona? Yes!

A little Barcelona playa action is always nice but they are full of people and and noisy venders (If you can’t make it out of Barcelona for the beach though, then check out our free ebook on the best barcelona beaches). Not so far from Barcelona, though, you can reach some pretty beautiful places that will thrill you with their beauty and tranquility and one of the coolest can be found amongst the Tarragona playas, just a short hop from BCN.

Waikiki beach:

There is one place I have discovered called Waikiki beach, just like the famous Hawaii beach. I went there with some friends for a day and we didn’t want to leave. It’s like magic!

The water is so blue and there is more than enough wide open space. The atmosphere is quiet and paradise-esque! It is a real change from the dirty and distracting Barcelona playas!! And it is not so far from Barcelona. Waikiki beach is located 10km from Tarragona  close to a little village called La Mora. Tarragona from Barcelona is about 1h by car, and the trip is really worth it!

From La Mora, we had to walk in a pine forest for about 10 minutes, and it was a welcome venture into nautre, and we enjoyed all it’s smells and great colors… It actually made us think of the movie “The Beach”… After this short nice walk we arrived at a beautiful beach with with only about 10 people on a huge creek surrounded by cliffs . Personally,  I think Waikiki beach is one of the best beaches near Barcelona.

Everyone says hello to each other, the convivial atmosphere is there !!! Well, I didn’t tell you everything… Most of these people are nudists…Not all of them but quite a lot. These hidden creeks are pretty convenient for them. But don’t worry if you don’t want to have a brown bottom there is a lot of space so you can escape from the nude world or just choose not to participate.

Waikiki Beach Photos (How Cool!?)

Waikiki location:

From Barcelona, there are two roads reaching La Mora, a motorway and a highway. For sure it takes more time by the highway but this route also helps you avoid the 18€ of toll.

Careful with the traffic jams on the highway to Barcelona, especially on Sundays afternoons.

As you see on the above map there are 2 “dream” beaches, the one on the left is my personal favourite with high cliffs.

In the parking lot you will find some  nice restaurants with sea-view terraces. they also sell sandwiches. There are no supermarkets in La Mora so if you want your own lunch bring a picknick!

What about a post card from Waikiki beach made by our very own Caroline from Suitelife :

Check out our Day trips from Barcelona blog, you’ll see other  great places to go around barcelona and our video about Marbella beach if you’re into the nude tanning.

Tell us about your experiences around Barcelona, which hidden paradises places have you enjoyed the most???

Cheers,

Hugo

All the Best Events in Barcelona, May 2012

Labour Day 1^st

The 1^st of May is a national holiday known as ‘Labour Day’ in many countries and Spain is one of them.  There will be some demonstrations in and marches led by trade unions in the city centre.  They will usually be around Placa de la universitat and passeig de Gracia.

Barcelona Poetry Week 8^th – 17^th may

Barcelona’s international poetry week is one of the many Cultural Barcelona events that take place each year.  There are poetry readings in many places around the city and most of the poetry is in Catalan or Spanish.   Check out the website for more details.

Website

Sports Film Festival FICTS (2012) 10^th – 12^th

This year is the 3^rd edition of the Barcelona international FICTS festival.  It is part of the world FICTS challenge, which is a collection of sport film festivals in countries all over the world.  There will be 70 films, based on a variety of different sports, competing in this year’s festival.  The main venue for the festival is in the heart of park de montjuic at the ‘The Museu Olímpic’ and ‘de l’Esport Joan Antoni Samaranch’.  For more information see the website.

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Spanish Gran Prix 11^th – 13^th

Formula 1 is coming to Barcelona! The Spanish Gran Prix is held just outside Barcelona each year at the Circuit de Catalunya, Montmelo.  28km North of the City.    There are many covered stands around the track and ticket prices for the weekend go from over €3,500 (paddock club ticket) down to just above €200.  So if you want to watch Alonso, Vettel, and Hamilton race round a track at unbelievable speeds then check the Gran Prix website for more info and tickets.

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Tibidabo Race, 19^th

La pujada al Tibidabo is an annual uphill race that goes all the way to the top of mount Tibidabo.  The race is 9km long and is part of the Up hill Series.  The race goes through the beautiful Collserola Park and throughout the route you get amazing views of the city.  So if you like running and a bit of a challenge then this is not to be missed.

Website

Route Map

Museum Night, 19^th

This is a great event each year in Barcelona where more than 50 museums throughout the city remain open during the night until 1 am and they are all free to visit.  Last year over 100,000 people took advantage of this great opportunity.  There will also be activities such as concerts and performances.  This is a night of fun you can’t miss.  For more information check the website.

Website

Spanish Cup Final (Copa del Rey) FC Barcelona Vs Athletic Bilbao, 25^th

FC Barcelona will compete in the Spanish Cup final in Madrid.  This means the city streets will be empty and the bars full as all the local football fans watch one of the most important games in Spanish football.  It’s always fun to watch Barcelona play in a local bar because the Barcelona fans get so into it, making the atmosphere electric.  Try watching the game in an Irish pub in Barcelona, which will be full of locals and expats all cheering and shouting.

Dilluns de Pasqua Granada (Public Holiday in Catalunya) 28^th May

It’s another Public Holiday in Barcelona. Why not go to the beach.  Read our free E-book all about Barcelona beaches to help you decide which one.

Primavera Sound, 30^th May – 3^rd June

Primavera Sound is one of Europe’s biggest and best Festivals.  With over 100,000 visitors last year and this year will be even bigger.  There is a great mix of genres such as, Rock, pop, indie, hip-hop, jazz, electro and more! There will be more than 150 artists and lots of big names too! For more information read our Primavera Sound 2012 Bolg.

If you have any questions or know of any other great Barcelona events, we would love to hear about them. Please leave a comment below.

Cheers

Matthew Rutter

Barcelona Film Festival 2012

A great event in Barcelona is coming: the D’A Festival International de Cinema d’Autor 2012. It will start on Friday 27th and lasts until the 6th of May. And if you want more, la Filmoteca de Catalunya will keep showing some of the movies until the 17th of May.

This Barcelona film festival presents some of the best independent movies of the last decade. Directors and actors are not really well known for most of them but they are among the best in the cinema of auteur theory style. There are 5 categories: Direccions, Talents, Special Sessions, Absolut Risc, Autoria Catalana.

Claire Denis Retrospective and my top 3

The festival highlights the French female director Claire Denis by showing 11 of her movies. Escape from Barcelona for a while by watching some of her famous movies shot in Africa.

Here are my top 3 movies that you should watch during the film festival in Barcelona.

Les Bien Aimés by Christophe Honoré

Christophe Honoré is a famous French director and his movies are just amazing. Les Bien Aimés is no exception to the rule! It’s the story of a mother and her daughter (Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroiani, they are mother and daughter in real life!) and their misfortune in love. Don’t be surprised, it’s a musical movie. If you like this movie and Paris, I suggest you watch Love Songs, probably Honoré’s biggest hit.

Puzzled Love

This movie has been made by 13 young Spanish directors from Barcelona. Sun and Lucas are Erasmus students in Barcelona. They fall in love and want to enjoy this year to the max. But everything has to come to an end…
The assembly of the 13 different parts should lead to something very interesting. The soundtrack seems almost perfect! If you want to know about more movies shot in Barcelona, have a look at this blog on the top 5 movies set in Barcelona.

Snowtown

Probably THE Australian movie of 2011, Snowtown is based on a true story. This thriller has won 3 prizes and has been nominated 11 times. Are you ready for one of the darkest movies about one of the most famous Australian serial killers ever?

Info

Where? The movies will be shown in Aribau Espacios Cine Club (Gran Via 565-567) and at the Filmoteca de Catalunya (Plaça Salvador Segui 1-9).

When? From Friday 27th April, to Sunday 6th May. You can check the program here.

Prices? An individual ticket is 7€ (6€ for students, Jove card, retired people); pass for 5 entries is 25€ (only at Aribau Espacios).

Which movies are you gonna watch? Any good plans to share where we can watch this cinema d’author in Barcelona? Let us know! Check this if you’re looking for VO cinema in Barcelona.

Caroline

Art In Barcelona

“Architecture + Interactive Art”: this is how they describe their project. Corretger5 brings together architects that want to experiment with art in all its forms: photo, design, architecture, theatre…

When I went there last Saturday, I didn’t know what to expect. A friend took me there because she heard about it from someone, who heard about it from someone else, who… you get the picture!

The place is charming, it’s an old stable transformed into an atelier that becomes a gallery during exhibitions or a venue for shows. The neighborhood is great as well, as it is located in el Born, in Barcelona.

La Folie Condal: a Cabaret in Barcelona

Design Barcelona: Studiostore has got it all!

One of the hottest spots for design Barcelona that promotes culture, art and creativity is Studiostore, the lively multi-purpose open space in the heart of the Born area.

Calle Comerc was always one of my favorite streets. There is the Chocolate museum with the best chocolate pralines and probably the best hot chocolate in town and when you enter you feel as if you’re taking a tour of Charlie’s chocolate factory (only without Oumpaloompas, unfortunately). Then you cross the street and you have the Mutt Gallery and Iguapop (a cool clothing store) and the new and original concept store Studiostore.

We visited a few days ago and were lucky to be able to talk to its owner and idea maker Lafede, who told us some “behind the scenes” information about her interesting concept.
The Studiostore was born recently, but it has already won high praise in design Barcelona. Lafede and her team opened the doors of this store in January 2012 and by doing this she also opened the curtains of a cool space, which hadn’t been used in over 20 years. She told us it was all a lucky coincidence how she found the place; I would say the street called her, because Studiostore totally fits into the neighborhood. Studiostore is 300 m2 divided into studio space and the store, which has two floors. Big neon lightning saying TOGETHER all over one wall of the store represents one of the Studiostore mottos – being together and Back to basics.

Lafede is primarily dedicated to furniture design, lightning and retail spaces but as she said, she didn’ t want to be closed in her studio without the opportunity to meet her possible clients. By mixing her studio space with a 2 floor showroom she creates just that, the ability to meet with existing clients and the opportunity to turn window shoppers into new clients.

Studiostore collaborates with some well-known designers such as Woouf!, Sheriff & Cherry and Paco Rueda and together they release a collection of items that are sold in the front store. Besides all of this there are many events, conferences or pop-up stores happening in Studiostore as well. The lastest event that has recently finished was called The Gran Bazzar, where one can find original pieces from about 50 Barcelona artists including clothes, accessories, furniture, or design gadgets.
The next event will start in May and studiostore will open its walls to talented Barcelona photographers, so don’t miss it.

Lafede (Federica Sandretti), Italian designer and architect, specialized in retail design, came to Barcelona 12 years ago. She worked with Custo Barcelona, but had an idea of connecting her own studio with an open space that would bring and connect people interested in design and art. That´s how the idea of Studiostore was born and after 3 months of running this concept store we can already tell that it worked out well.

See you in Studiostore!

Sarka

SuiteLife’s Featured Barcelona Flat of the week: Just imagine living here.

Hidden Paseo Palace is one or our most luxurious, comfortable and modern flats in Barcelona.  It has a beautiful interior and has been fitted with comfortable and elegant furniture.  It is clear that the owner has taken great pride in fitting out this flat.

This 2 bedroom flat is in a brilliant location.  In the Eixample area, and right next to Rambla Catalunya, you are right in the centre of the city.  You can also find one of Barcelona’s best shopping streets, Passege de Gracia, only 2 minutes walk away.

The flat is 90m2 with a tranquil little balcony and two bedrooms.  There is a large open plan living/dining room, with a huge flat screen TV and a very comfortable couch.  The Kitchen has a very sleek and modern design and is fully equipped with everything you would need.  The flat has hardwood flooring, heating and air-conditioning throughout, just to make sure you are extra comfortable.

This Beautiful flat is Available now for rent at €1700 per month. Click here to see the full listing.

For more information, or if you just feel like telling us how much you love this flat, leave a comment below or contact us anytime.

Cheers, Matt

Lady Gaga Presents Her 2012 Tour

Little Monsters will be glad to know that Mother Monster is coming to town on the 6^th October 2012 and she’s going to rock Palau Sant Jordi all night long. It will be the only date for Lady Gaga in Spain and the last one of her European Born this way Ball Tour.

The Born this way Ball

After the Fame Ball and the Monster Ball, Lady Gaga is back with the Born This Way Ball. Be ready for a show

of extravaganzas and craziness. This tour is a sort of extension of the others, with the same crowd of rebel riders and a dark Christmas spirit… Lady Gaga is gonna drive Barcelona crazy!

The concert is on October 2012 but tickets will be on sale on the 19^th of April, so in just 2 days! And when you know that tickets for her concerts in Hong Kong and Singapore have sold out in less than one hour, you’d better hurry! You will be able to buy them on the usual websites. Prices are not released yet, but it will be expensive for sure.

Are you gaga about Gaga? Will you be one of the luckiest people that will meet her backstage and enjoy the show in the “Monster Pit”? Do you know that Lady Gaga will play the role of the Aliens’ Mother in the next Men In Black movie (MIB³)?!

Don’t forget to read our other blogs about the Sonar 2012 in Barcelona and the Primavera Sound Festival, 2 other chances to enjoy amazing concerts in Barcelona!

Caroline

The Welkin Contest = Free Trip to Barcelona!

Are you an artist? Wanna win a free trip to Barcelona, Spain? Then you must checkout The Welkin ARTBOX project.  The deadline’s arriving quickly so read the info below and get started!

When our friend Rebecca told us about The Welkin ARTBOX Contest we were immediately intrigued.  Basically, here’s the scoop:

The Contest & How you Can Win a Trip to Barcelona

The Welkin Contest presents ARTBOX, a large scale art installation in conjunction with SWAB Barcelona 2012, and is offering the chance to one emerging contemporary artist to be flown to Barcelona to take part in designing and creating this exciting project.

The ARTBOX project showcases the work of a hand selected group of urban-contemporary artists from Spain and abroad. Each artist is invited to customise one ARTBOX, size 1.80 x 1.80 meters. Using mediums such as Montana spray paint, acrylic paint, house paint or found objects; the 3-dimensional wooden boxes will be completely covered on all four sides. The 10 cube installation will be on display at the exterior entrance of SWAB, in Plaza Universo, creating a labyrinth of art to welcome the 20,000 expected visitors. The aim is to introduce SWAB visitors to a new generation of contemporary artists and invite viewers to interact with art in a new way.

The Welkin Contest is offering one talented European artist the chance to take part in the ARTBOX project. Through a competition platform, young and emerging visual artists from across Europe are invited to design one of the 10 ARTBOXES. A panel of judges will decide the winner in early May 2012. The winner will have the opportunity to participate in the ARTBOX project alongside 9 other recognized contemporary painters and the chance to get their work seen by a large array of collectors and art lovers.

More information can be found here: www.thewelkincontest.com
And here: www.facebook.com/TheWelkinContest
And here: www.swab.es/artbox

Don’t miss this chance to have your work seen by over 20,000 contemporary art fans, curators and critics!

Important Dates:

Application Deadline: April 20, 2012
Submission Deadline: May 4, 2012
Winner Announced: May 8, 2012
ARTBOX Workshop: May 19 – 23, 2012
SWAB Art Fair: May 23-26, 2012

Know anyone who might be interested? Pass them the info!

Cheers,

Benny

SuiteLife’s Featured Flat of the Week – You could live in this large luxury apartment

Victoria’s dreamy attic is a large gorgeous attic apartment in the Gracia neighbourhood in Barcelona.  This apartment is not only big on the inside; it also has a huge and very beautiful terrace.  The owners have taken very good care of the terrace and planted lots of greenery to make it look and feel more like a garden.  The terrace is 45m2 and has high walls for extra privacy.  It even has some self-watering plants.

The Interior of the flat is 141 m2 making it one of the largest flats we have.  It has a stunning living room, with lots of light and sliding doors that lead to the terrace.  The kitchen is very modern and fully equipped with all the appliances that you would need.  There are two double bedrooms one of which has an en-suite and a balcony which also happens to be huge.  As an added bonus there is Tarima hardwood flooring and heating/air conditioning throughout the flat.

This Attic is in a great location in Gracia and is very close to diagonal and Passeig de Gracia, one of the best streets in Barcelona for designer shopping. The flat is available from the 1^st of April 2012 for €2000 / month.  You can see the full listing by clicking here. How much do you want to live in this flat?  Send us a mail or give us a ring anytime to set up a visit. Cheers Matt

Events in Barcelona April 2012:

Semana Santa in Barcelona

Semana Santa is the week leading up to Easter and is translated to “holy week”.  Semana Santa starts on palm Sunday, the 1^st of April, and lasts a week until Easter Sunday.  All the schools are closed for the week and there are public holidays on Friday the 6^th and Monday the 9^th.   There are processions on palm Sunday and good Friday (6^th) in Barcelona where thousands take to the streets to commemorate this “holy week”. The photo below is of an Easter ceremony in Plaza Real.

FC Barcelona Vs Ac Milan: Champions League Quarter finals.  Tuesday the 3^rd 20:45

Barcelona faces AC Milan for the second leg of the Champions league Quarter Final.  The first leg resulted in a draw 2 – 2.  The Match is at Camp Nou and Barcelona are the favourites.  This is sure to be an exciting match so be sure to get yourself down to a bar for a great atmosphere and lots of excited Barca fans.  When Barcelona plays the bars in the city are always fun.  Bayern Munich and Marseille also play their champions league Quarter Final second leg at the same time, with Munich leading 2 – 0.  You may struggle to find somewhere to watch this game in Barcelona Bars tho.  Irish Pubs are a great place to watch the footy.  Check out our Top 5 Irish Pubs in Barcelona blog to know where to find them.

Barcelona Restaurant week: Friday the 13^th to Sunday the 22^nd

This month there is a great thing called Barcelona restaurant week where some of the best restaurants offer fantastic meals for only €25, €24 for the restaurant and €1 for charity.   There are more than 30 restaurants taking part and on any normal day you could expect to pay on average between €40 and €80 for a meal at these assorted restaurants, so €25 is a great deal.  Follow the link below to see which restaurants are taking part and to reserve a table.

Barcelona Restaurant Week

Sant Jordi: Monday 23^rd

Sant Jordi is the patron saint of Catalonia and the whole of Barcelona comes alive with red and gold Catalan flags everywhere.  The bakeries even go patriotic by adding red sobrassada pate stripes to their bread.  Sant Jordi is also the Ctalan Valentines day. You can read all about it on our blog on Sant Jordi Day in Barcelona.

The Barcelona Tennis open (ATP world Tour): Saturday 21^st – Sunday the 29^th

Some of the worlds best tennis players come to Barcelona to play in the ATP Barcelona Open.  It’s the second biggest tennis tournament in Spain behind the Madrid Masters.  The tournament is staged at the real club de Tenis Barcelona, which is the oldest Spanish tennis club. Rafael Nadal has won it six times out of the last seven so don’t be surprised if he wins again.

Fira de la Terra: Saturday 21^st – Sunday 22^nd

The Barcelona Earth Fair takes part every year in conjunction with Earth Day, which is on the 22^nd.  This Event is meant to raise awareness about global warming and all environmental issues, to help teach people how they can help save the earth.  Earth day started in America and is now a global event.  On Earth Day famous landmarks across the world will have their lights turned off for one hour to raise awareness about climate change and promote a “greener lifestyle”.  The Fira de la Terra Barcelona is held in Park Ciutadella.

Website

FC Barcelona Vs Real Madrid: El Classico. Sunday the 22^nd

When Barcelona Plays Real Madrid the streets in Barcelona are empty and the bars are full.  It seems like almost everyone in Barcelona is watching the big game.  This El Classico is in Camp Nou, and if Barcelona beat real Madrid, there will be a gathering of Barca fans Celebrating and singing in or near Plaza Catalunya.  If you’re not lucky enough to go to the stadium you should go to a bar for a fun and exciting atmosphere.  A good place to go is one of Barcelona’s best Irish pubs.

If you have any questions or comments we would love to hear them.

Cheers

Matthew Rutter