I’m not usually one for eulogizing about hotel bars, but if you are like me and enjoy watching one of the many fireworks displays that run throughout the year in Barcelona without having to battle with the hordes, then the Duquesa de Cardona is the place to be. On the sixth floor of this boutique hotel on Passeig de Colón, it is a cocktail bar with panoramic views out over the marina and the Med beyond. To the right is Montjuic, to the left Barcelona’s twin towers. Grab a sofa or a high table and take in the fireworks. On a slightly mundane note, it might be an idea to smuggle a bottle in with you. If the staff were anymore laid back they would fall over, and getting a drink can take a very long time. Still as they say, it’s location, location and the Duquesa has that in spades.