text: There's something about a city on a beach. Not a city on a river, but on a proper sandy holiday beach. Just knowing that for half the year you can take a dip in the Med after work, or sip rosé on the terrace of a seafront restaurant as the sun sets must be like living in a perpetual Mr Benn adventure, where you enter the fancy dress shop, trade your suit for a sundress, and walk through the magic door to a beach party. I've been to a handful of 'beach at the end of the street' cities in Australia and the US, but the only one I know where you walk through cobbled lanes and past Gothic palaces to get there is Barcelona. If you can't wangle living there full-time, then Barcelona must surely be a top contender for the best city break destination. An overview of Barcelona, the city of contrasting art and architecture with a handy beach alongside it . One moment visitors are marvelling at such landmarks as Gaudi's unfinished Sagrada Familia Church... ... The next locals and tourists alike are strolling to the beach for an after swim or game of volleyball . First of all, there's the jaw dropping architecture. No other city in the world has as many buildings on the Unesco world heritage list as Barcelona, from Roman walls to the fantastical creations of Gaudi. Finally, after a number of false starts, Andrea Catherwood got to stay at the iconic Hotel Arts . There's enough art and culture to keep you busy for a decade of weekend breaks, plus cracking food, colourful markets and plenty of places to party all night long. We stayed at the Hotel Arts, a modern masterpiece of the city. It's a glittering 44-storey skyscraper of glass and steel, towering over the beaches and Port Olimpic as well as the nearby old fishermen's quarter of Barceloneta, where a warren of narrow streets are festooned with laundry from apartments above the tiny tapas bars. The contrast could jar, but in this eclectic city it works. At the foot of the hotel is Frank Gehry's huge futuristic sculpture of a golden fish, El Peix d'Or, installed to mark the 1992 Olympics. I've wanted to stay at the Hotel Arts since I read about it in Tatler in 1997, when it won its Best Hotel in the World award, but I've had a few false starts along the way. I first brushed shoulders with it on a hen weekend a year later, when there was still a sombrero-full of pesetas to the pound. I persuaded the girls to pack away the L-plates and head there for cocktails (it probably doubled the budget of the whole weekend) before we rushed back to the nightclubs of Las Ramblas. In 2012, I tried to book a stay there during Chelsea's clash with Barcelona in the semi-final of the Champions League, but there must have been an 'oligarchs-only' policy because it was fully booked. Just last year, I was chairing a conference in the city, where we had a reception on the hotel's terraces. During the evening, Barcelona's charismatic mayor, Artur Mas, made an impassioned case for Catalan independence, before taking questions in English, French and Italian. Catherwood calls Hotel Arts as a modern masterpiece, a glittering 44-storey skyscraper of glass and steel . The footpath for walkers and joggers along Barceloneta Beach with Hotel Arts and Mapfre tower behind . Now, finally, I was here, unencumbered by work, football fans or hen weekends, with no more baggage than a weekend case. Although it's only a two hour hop from London, unfortunately that's not where I started from. I arrived after midnight, somewhat jaded after a long-haul flight from Asia, but was quickly revived by the warm reception from staff and the cool lobby, where the flower arrangements look like art installations. Things were just livening up in Frank's bar (named after the creator of the fish sculpture) where the signature cocktails were delicious and the staff were so friendly that it would have been churlish not to have another one. One building our writer is always drawn to, among  the stunning buildings of Barcelona, is Gaudi's Casa Batllo . So it was not until the following morning that we could appreciate the views from our room - from one window we could see Port Olimpic and the shining Mediterranean, from another we could make out Gaudi's unfinished church, the Sagrada Familia. The old city was a 15-minute stroll along the beachfront which was buzzing even on a winter weekend, with volleyball matches, sailing and paddle-boarding taking place. The narrow streets and medieval alleyways of the Gothic quarter opened unexpectedly on to grand squares, so we suddenly found ourselves in front of a cathedral or a gem of a Renaissance palace. Of all the stunning buildings, the one I'm drawn to every time is Gaudi's Casa Batllo, a building of curves and flowing lines covered in tiny mosaic and wrought iron balconies. It's like nothing else. By sunset we'd made it up to the National Museum of Art. The building is breathtaking - it's modelled on the Basilica in Rome - and inside has some of the most astounding ancient frescos removed from churches in the Pyrenees. Tourists pose in front of the National Museum of Art, a breathtaking building modelled on Rome's Basilica . Of course, in Barcelona you're never far from a bar and the hallmark of every good city break is large amount of eating and drinking to had among all that marching and culture. In fact, we seemed to dine in an obscenely large number of places given that we were only in the city for a weekend. Bella Rosa is a beachfront favourite - the food is excellent and there's a South Beach Miami feel, even though it's on the fringes of Barceloneta. Near the Sagrada Familia, the Café Sel is worth a visit just for the pastries. The two Michelin-starred Enoteca is the flagship restaurant of Hotel Arts - it's stunning but not stuffy . My out and out favourite was Mont Bar. It's not much to look at from the outside, but the atmosphere is laidback and bohemian, the chef works creative magic with whatever has arrived from the market that day, and the results are truly amazing. The food at the Hotel Arts is considered among the finest in Barcelona. The two Michelin-starred Enoteca is the flagship restaurant - it's stunning but not stuffy, and you fully expect Penelope Cruz to be dining with Pedro Almodovar at the next table (Hotel Arts is where she and many Hollywood A-listers stay). Perhaps fittingly, given Enoteca's superstar status, we were served Miraval Rosé from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's estate in Provence. Hotel Arts Barcelona offers rooms from €245 (£180) per night, including breakfast. British Airways (0844 493 0787) offers flights to Barcelona from Heathrow and Gatwick. Return fares start from £74. In Barcelona, the art isn't just in museums. As we wandered down a side street past a small, open-fronted car park, one of the prime spots was taken up by a huge avant garde sculpture of a bull. It's a great city to get lost in and some of the best sights aren't in the tourist guides. There are not so many 'must sees' that you need to have a precise agenda. Anyway, I'd rather miss out on another art exhibition and linger over lunch, all the time hoping that, unlike in Mr Benn, the shopkeeper doesn't suddenly appear and invite me to go home.
target: Andrea Catherwood stayed at the modern masterpiece Hotel Arts .
  Dined in the hotel's two Michelin-starred flagship restaurant, Enoteca .
  Drank  Miraval Rosé from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's estate in Provence .
  Of all the stunning buildings, the one I'm drawn to is Gaudi's Casa Batllo .
  A great city to get lost in with some of the best sights not in tourist guides .