The tourist overtake of Barcelona has got Catalonia-philes seeking out new spaces, and Le Méridien Ra, west of Sitges, is a beneficiary. To welcome urban escapees, the beach hotel has updated its cocktail bar and restaurant, experimenting with terrazzo and sun-burnt colours that reflect the warmth of the region. The new changes have allowed it to extend the holiday season.

Located in a former sanatorium for TB patients, the hotel has a strong connection to the mature gardens and sea beyond. Building on that, Zoe Masterton-Smith of the boutique London practice Transit Studio began her transformation in the Tempus bar, once the building’s chapel. A bijou space just off the soaring lobby, the bar now benefits from full-height doors to a leafy terrace and a fireplace for instant winter warm-ups. The Transit founder’s masterstroke was finding a palette of varying local terrazzos to underpin long banks of tactile seating and to customise a central bar.

Moving along to the all-day restaurant La Terrassa del Mar, Masterton-Smith pivoted to sea-blue and lush green upholsteries, which interact with white plaster walls for a cooler feel. New terracotta-tiled arches open up visibility and flow down the long space, from the courtyard garden to the seaside terrace. And a shimmering azure-tile ceiling acts like a bizarro reflecting pool.

At the same time, the hotel improved its spa facilities and now opens to the public year-round.

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