A home from home in bustling Barcelona

VIBRANT Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city that ticks all the boxes. Whether you're a culture vulture, foodie, sun worshipper or party animal, the Catalan capital has something for everyone.

Instead of hostels or hotels, my party of friends opted to stay in an apartment.

Based on a group of people sharing it works out to be very affordable and it's far more relaxing on a longer stay than being cooped up in a single room.

We stayed in a two-bedroom apartment in Portaferrissa, a cobbled shopping street off the reverberating Ramblas.

It had a spacious living room, laden with comfy sofas — one of which can be pulled out into a double bed — a plasma TV, internet access and balcony, which was ideal for sipping cava on as the sun went down.

The sumptuous double bedroom, complete with en suite, had plenty of wardrobe space for any holidays purchases.

The single room was situated next to a delightfully modern shower room.

There was also a kitchen/diner which offered the option of cooking for yourself.

This certainly came in handy for breakfast, lunch and the odd dinner, definitely allowing us to save some pounds, which are not very strong against the Euro at the moment. Plus the supermarket aisles are packed full of affordably delicious delights, such as cured meats, cheeses, olives and fresh bread, ideal for concocting your own table of tapas.

Much of Barcelona is easily covered on foot, so we followed our noses and got lost in the old town, discovering some great little corners and alleys along the way.

You can't visit the city without paying homage to Antoni Gaudi, indeed his abstract architecture hogs both the limelight, and the skyline.

We climbed the towers of The Sagrada Familia, an evolving cathedral of the designer's extraordinary vision, and meandered round Parc Guell, which bristled with Gaudi's secretive symbolism. A highlight was settling on the wavy mosaic benches to take in the views.

The city is full of squares, perfect for people watching and coffee breaks, but the creme de la creme is certainly Placa Reial.

Punctuated with tall palm-trees and Gaudi's vine-like lampposts, which cluster around the much-copied Three Graces fountain, adding to the tropical feel. Come night fall its boutique bars grow lively around the gateway to the gothic quarter.

Prior to the 1992 Olympics Barcelona made little of its shabby seafront and harbour, but since then the Old Port has metamorphosed into a polished pleasure port.

You can admire luxury yachts as you saunter around the marina and over the wooden footbridge, known as the Rambla de Mar — an extension of the Ramblas.

To really see the harbour in style take a ride on the cable car.

For a welcome antidote to Barca's hectic metropolis head to Sitges for a day, with it's pretty, sandy beaches.

Meander the back streets to seek out the most unassuming, family-owned joints for the best tapas and a suitably traditional dining experience.

Dancing after dark is a must, but don't expect the action to crank up until midnight.

We used holiday rental company HomeAway, which has a broad selection of holiday apartments available all over the world.

To book the Barcelona's Portaferrissa apartment, visit www.homeaway.co.uk/p414974.

Easyjet offer reasonable flights to Barcleona from Bristol and London. Details: www.easyjet.com.