Barcelona is well-known throughout Spain and beyond for the quality of its doctors and clinics and an increasing number of people are now going to the city to experience a type of tourism that has more to do with syringes and bandages than with the Ramblas and Gaudi.

Many of those who undergo surgery in Barcelona do not actally live in the city but come from other areas of Spain and abroad seeking the specializations offered by the private clinics in the Catalan capital. As a result a range of hotels in Barcelona have opened for business that can cater for the particular needs of the type of guest who cannot return home immediately after undergoing surgery.

According to Eva de Aurora, commercial director of the Hotel ABaC in Barcelona, “about 60% of the people who visit Barcelona come on holiday and around 40% visit because of business trips. But there is a new type of tourism, medical tourism, which has started to grow recently”.

The Hotel ABaC is located in the exclusive neighborhood of Sant Gervasi, where many hospitals and top private clinics can also be found. Mrs de Aurora describes the hotel as a “little oasis of peace” and explains that the hotel opened in 2008 to take advantage of this growing market. The hotel has 15 rooms, one of them is a penthouse with a terrace of 90 sqm with outdoor jacuzzi and a view of the city to help relaxation “just as the doctor would order”.

Tranquility and privacy are paramount in this hotel and is maintained by having so few guests. The restaurant is also completely surrounded by a garden, where guests could almost feel as if they are in the countryside instead of the middle of the second city in Spain. Hotel ABaC has the only restaurant with two Michelin stars in Barcelona. The restaurant is an attraction in itself and one of the reasons why many decide to stay at the hotel. Meals can be created that conform to any special post-operative diet instructions. If guests require post-operative therapy, the hotel has a spa in the basement for the exclusive use of guests.