Arola sits on a private terrace at Hotel Arts Barcelona on Carrer de la Marina, a poolside bar and restaurant looking out over Port Olimpic and the sea. It pairs chef Sergi Arola's tapas with an aperitif programme and a DJ, and the view does a lot of the work.
Who would love it: a drinker who wants a glass of cava or a gin tonic with the Mediterranean in front of them and small plates on the side. Who would not: a budget traveller, since this is a five-star hotel terrace and the prices read accordingly.
The setting is the headline. The hotel's own page describes a private sun terrace with views over the sea and creative takes on Mediterranean classics served tapas style for sharing. In good weather the room moves outdoors, which is the version worth booking. The terrace sits beside the hotel pool with the marina and the Frank Gehry fish sculpture in the frame, which is the postcard most guests come for.
The drinks follow the aperitif-and-terrace template. Per Hotel Arts, DJs play every evening and live music lands on Thursdays through summer, so the room shifts from a relaxed early-evening drink to a louder scene as the night runs. Cava, gin tonics and a short cocktail list anchor the bar alongside the Arola tapas. A table on a summer weekend is worth booking ahead, since the terrace fills once the music starts.
Marcus Webb's read on the pour: this is a terrace built for long aperitifs, so order to the setting rather than chasing a complex stirred drink. A dry cava or a well-built gin tonic with a clean tonic holds up against the heat and the small plates, and it suits the slow pace of a sea-view table better than anything fussy. Keep the spirit bright and let the view carry the evening.
The crowd is a hotel-guest and special-occasion mix, heavier on visitors than locals given the Port Olimpic address. It runs calmer early and builds with the DJ, so the timing decides the bar you get. Reviewers on Yelp, where the listing was updated in May 2026, frame it as a polished terrace for a drink and shared plates rather than a late-night destination.
What guests flag, across the hotel listing and review sites, is consistent. The sea views, the terrace and the tapas earn the praise, while the cautions are the expected five-star ones: high prices and a need to book for a good table in season. Treat it as an occasion drink, not a casual round.
Best time to go: early evening for golden light and a quieter terrace before the DJ lifts the volume, ideally on a warm night when the outdoor room is open. Hours run lunch and dinner with midweek closures, so confirm before a special trip. Arola is a sea-view aperitif terrace that delivers exactly the polished evening it promises.
It earns its place among the city's terraces on the view and the kitchen, not a deep spirits shelf. See where it sits among the best rooftop bars in Barcelona, and read our wider guide to the best bars in Barcelona for the full picture.
Pair this bar with
For the rooftop in the same hotel building, compare La Isabela at Hotel Arts Barcelona. For a design-hotel rooftop with cocktails, try Eclipse Bar at W Barcelona. And for a central rooftop terrace, Hotel Ohla Rooftop Barcelona makes the natural second stop.
Sources
Arola official (Hotel Arts Barcelona) · Yelp: Arola Barcelona · Tripadvisor: Arola terrace, Hotel Arts · Google Maps reviews (2026)
Reviewed by Marcus Webb, barsforKings. Published Nov 5, 2025 · Last reviewed Jun 13, 2026.
