IT has been targeted historically by invading forces due to its expansive port, but more recent times have seen Spain's unofficial party capital enveloped by a new army of devilish marauders – the stag weekenders.

The tantalising combination of exotic football stars, liberal nightlife and a splendid array of beaches on tap have seen an increase in the numbers of scores of laddish groups flocking to the picturesque Catalonian capital each weekend, all set to stockpile more tales of drunken debauchery.

All well and good in the heady, sun-kissed summer months of course, but what of Barcelona's less clement winters? Without the soaring temperatures and lazy, hazy days at the seaside to blow away those beery hangovers, does the cosmopolitan city metropolis lose out on British buck? Not if one travel PR company has their way.

KTA (Keeping Travel Ahead) has devised an oh-so-metrosexual weekend entitled Barcelona For Blokes, sensibly side-stepping clichéd traditions of pub crawls, tawdry strip joints and paintballing (if you really need to a partake in a team-building exercise with your mates, then perhaps you should question the strength of those friendships!).

Instead they favour a far more sedate and luxurious break but with some of the key ingredients still firmly to the fore – namely lots acres of authentic local fare and football with a facial and a Flamenco lesson thrown in for good measure.

Undoubtedly aimed at the top end of the lads' weekend away market - which, admittedly, considering the current pitiful state of the pound against the Euro, batters the British wallet even harder - our base camp for this two-night sojourn was the Princesa Sofia Gran Hotel.

It's a swanky, marble-embossed five-star establishment located in the chi-chi Avenida Diagonal area of the city and a Lionel Messi free kick away from Camp Nou, FC Barcelona's stadium and the fluttering heartbeat of Catalonians everywhere.

Iconic

After dining out on a buffet so extensive as to make the most opulent of wedding dos seem frugal, followed by a brief sampling of the night air punctured by a couple of local ales, us hacks were soon spirited off to bed ready for the contrasting day ahead.

Appropriately, considering its location, Princesa Sofia's grandest suites are safely ensconced on an 18th floor christened The Club.

As well as the ample rooms, (which boast BBC1 and BBC2; watching Match Of The Day in the comfort of your room abroad was a thrilling novelty indeed!), The Club also offers panoramic views and a complementary self-service beverage and food bar – one imagines it must be hard for some overly relaxed guests to rustle up the enthusiasm to descend to the lobby and leave the hotel at all.

Thankfully for us, we had a Nou date, which was worth keeping. A gentle stroll down the hill and within minutes we were in the bowels of one of the most iconic stadiums in the world. Apologies to Manchester United fans but this is the real Theatre of Dreams.

This magnificent oval-shaped amphitheatre boasts 98,000 seats and has played host to some of the most glittering names in world football (Cruyff, Maradona, Stoichkov, Ronaldinho) – with the aforementioned Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o currently plying their trade there.

Having previously visited the nation's other great stadium, Real Madrid's Bernabeau and witnessed the disappointing access you were allowed there – it was refreshing to be granted access to most of one stand, the press box, the museum, trophy and changing rooms and even the hallowed dugouts.

Buoyed by the experience and now firmly wrapped in a team scarf (well, all the locals were sporting them and bizarrely complaining of the cold even though it was touching 17°C, so it seemed churlish not to join in), the most ominous aspect of the weekend was now upon us, namely a potentially tortuous one hour Flamenco lesson – darn those pesky Andalusians for devising the ultimate challenge in feet and hand co-ordination.

Taster menu

Mercifully, our swarthy, yet sweet instructor was patient to match his demeanour and didn't tire of re-running us through the steps even though no signs of improvement were forthcoming.

And while it was great to try partake in a genuine Spanish tradition, we were all mightily relieved to retire to our rooms ready for all the festivities a Barcelona Saturday night could throw at us.

If the infamous credit crunch is a Europe-wide problem, then no one has told the Catalonians – I doubt there was a busier city centre on the continent.

As our charming guide Mar Santacana expertly led threaded us through the thronged side streets tributaries off the bustling main thoroughfare La Rambla, it was great to get a real flavour of the locals, their markets, Gothic Quarter and bijou boutiques.

After sampling what makes the city tick at ground level, it was again pleasing to take it in from a more eye-catching vista at the Princesa Sofia's sister hotel, the hillside Hotel Torre Catalunya, and its aptly named Visual Restaurant, perched comfortably above the city's hills.

Famished after clocking up a handful of miles treading the city's quaint Venice-like backstreets, I wondered whether their lovingly presented, yet meekly portioned taster menu would suffice.

After eight or so neatly concocted courses consisting of everything from sea bass, and goat's cheese and pigeon, washed down with an array of specific course wines and spirits, I was struggling to contemplate the desert menu.

Rejuvenated

Of course, holiday over-indulgence can often follow you home, but thanks to our hotel's Aqua Diagonal Wellness Centre on Sunday morning we were able to rid ourselves of the side effects of one too many San Miguels with a swim, spa or jacuzzi session.

Yet it was the last of the weekend's 'Fs' which proved most receptive to my throbbing head – the facial.

With all the toxins tenderly extracted during a serene 30-minute session, it was easily the freshest I've felt in a foreign departure lounge, since I secreted the first taste of alcohol past my lips.

Coupled with a time-saving flight from Barcelona's El Prat Airport (surely that moniker should have been saved for the Michael Ryan-hijacked and dispiritingly more far-flung alternative, Girona) meant I arrived back on chilly home soil fully rejuvenated.

And while it would be churlish to nitpick after being so splendidly catered for, I imagine those forking out for the package would demand match tickets to supplement the tour and perhaps a little more free time to take in such sights as Gaudi's iconic cathedral church the Sagrada Familia and Museu Picasso.

Yet just as one side of Camp Nou is emblazoned with the legend 'Mes Que Un Club' (more than a club), Barcelona the city too had shown it has much more to offer than boozy nights and sun-soaked sights.

Bmibaby fly to Barcelona from Manchester up to four times a week: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday over the winter, and there is an additional Thursday service for summer 2009.
Prices start from £28.99 one way including taxes and charges, and are bookable online at bmibaby.com.
Male weekend in Barcelona from 262€ (approx £239) per person in Princesa Sofia including two nights accommodation in a double standard room, breakfast, one Golden treatment per person and entry to Camp Nou Museum and tour.

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SPORTING A NEW LOOK
Paul Harrison

ARE you wondering what the 2012 Olympics are going to do for London after the last athletics vest has finally been packed away?

Politicians talk of regeneration, but no one seems convinced a two-week sporting jamboree is going to bring a fabulous future for the East End. Well, let Barcelona give you some hope.

Given a major facelift for the 1992 Games, Barca hasn't looked back.

The capital of Catalonia ticks all the boxes for a short break. There are great bars and restaurants, plenty of sightseeing, amazing art, boutique shopping, a beach and top-class football.

Barcelona was known as a city that had 'turned her face away from the sea'. The wealthy chose to live as far away from the coast and the smelly fishermen as possible.

But the redevelopment of the seafront for the Games brought the young and the glamorous down to the water's edge and the beach area with its brand new apartments, shopping centre and marina is now just as much a place to be seen as Las Ramblas.

Labyrinth

Probably the toughest decision to make for a weekend visitor is where to kick back and relax for a drink.

The city is divided into many smaller areas, each having its own distinctive drinking culture. Las Ramblas is the best known but also the busiest. La Boqueria, the world-famous food market, is great but the strip of mime artists and stalls is a haven for pickpockets. If you want brash, loud and touristy, Las Ramblas is for you.

If you want something a little more refined and in keeping with the rest of the city head for Barrio Gotico and El Born, which are altogether different and more enjoyable prospects.
Both areas are made up of a labyrinth of back streets with many bars tucked away waiting to be discovered.

Our favourite was Ginger – an underground split-level cocktail bar that attracts a mixed crowd of locals and visitors looking for a perfect glass of cava and delicious tapas.

For the more adventurous, a string of bars has appeared underground. Hidden in squats behind unmarked doors and ordinary shop fronts they are some of the city's best late-night drinking dens. El Mariachi is one such drinking den in the Barrio Gotico, one of an estimated 40 clandestine bars that have sprung up in recent years.

If you wake up with a clear head after all that carousing make the most of the transport system. The vast city is well served by its underground Metro and 10 trips cost less than eight euros.

Beautiful

This ticket can also be used on the trams, trains and buses – there will also soon be a cross-rail similar to London's – but for the less footsure, a sightseeing bus tour only costs 20 euros.

The funicular up to Tibidabo and the cable car up Montjuic both offer breathtaking views.

At the top of Tibidabo is Parc d'Attracciones, a rickety fairground reminiscent of a setting for a Scooby Doo mystery.

Barcelona's most famous son Antoni Gaudi's spectacular yet still incomplete church of the Sagrada Familia and the huge Gothic cathedral dominate the skyline. The Plaça Reial, close to a few feet from the bustle of Las Ramblas, is one of the most beautiful parts of Barcelona. The 19th century where neoclassical arcades and Gaudi lampposts lead to splashing fountains.

Park Guell is another haven. Designed by Gaudi, you can spend an entire day here just walking along the pathways. City museums house extensive collections of the works of Miro and Picasso.

Whether the global extended sports day will bring a similar lasting glamour to east London remains to be seen. But with Barcelona less than two hours away from Manchester, it is probably quicker to go there and the sun is much more likely to be shining.

OUR hotel rooms at the Hotel Covadonga on Avinguda Diagonal were provided by www.alpharooms.com .
Visit www.alpharooms.com and book a four-night stay at the Hotel Covadonga in Barcelona for two adults on a bed-and-breakfast basis for just £240.
Direct flights from Manchester Airport with a leading low-cost airline start from £125.88 per person in February and can also be booked online at www.alpharooms.com .

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