Barcelona Date Venues

Take you Barcelona date for coffee at Cafe Vienes, part of the Hotel Casa Fuster.
Take you Barcelona date for coffee at Cafe Vienes, part of the Hotel Casa Fuster.

Want to keep things pretty casual? The best way to do this is the coffee date. But you want it to be somewhere nice, where it’s quiet enough that you can chat to each other and a little bit classy. Try the Cafe Vienes in the Hotel Casa Fuster. Fantastic coffee and delicious desserts are the perfect way to break the ice, especially if its early in the relationship.  It’s definitely more pricey than your standard cafe, but this will show your date you think they’re worth it, especially if you pick up the tab.

Maybe you don’t want to spend the whole time talking and want something a little off-beat to look at and stimulate the conversation.  Why not try A Casa Portuguesa? Its a specialty food store where you can also get coffee, a glass of wine or some tapas or a pastry for a snack. They also have live music, art exhibitions and live music all in a place with friendly staff and a comfortable environment. 

Maybe you want to sit outside in the summer months with your date and watch the world go by? Then head down to Cafe Salambo and check out their patio. If you’re hungry, they have excellent food and if you’re feeling playful you can shoot a game of pool! You can even preview Cafe Salambo on an online video to make sure it fits your needs.

Dry Martini is one of the best cocktail bars in the world!
Take your date to Dry Martini for amazing cocktails in Barcelona!

Maybe you’d like to go for a drink or three at a local watering hole. If you’re looking for a nice cocktail, you really should go to the Dry Martini Bar. The place looks like something out of a Humphrey Bogart movie and they make a legendary martini (hence the name!).  Its been listed as the third best gin bar in the entire world, by Drinks International. The establishment sports green leather seats, mahogany walls, and waiters wearing white tuxedos to set the mood! If you and your Barcelona date like cocktails, you’ll love the Dry Martini Bar!

Maybe you’re looking for something a little more romantic than coffee or cocktails? Let heaven help you. No seriously, let the heavens give you a hand! Take your date to the Fabra Observatory (Observatori Fabra) restaurant. The restaurant does outdoor dinners ‘with the stars’ from June to October every year. Follow this up with a visit to the observatory itself to top off the night. This is very popular so be sure to contact the restaurant to make a reservation in advance.

A mega yacht at the port
Take your date to the port to see the yachts…

Low on funds? Take a walk down Port Vell in Barceloneta to see the boats and the port itself! Many cruise ships dock at Port Vell as well as ‘Mega-Yachts’, boats owned by the rich and famous that are startling in size, beauty and all around opulence.  There is a shopping center where you can grab a bite to eat, and then you can watch the sun set together…romance on a budget has never been so easy! If you stay past sunset, there are also loads of restaurants and bars in the area so you won’t be out of stuff to do. There are also street vendors, but these are less aggressive than you usually find, and generally wait for you to approach them, rather than accosting you!

The magic fountain has both sound and light shows
Bring a little magic to your Barcelona date with this illuminated fountain.

Looking for something a little more spectacular? Take your date to the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc…The magic fountain was built in the 1920s palace and is a site to behold! Its an enormous splendidly illuminated fountain where they play classical and modern music in a Magic Fountain show. Performances take place every half-hour intervals on the weekends (after dark).

 

Meeting women in Barcelona

Interactions between men and women can be very complex regardless of whether you are looking for a casual relationship or something more long term and serious. The level of complexity depends on a whole host of things like personalities, mood, and the situation.  Men and women have a lot more differences than the obvious anatomical ones. There is no ‘instruction manual’ for women (though some days we wish there was), but these tips will help you out.

How you make her feel is key!

If you tell her she is the most beautiful woman in the world on a daily basis, but if she doesn’t feel you mean it, it’s not going to have any effect. Remember the saying, ‘actions speak louder than words’. She knows it too, so be sure you do things to back up what you say!

She sees things from a different angle

Women read things into your words, body language and actions, more often than you would expect. Being aware of this will keep you out of trouble. Play your cards right and sometimes you can make it work to your advantage!

Barcelona women like conficence
What do women in Barcelona want?

She’s probably smarter than you…emotionally anyways

Women generally articulate their opinions and ideas more frequently and often better than men. A woman’s emotions usually influence her actions more than a man’s do. If you are more expressive about your emotions, women may feel closer to you. Be careful that you don’t fall into the friend zone, and they still see you a potential partner! Keep in mind that this won’t always be the best way to go. Some ladies prefer more traditional men…the strong, silent type.

What do women want?

Sometimes what women in Barcelona want can be confusing…Its tough to keep up with the somewhat variable and conflicting needs of some Barcelona ladies.

  • When are they ‘ladies’, to be have doors opened and courtesies taken and when to do you treat them as real equals?
  • Are you supposed to be listening and nodding instead of providing solutions? Are you supposed to take action?
  • When do play it cool?  How cool? When should you express yourself.
  • How do you answer impossible questions without getting in trouble (e.g. Does this dress make me look fat?)

The answers to these questions are difficult. In fact there are very popular and effective courses to teach you the best ways to be successful with the ladies.

Whether or not you decide to invest in learning more about the fairer sex, there are some things that women find universally attractive.

Ladies like a man who’s self-assured, relaxed and comfortable with who he is. So the question becomes how do you exude confidence?

Eye contact – Looking a woman in the eyes is key to show you are interested in them as a person. Concentrating on lots of eye contact may help you keep you from looking too long at other parts and offending them!

suitDress to impress – If you look your best, you’ll tend to feel good about yourself. Feeling good about yourself makes you glow with confidence. Women can sense this.  Invest in quality clothing that is versatile and slowly build up your wardrobe so you always look great!

Oral hygiene – No one wants to go out with someone with bad breath. Use  chewing gum and gargle with mouthwash as often as possible. Brush your teeth (and  your tongue) at least twice day. Lay off the stinky foods, well before talking to someone you want to impress.

Smell good – This is a big one. Scent is a large part of a woman’s sense of attraction. Heavy body odor does not impress most women. Shower daily, in the morning, and again before a date. Use an antiperspirant or deodorant. Find a good cologne or body spray. Don’t use too much of these!

Facial hair – This is a reflection of your personal style, as well as part of making a good impression. Clean shaven is probably safest. Stubble works as long as it’s nice and tidy. Beards can be risky, as lots of women find them scratchy. Unkempt hair that smells bad, has food in it or is tangled and matted will not impress any woman. Experiment with different looks; it won’t take you too long to figure out what looks best on you.

Speak clearly – Don’t mutter. Don’t mumble. Don’t speak too fast or too slow. Don’t speak with your mouthful. Don’t try to sound like batman. Don’t stare at your feet when you’re having a conversation. Look at her eyes, think before you talk and enunciate.

Break the touch barrier – You want her to know you’re interested. You don’t want to paw her, but playful, non-sexual touching will show her want to be more than just her friend. Touch her arm when talking, give her a hug goodbye and hold her hand when you dance with her (if you can dance). Be natural when you touch her. No yawn, stretch and arm around type cheesy moves. Be confident and make the touching part of your approach to let her know what you want.

Barcelona dating
Show your confidence by breaking the touch barrier

Ask questions – The conversation should not lag, nor should you dominate it. Steer the conversation where you want it, by asking her questions. Try to find areas of interest to both of you. Listen to and remember the things she’s saying… she’ll be offended if you don’t!

Be decisive – Whether you’re choosing from a restaurant menu or picking a film, not being able to make decisions will be perceived as a lack of confidence.

These tips will help you to meet and impress women in Barcelona and wherever else you travel to!!

The First Date in Barcelona

Before the first date: Meeting someone in Barcelona

Let’s start at the beginning. Prior to planning a first date, you have to meet a person who is interested in you! You should definitely consider signing-up to some online dating sites. It’s estimated that almost 30% of relationships and even more casual encounters now stem from internet meetings! Signing up for an internet dating site is generally free. You can look around to see if online dating is of interest to you. There are several internet dating websites available in Barcelona:

Meetic or eDarling: In my opinion, Meetic and eDarling are the best online dating sites in Barcelona, for most men and women. They both have thousands of members, and sign-up and basic membership is free. As there is no associated cost, its easy to sign up for both of them too see which one is more ‘you’. Then if you really like one service or another, you can pay for a membership upgrade, that allows you to more privileges.

If you’re interested in something more casual, or just a little bit of fun, you should really try the casual dating website Victoria Milan. If you don’t speak any Spanish there is an English option and you’ll have a great time as no one else on the site wants anything long term either…however, as the name suggests, many of the members are married and looking for something outside their current relationship.

barcelona first date
Before your first date you need to meet someone in Barcelona!

Don’t limit yourself to online options. Try traditional venues like talking to people at a bar, a club, a department store, or wherever you may be likely to encounter an attractive partner. This takes confidence and some courage at the start, but the more you engage with other people in this way, the stronger your skills will become…

Whether you meet someone on the internet, at a bar, or while grocery shopping, there is only so far texting, calling, and e-mails and internet chatting can take a relationship.  Eventually, you want to meet the person to see if there is chemistry between the two of you.

If casual relationships are more your thing, then you should meet the person as soon as possible, before spending too much time and effort! If there is no physical attraction, casual relationships generally don’t move forward, and the last thing you want is to put in months of ground work only to find out your super-hot 25 year-old internet hook-up, is really a 60 year-old grandmother having some fun online!

Plan some alternatives for dates

When it comes to dating, a good rule of thumb is that everything that can go wrong, will go wrong! When thinking about the first date, you need to plan to do something of interest for both of you. Yes, for BOTH of you (I can’t stress for the both of you part enough).  Activities you personally find titillating might bore other people senseless. Exotic foods that you crave, might make someone else cringe.

You need to think carefully about  what you know about the person you are meeting. Use this knowledge to plan two dates (at least), that you think you’ll both enjoy.  Why go to all the effort of planning two activities?  Things can go wrong. Vehicles can break down, weather can refuse to co-operate, the restaurant might lose your reservation, or the movie you see might be terrible. If you have multiple choices, you can present these to your date and decide together. That way you’re more likely not to force them to do something that doesn’t interest them (and vice versa), and they share the responsibility for a bad date if things go sour… and if the first date goes well, you have something on the tip of your tongue when you’re asked about what is on the docket for a second.

The First Date Should be Short

Even if you’re sure you’ll get along, you could be wrong. Don’t let yourself get stuck on a hell-date that lasts forever with someone. You’ll already know if you don’t your date after an hour or two. Keep your first date to no longer than that. If things are going well, you can suggest making the date longer. In the worst case, you leave them looking forward to the next meeting. It’s good to leave someone wanting more!

Beautiful Barcelona sunset.
Always make the first date special!

Always Make it Special

Your first date doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t need to be fancy or break new boundaries in the world of dating. But you should make it something to remember. Great views and sunsets, are free and a good start. Try something that is a little outside the box, but not totally off-the-wall. What about the zoo, or an amusement park? Perhaps a nice picnic in a scenic location? Think of a few good ideas and suggest them.

If things work out really, really, well, when you tell the tale of your first date, 30 years from now, you’ll have a nice story!

No surprises

Once you’ve been together for a while, surprises are great. Spontaneity can be awesome… just not on a first date! A surprise will be unpleasant on a first date 90% of the time, contrary to what romantic-comedy movies show us. Let your date know what you’re planning.  Tell them if you’re taking them to the movies or to the opera. Let them know you’ll be going to the zoo or an water park.  This will cover two bases. Your date can prepare for the fun, dress appropriately and get comfortable with the situation before your begin. It will also give them an opportunity to inform you, if they don’t like your date idea.

Be On Time

punctuality is important
Show up on time for your date in Barcelona

First dates are nervous occasions already. Why make your date worry when you don’t show up on time?  Make a point of being there on time (or even a few minutes early)! And if you can’t be sure to call ahead and let them know and apologize!!

Special Preparations?

Planning the date somewhere fancy, tell them! Likewise if you’re going outside, or somewhere they might need special attire, let them know. Nothing is worse than showing up inappropriately dressed for a first date. If it’s the first time to meet each other in person, then wear one piece of unusual clothing to make you easy to find. It’s unpleasant and embarrassing to ask multiple people if they’re your date.

Compliment, but Don’t Brown-nose!

This is a fine line and takes a little finesse. Compliment your date on some real things that your find interesting. Don’t comment to much on physical appearance, but rather stick to things that reflect their personality. Shoes and accessories are good to complement, as are careers, aspirations, education, etc.  Take care as too much flattery will make you sound desperate.

Go Easy on the Booze!

Barcelona drinks are fun, but dangerous
Don’t drink too much on your Barcelona date!

If you both drink, a little alcohol can be good for a first date, to relax things. But only if its both of you. Make certain your date is not a recovering alcoholic, or just does not drink for whatever reason (religious, allergy, other), before you order.

Too much wine, beer or spirits can cause a lot of trouble, and can be a social nightmare on a first date. We’ve all heard cringe-worthy stories about people who got drunk on the first date and ruined things before they even got started.

Talking and listening is important in BarcelonaTalk and Listen

Have you ever been out with someone who had nothing to say? How about someone who talked non-stop?  Either situation generally means a  bad first date. If you are not much of a conversationalist, prepare yourself with some ice-breaking conversation starters. If you’re a chatty-cathy, make sure that you give your date some air time! Leave your phone in your pocket for the night… your emails, texts and facebook page can wait until after the date…

Personal Grooming

Barcelona grooming
Be sure you take care of your grooming before you date in Barcelona.

Would you like to go out with someone with food stuck in their teeth, death breath, BO, or filthy clothes? Well, the person you’re going out with won’t like these things either. Make an effort for your personal hygiene and really tidy yourself up. Bring along chewing gum or mints, trim your nose and ear hair, and ask a well groomed neutral party to tell you where your can improve. Have a fashionable friend inspect your in the clothes you plan to wear. Avoid clothes that are too revealing or too conservative and. Shine the shoes, iron your shirt and shave (face or legs/pits).

Good luck on your first date in Barcelona!!