We have just had a great October holiday in this apartment with our two children. Poble-Sec is a lovely, relaxed, diverse neighbourhood and bakeries, supermarkets, banks, restaurants, fruit and veg stores, theatre, are all within a minute's walk. This apartment is just off the main drag of Paral-lel so perfectly positioned. If you're not used to urban living you might want to take ear plugs (the bin trucks come round in the middle of the night) but the only noisy night for us was a Friday - only to be expected this close to so many great bars, and with the open mic poetry night downstairs - and mornings are surprisingly quiet. A morning people watching on the balcony is time well spent.
The apartment is spotlessly clean and tidy. It was nice to be greeted by a human ... who showed us around and checked for problems. Smart TV, board games, magazines and guide books were all bonuses I didn't think we'd use but we ended up using all of them.
Previous reviews mentioned the shower. The jacuzzi is a whole morning's entertainment for kids so bear that in mind for a rainy day. The shower was fine ... the small boiler can't really cope with getting it piping hot but it's not terrible. The overhead shower is in a slightly weird position but the handheld shower is fine too. It's a bathing extravaganza. We took our own portable carbon-monoxide detector to put next to the boiler (I don't think these are the norm in Barcelona the way they are in the UK) but the flat is well ventilated and has air conditioning.
We ended up using the sofa bed (which is very comfortable) because the children wanted to be nearer to us at night, but all the beds are good and there are plenty of extra pillows and quilts. Agree with another review that suggests the twin room might not work for a pair of large adults. Washing machine, ironing board, clothes airer, are all really useful when you are travelling with kids and spending time on the beach.
All our queries were answered really quickly so we felt well attended to. This is a great place to stay for families. Perhaps not the place for those with more more raucous intentions.