We had a wonderful time in Barcelona. Ricard was an excellent host – he was welcoming, easy to contact, and responded quickly to our requests. The apartment is very nice, and we really enjoyed and used the private back patio. We stayed for one month and like to cook: the kitchen, which although it has fine appliances and the basics, was minimally equipped and required a little improvisation, but worked for us.
We loved staying in Gracia, which is a very unique neighborhood outside of the main tourist areas but within easy access by walking and public transportation. Two metro stations are each about a 10 minute walk from the apartment. Gracia, which was originally a small town on the outskirts of the city, has pedestrian friendly, lively, narrow streets and wide plazas, many restaurants, cafes, and markets, and few automobiles (but lots of both motor and human powered cycles and scooters). Although people were nice to us, there are concerns in the neighborhood about gentrification and the increasing number of tourists in the area. That said, we would absolutely want to stay here again.