Al's apartment is comfortable and functional with some great decorative details. We were made to feel very welcome and offered useful info and local tips by Al. The apartment was in great condition and very clean and there was a good amount of privacy as we had a lock on our door and our own balcony. We have no complaints about our stay, our host or surrounding area and would recommend this place for others looking to stay in Barcelona. We found El Raval to be relatively cheap compared to other areas with lots of options to for food and drink (particularly Asian and Arabic). The metro is a short 10-15 minute walk from the door and we found no problems getting from place to place during our time here.