Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Joan's place. Here are some pros and cons to consider when planning a trip to this great city!
Pros:
- Communication was easy and pretty smooth. Our flight into Barcelona was delayed, and Joan was understanding and responded promptly to my messages. Keep in mind that this is a company with many airbnb/rental units, so you'll be checking in with a different person. Check-in was smooth but it definitely felt like a business transaction. I didn't mind this but don't expect it to feel too personal.
- Location is ideal for everything. We walked to most sights and activities, and it's also close to the metro. The area is more touristy than I imagined, but it was still quiet at night and residential, which I appreciated.
- Great outdoor space to lounge in and hang out in the mornings and evenings.
- Blockout shade in the bedroom worked well. Bed was pretty comfortable.
- Generally clean and spacious.
- Did I mention the location?
Cons:
- I stayed for 5 nights and expected to get an extra towel or two, but this place is pretty minimal in terms of amenities. Each person had exactly one bath towel and one hand towel. That was it. No bath mat/towel, no extra rolls of toilet paper, no shampoo/conditioner, no body soap. This was ok for the first few nights, but we ended up having to buy a 6-roll pack of toilet paper on the last day, and it was annoying. We wanted to spend every minute enjoying the great city rather than going to buy toilet paper!! But perhaps this was actually the "locals" experience. :)
- There's a tourist tax that needs to be paid in cash at check-in. Maybe I missed this, but I'm pretty sure I didn't see it in the English description. It was a slight inconvenience to have to run to the ATM when we finally reached our destination at night.
- The place is generally clean, but there was an odd white bed sheet covering the sofa and we weren't sure if that was covering a stain or was meant to prevent guests from dirtying the sofa. In any case I didn't pull it off to look underneath. There was also mold growing in the dishwasher door hinge.
- Yes, you have to climb up a lot of steps. I didn't mind this too much because I knew what to expect.
Would I stay here again? I probably will try another place in Gracia, if I'm lucky enough to visit Barcelona again!