We spent 4 nights in the apartment. It's in a narrow street 2 streets back (2 minutes walk) from Las Ramblas. When we arrived at the airport the taxi driver had a problem with the location but we had Xavier's mobile number and he arranged to meet us on Las Ramblas. It's quite dark in the street because the buildings are high, but after our initial surprise we always felt safe in the area. The apartment is 4 floors above street, and there is a functioning elevator in case you're not feeling athletic! Being at the top of the building and with tall windows and high ceilings, the apartment is bright and airy. We didn't cook, but subject to that all appliances worked and we had no problems. As for location this is a perfect base for exploring the old town and it's not far to the nearest Metro station, and there are lots of places to eat in walking distance (e.g. Los Caracoles at 60m on first night!) also small grocery stores etc (across the street from Los Caracoles). We were woken by people leaving the night club one night but fortunately got back to sleep afterwards. It's not luxury but it's comfortable and just right for a long weekend.