This space is in an absolutely phenomenal part of the city. The location is spectacular. It is beautiful, on the 5th floor of an older apartment building (no elevator) surrounded by everything you could possibly need to live comfortably, and easily accessible to metro, bus lines and many touristic highlights in the city of Barcelona. The direct area is lively and exciting all day and well into the night. There are countless bars, restaurants, and shops steps from the apartment. The safety of the area was a huge plus for us, being only females occupying the space. We never once felt unsafe, regardless of what hour we returned home.
Be sure to request a copy of the renting contract in your native language prior to your arrival as the check in process was conducted mostly in Spanish, I’m our experience, with a third party renting agency on Airbnb.
Utilities are not included with this property, this includes having to obtain a separate propane tank for hot water every time the tank runs out. For us this occurred about every month and a half during our stay. Propane is purchased in cash only from a man whose number the renting organization provides you to call. It costs roughly €25 a tank.
As this is an older apartment in the historic location of El Born there are a few things to be aware of cleanliness wise. One of these is that you may have to clean the ceiling of mold in high humidity areas in the apartment. This is a very common thing in Spain but one we were unaware of prior to our arrival. We had several issues with maintenance that we had to navigate ourselves which was a bit challenging as when we arrived we did not have confident Spanish skills. As we developed these skills, navigating these issues became easier for us.
The host of this apartment is not on site and conducts the rental agreement in a very hands-off manner, with expectations of the renters to deal with most problems themselves. The space would be comfortable for between one and four people but up to six would be a challenge, as the space is small per its centralized location.
The neighbors we wonderful, especially the man who lives directly next door on the street level. He is very helpful as a contact and very kind. Overall, we truly enjoyed our time in the “piso” and felt we had an unforgettable experience in beautiful Barcelona!