This flat is wonderful. Beautifully decorated (the photos don't do it justice), spacious and open, and very clean. Perfect location. And Alex is a great host. A welcome gift...a handbook on the whole city, and a very thorough walk through on everything. This is a great place to stay and a great person to work with. We loved the flat, we loved the neighborhood. The internet is fast and free. The Metro is right around the corner. And Alex is a wealth of information on places to go, restaurants to visit in each neighborhood (we tried several of his recommendations and liked them all a lot), what is worth doing, and how to go about doing it. This was a very positive visit, and I would recommend Barcelona, this flat, and Alex, to anyone visiting Spain.
With all the positives I hate to even mention the one negative, but it is probably important information for anyone visiting in July or August. Alex states in the "House Rules" that the Air Conditioner may not be used between 2200 and 0800 (something I sadly neglected to note prior to arriving). In most of the year, Barcelona is a moderate place, and the AC at night is probably not an issue. However, in July and August Barcelona is VERY hot. And the flat does not really get cool enough to sleep until around 0400 or 0500, even if the provided fans are running full blast. There is some kind of issue with two very unpleasant women who are neighbors and complain about the noise of the AC, with the result being that Alex has agreed with them not to have it run between those hours. I mistakenly left it on too long the first night, and the two women were pounding on the door in the middle of the night insisting that it be shut off! Anyway, Alex is aware of the problem, apologetic about it, and trying to find a solution. But until he does, be forewarned: if you are there in July or August and expect to sleep at night, know that it will be very hot.
At any rate, despite the AC issue (which, to his credit, Alex DID have indicated in the "House Rules" online) we still found this to be a wonderful place to stay, and would definitely consider returning there when we come back to Barcelona. One of my all-time best experiences with Airbnb!