Pros: The place was very clean and the location, close to the Catalunya metro stop, was very convenient. Host and co-host were quick in communication. Room comes with a safe to store valuables.
Cons: Unfortunately there were two cons about the room that made it less comfortable than we expected it to be. First, the bed was very loud and creaky. It would make noise at the smallest movement, which made it harder to fall asleep. This, paired with the fact that the walls were a bit thin (you could hear people talking/plates clinking in the kitchen from inside the bedroom with the door closed), made it a bit awkward to stay there as a couple because it didn’t feel so private.
Second, the bathroom had a very terrible smell. This wasn’t due to cleanliness necessarily as the whole place seemed quite clean, but may have had something to do with the pipes or some other reason. I’m not sure if the host would be able to fix it, but at least to provide a candle or some incense for the room would be my suggestion, especially because the smell leaked sometimes from the bathroom into the bedroom which was quite unpleasant.
A few smaller things to note—not huge complaints but good to be aware of before booking.
-We visited in January and found the room to be a bit chilly. There was no way to control the temperature from inside the room.
-There were three bedrooms in the apartment including ours, and all had guests in them during our stay. The host was never home. These things made it feel more like a hostel rather than a homestay, despite the private room and bathroom.
-Decoration is sparse—there are enough furnishings in terms of literal furniture, but the design and decoration of the place is sparse and seems like an afterthought. It just feels impersonal and clinical, not warm and homey—again, more like a hostel; just a place to sleep, but not somewhere super comfortable to hang out.