After having lived in Barcelona for over 7 years we returned in July for a two week stay at Magda's apartment with family and friends. Based on our experience we wanted to share a number of factors to consider before renting.
Positives:
1. Excellent location on Gran de Gracia
2. Well equipped with washer, drying line, fridge, freezer, iron, etc.
3. Size, it is very difficult to find an apartment with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths
4. The hosts (Josep and Magda) were attentive and brought us fans, sheets, towels, etc when requested.
Negatives:
1. Noisy, two of the bedrooms that are on Gran de Gracia are very noisy. This could be easily fixed/improved with new windows.
2. The apartment is starting to look dated/old and could use improvements to the floor, windows, doors and other finishings.
3. The mattresses in one of the bedrooms was very old and the springs could be felt.
4. We have two young children and the balcony railing was removed due to renovations making it dangerous for the kids.
5. The renovations also generated additional dust/dirt and restricted use of one bathroom to only mornings and evenings for 4 days. We were not alerted in advance that this would be the case.
In summary, the piso is in a great location, large, attractive and well equipped. However, it falls far short of its potential. It could be an incredible apartment that offers a more luxurious experience. We would rate our experience as a 6 out of 10. Adequate, but not great and would probably look at other options if returning to stay in Barcelona.