Just got done staying at Jon’s place in Barcelona. It’s not possible to do this place or Jon as a host justice in a review. You just have to experience this first class apartment and his service for yourself. Having said that, I’ll give it a shot.
We were in Barcelona for 3 days before heading off on a Mediterranean cruise for the week. This was our first experience staying at an Airbnb so we came in a little apprehensive of what to expect. My wife and two college age daughters have pretty high standards and they were raving about the place from the minute we arrived until we left.
I’ll provide my thoughts on the three things I would want to know when booking any hotel/apartment.
1. Location - Jon’s apartment is right in the heart of Barcelona. Maybe 400m from La Rambla. You are a short walk to our favorite part of the city (Gothic area). It made it very easy to use the apartment as home base throughout the day as you were always close. Only time we needed to use a cab was to get to Park Guell and La Sagrada. Everything else is within an easy walk. The street the apartment is on is nice and clean. Wasn’t loud at night which is nice because you will use the terrace a lot.
2. Apartment - 5 stars isn’t high enough to rate this apartment. Jon told us he completely renovated the unit a couple years ago and you can really tell. It is very high-end and modern! Really big unit that was more than enough space for the 4 of us. Full kitchen, two bathrooms, every appliance you could ask for (yes, including washer and drier). The two bedrooms worked perfectly for us and the beds were very comfortable. The apartment has a full dining room table for 6 and a large living area that was very comfortable. Now to what really separates this place from other apartments or high-end hotels. The Terrace!!! This is worth the price of the apartment alone. The pictures on-line give you a feel for what it’s like but it’s not until you step in the unit and look out the full wall of windows to the terrace that you get a feel for how nice it is. It’s huge with a full outdoor dining room table and two chase lounge chairs. Was nice to relax out there between outings. We had some friends who happened to be in Barcelona at the same time and they came over one night for drinks before we all headed out for the evening. There were 9 of us total and it was perfect for overlooking the city and catching up with friends from back in the US.
3. Service - My wife remarked that Jon might be one of the nicest people she has ever met. She wasn’t kidding. We could not have asked for a better host. His attention to detail and engagement with us from the minute we booked the place until we left was impressive. He is very responsive to any questions we had leading up to our visit and during the entire stay. No matter how trivial our questions he always responded promptly and politely. He checked in with us regularly in the days prior to arrival and met us at the apartment when we arrived to give us a very thorough walk-through of the apartment. He even provided recommendations on restaurants and places to go out at night. Jon really set a high bar for future hosts we book with.
Hope this helps those looking at places to stay in Barcelona. We would 100% stay here again when we come back. I wouldn’t even consider anywhere else. It is well worth the price. Do yourself and your family a favor and book this place when you visit Barcelona next. You won’t regret it.