La Pepa is a great place to stay. For long stays – it needs a little work and updating, but with proper planning can be made to work. We stayed in December/January 2021/2 for 3 weeks at a time when covid-19 was peaking.
1. Space – La Pepa is a great first floor (i.e not ground floor) apartment with ample living and dining space and an outdoor patio. The living space is well designed and well thought out, as the space is cleverly subdivided into a living space, a dining space, and a work space. There is one bedroom and bathroom, which are both small and designed more for a couple rather than a large family. There is a sofa that can be converted into a bed, but doing so will interrupt the spaciousness of the apartment. The entrance door at street level took some getting used to lock properly as the lock was very wonky and the stair to the apartment is a bit tricky navigating with luggage. However, the journey up the stairs — there are only 12 of them! — and into the unit made you instantly feel you were entering another world making the place feel more special and inviting.
2. Kitchen – the kitchen is small and was designed more for eating out than eating in. The kitchen was not well equipped – which was surprising given the caliber and care to the other areas of the house. The kitchen only had service for four and limited cutlery, so do not plan to host a party. The kitchen is not properly equipped, so be prepared to bring your own equipment, such as a sharp chopping knife. The kitchen does have great potential – the stove and oven are great - but be prepared if you plan on cooking more than just coffee. Some details that could be addressed: The knives were dull and useless, the freezer suffered ice build-up, the kettle needs routine descaling, and the kitchen faucet should be repaired as it had two speeds: off and fire-hose.
3. Amenities – Having stayed in December, the heating was superb and easy to use. I noted that they had a portable library A/C unit and fans – which would be required in the hot summer days in Barcelona – but I leave it to others to provide a review of the A/C. The washing machine is great. I would recommend a full-size ironing board, as the table top model provided was hard to use. There is plenty of closet space and great storage throughout the unit. The work desk was austere yet more than adequate. My co-workers commented on the fantastic decoration in Zoom meetings. The internet was fast and reliable.
4. Service – Enzio provided great customer service – as he picked us up from the airport and drove us back to the airport – and took great care with masking and respecting personal space. He was multilingual, kind, attentive, considerate, thoughtful and helpful. However, I do have one issue about the extra services – clean bed sheets/towels have to be requested at extra cost (€35) and you cannot change/wash them yourself as no second set was provided. You can also request a cleaning (€25 on top of the sheet change) There was also some miscommunications and the cleaning team arrived about an hour late. A list of services, prices, and times would have been very helpful.
5. Neighborhood– This place brings you to the real Barcelona, miles away from tourist traps and into the center of residential life. The Carrer Santuari, which is up the many helpful staircases near La Pepa, has fantastic shops of which I recommend the fruit shop Frutas y verduras Santuari for their quality and service. In a few minutes you can walk to Parc El Carmel, Parc Creuta del Coll, to experience some of the best views of Barcelona for free. The house is close to park Güell. Keep in mind this part of Barcelona is very hilly and steep, so be mindful. La Pepa is also close (i.e. within an hour's easy walk) to Tibidabo, San Gervasi, and Sarria, which are places that most tourists don’t really go but are great Barcelona neighborhoods to visit.
6. Transport – One of the great assets of this place is how easy it is to get into the city and back home. La Pepa is connected to Barcelona via the metro/subway, the L5 is a less than a 5 minute walk and the L3 an easy 10 minute walk down hill. However, La Pepa is better connected to the fantastic Barcelona Bus network and you can easily get to the Barceloneta (V19 Bus) or Plaza Catalunya (22 or 87 Bus or N5 bus). What's even better – those buses will take you UPHILL back home, so after a long day out, the bus home helps you avoid the uphill walk. If you are a walker, you can easily walk from La Pepa to the Ramblas and enjoy the world around you.
We would certainly return.