A great apartment in a fantastic location.
Damien was the perfect host from start to finish. From offering helpful services like organising a taxi from the airport; having his friendly assistant Karolina waiting at the door to show us around the apartment and hand over the keys; offering restaurant recommendations; and providing added extras such as toilet roll, tea, coffee, basic cooking essentials and a chilled bottle of Cava, he made us feel very welcome and made our holiday that little bit more enjoyable.
The apartment is exactly as described and shown in the photos. It was very clean and linen and towels were provided. The third bedroom, although a double, is very small but this is clearly shown in the photos and was perfectly fine for our teenage son. We were a family of 4 and so it was great having 2 bathrooms between us, and there was plenty of hot water to go round. We used the heating in the evenings since we were there in February but we noticed that there was air conditioning which I'm sure would be useful in summer.
The private terrace, which is accessed from the stairs in the lounge/kitchen, was the perfect space to either enjoy a relaxing breakfast or an evening glass of wine in the sunshine. It is very private, just as described, with sun loungers, umbrella and a table and chairs - an added bonus compared to similar apartments in the same location. We also used the balcony leading out from the lounge very frequently too, as although the views are only over the neighbouring apartments, it is a lovely place to enjoy the morning sun.
The location was perfect. It was in a fairly residential area, within half a block of the Encants Metro station which allowed us to very easily explore the whole of the city. Also within half a block were a couple of bakeries and a Mercado. There were several restaurants to choose from within walking distance and the Sagrada Familia was only a 5 minute walk away.
We only stayed for a few days but could have happily stayed for longer since the apartment felt as though it could easily have been made into a more permanent base given the washing machine, clothes drying area, cooking utensils, fast wifi etc.
All in all, a great first experience of airbnb.