Tastes differ.
Positive aspects:
- We were allowed to check in much earlier than 3 pm. It was great because we had had a red-eye flight and were really exhausted.
- A young man called Gauvain who was meeting us at the flat turned out to be extremely friendly and helpful. When I wrote him from the airport just to say that we had arrived, he gave us some useful advice concerning transport and transport cards and explained how to get to the flat from the airport. It was very nice and we appreciated very much. Thank you, Gauvain!
- The neighborhood is really lovely. Very quiet. No tourists. Fresh air. Beautiful views. Good bakery. Authentic atmosphere. Park Guell within walking distance.
Negative aspects:
- extremely cold inside the flat when the temperature outside is low. The walls and the floor are made from stone which was so cold on the first day that we had to sleep with our clothes on. The air- conditioning (30°) and the electric heater didn't help. It really made us sad and miserable. May be if there had been some more plaids or blankets it would have been better. But I do not recommend to stay at this flat in cold seasons. Warm springs and summers are ok. Luckily, on the third day of our stay the weather improved.
- very strange toilet with the transparent glass door right opposite the bed...
- the white tiled floor gets dirty and dusty in no time
- very hilly area so it turned out to be absolutely impossible to get there by bikes which we had been planning to do. What upset us most of all is that the airbnb guys hadn't mentioned that in their messages although I had told them about our intention to rent bikes to travel around the city and they even allowed us to bring the bikes inside the flat, which was totally impossible. When we arrived from the airport, we had to walk up with two heavy suitcases for about half an hour. And of course the first impression was spoiled.
I don't like complaining and giving negative details but I wanted to be honest. I decided to write about the downsides because they are what I wish I had known before I came to Barcelona. May be my review will help someone plan their trip more carefully, for example not to count so much on renting bikes like we did.
All in all, despite any inconveniences we are really happy with our visit to Barcelona. We managed to overcome all the difficulties and enjoy ourselves.