I had a difficult time finding hosts in Barcelona who actually replied to airbnb inquiries and was relieved to find that Alex was responsive and immediately helpful. We never met him personally, but were assisted by another rental agent, someone who seemed to be the building super, and the cleaning lady at various points. As advertised, the apartment is located directly on La Rambla across from the entrance to La Boqueria.With the windows open it is quite noisy all night long, so we slept with the A/C on and windows closed. There is also a noticeable vibration from the subway at regular intervals. Our unit was slightly different from the one pictured and was on the first floor with a window that opened onto an alley, which made it dark all day long. The kitchen was serviceable: microwave, two burner stove (no oven), mini-fridge and toaster with basic pots and dishware. The apartment was clean with fresh linens and some tourist information. The washing machine and clothesline are located on the roof and each floor of the building was assigned a wash day (with weekends up for grabs). Beware: the elevator to the top floor goes out when it rains. There was a lot of turnover in the building, with groups of European and American tourists passing though, but everyone was respectful of the noise curfews. The internet is unsecured and connectivity was variable - we had trouble skyping, but basic email was never a problem. Overall, this is a great central location for sightseeing in Barcelona, but you would probably want more amenities if you were planning on staying longer.