The apartment is in a great neighbourhood. If you happen to be there when there are street markets and old school activities for local children, then it is a bonus. Bring your satellite navigation on your phone, it will help you get around the many alley ways to your destination. I'd advise at getting a taxi from the airport to the accommodation, we got the Aeroport bus and two metros to get to the apartment, we were exhausted. Peak hour is lengthy on the trains, so is overcrowded particularly if you have heavy luggage. Apparently the first carriage is best as is for people with bikes so has more room. Also there are lots of stairs at the metros. Are two narrow flights of stairs at the apartment.
The apartment is above a bodega/pub, so your back veranda (which is a luxury in Gracia) overlooks the outside seating of the pub. There are two shade sails to give you privacy from each other, though they only cover part of the space. The music they play down stairs is good, adds to the atmosphere. There is double glazing on the glass door on the veranda so you can't hear the pub when it's closed. It can get a bit noisy outside but it's good for people watching and feeling a part of the local vibe. All happy patrons the week we were there. BYO tea bags and loo paper, were two tiny rolls for one weeks stay. There were also drainage issues in the shower. The hosts may have already addressed this.
We advise going to Magic fountains at Montjuic on Thurs 9pm -Sat 9pm, get there 1.5 hrs early to get a spot to sit/stand. Monserrat Monastery is simply beautiful inside and an amazing view. Casa Battlo good too. Alicia (one of the hosts)can recommend a good old tapas place, one of the waiting staff spoke English which helped as we didn't have a clue what was on the menu (the meatballs were yum). Debbie and Charlie from Brisbane Australia.