We enjoyed this apartment for its location which was quite exceptional, as we barely had to walk to be on the beach, and if we leaned to the side on the balcony, we could see the sea. A location that is ideal for summer ! Barceloneta is a very pleasant area and we were not too far from the center of the city.
However, the location was the only true positive aspect of this flat. Indeed, we encountered quite a few problems that made our stay less pleasant than it could have been :
- firstly, the stairs in the building are very very narrow and can be quite dangerous : my friend fell and got hurt. This is typical of buildings in Barceloneta but can be quite problematic, especially when having to carry luggage. Our host upon our arrival seemed to be in a rush and did not pay any attention to the fact that we were struggling to climb with our luggage. She started giving explanations in the flat to one of us despite the fact that two of us were still climbing the stairs with our luggage and had not arrived yet. We found that quite rude !
- secondly, quite a few things in the flat were in very poor condition : one of the wooden panels in the convertible sofa bed was missing which made sleeping on it quite uncomfortable ; a shelf in the wardrobe was broken ; one of the nightstand lightbulbs in the bedroom was not working which was problematic as the room was already quite dark ; the kettle was so old that it was rusted inside which made it impossible to drink the boiled water ; the gas lighter was not working either ; the toaster was in poor condition.. most importantly, a mirror in the bedroom was not fixed properly to the wall and the nail on which it was put yielded, which resulted in the mirror almost falling on our head. This could have been very dangerous..
- thirdly, the apartment was not that clean when we arrived : there was sand on the bedroom floor and inside the toilet ! There was no broom in the apartment so we had to buy one which is quite a shame as a broom is the bare minimum one could expect to be provided with in an airbnb.
- fourthly, the air conditioning system caused problems : we were told that it was quite rare to have AC in a flat in Barceloneta and we were very greatful for it as it can get very warm in the summer. However, the AC only worked in the living room and not in the bedroom. On top of that, a pipe was attached to it, which emptied itself in a big bottle placed on the balcony, and we had to empty that bottle twice a day ! Very unpractical to say the least..
- the last problem we encountered is not a problem with the flat itself but with the street in which the building is located : a big garbage dumpster and the back kitchen of a restaurant are also situated in this street. As a result, we received fried food odours mixed with whiffs of garbage, which was very unpleasant and prevented us from opening the window.
All this was a real pity as the apartment does have potential : it is cozy despite being very small - a bit too small for three - and the bathroom is quite nice for instance. But we must say that in its actual condition, we would not recommend it and we feel that the price we paid for our stay was too high. Kind regards !