Rosa's apartment makes an excellent base for a few days stay in Barcelona. It's got a great central location, just two minutes off Las Ramblas and thirty seconds from Placa Reial. If you're happy to walk for up to half an hour (easy through the beautiful streets of the old town) then you can see everything from Casa Batllo to the beach without usng the metro.

The real star of this apartment is the terrace on the roof. It's private so you have it completely to yourself, and has stunning views across the rooftops to the spires of the churches and hills beyond - it really was as good as the pictures suggest.

Rosa was also a great host, responding quickly to messages, meeting us promptly and providing lots of helpful information about the surrounding area.

Two notes of caution though - firstly, as it's at the top of an old building the apartment is up about six flights of stairs and there's no lift. The stairs are not steep or difficult but there are a lot of them! Completely worth it for the views from the terrace, but it won't suit everyone. Secondly, it can get a bit noisy, as from about 7.30am the bells of all the churches around start ringing every few minutes, and at night you can hear the hubbub of the crowds in the Placa Reial (far) below. Much quieter with the windows closed though, and it does have aircon!

Overall, a great little apartment.