Let me start with stating that the rental in Bailen 18 was perfect. My wife and I previously lived in Barcelona for 1 and 1/2 years in the same neighborhood so we know BCN well and the neighborhood even better. The Bailen rental was sooooo much better than our previous living experience for many reasons. If you are thinking a month or a year in BCN the Bailen set-up is perfect. I'll provide the details below.
Let's start with communication and check in: Numerous e-mails with the host before leaving the US so there were no worries beforehand. They are super detail oriented. Although I speak Spanish, it was not needed at all. They communicate in perfect English. Upon landing in BCN we texted the host and they met us at the apt door. We checked in, signed the lease agreement, and all was complete within 10 minutes. They gave us an emergency phone # that I put into my phone. I did come in handy when we locked ourselves out!
Location: Bailen is one of the quietest streets in BCN. Nearby are numerous grocery stores (Bon Preu my fav) and on C Girona there is the equivalent of a whole foods at a fraction of the cost. There are two wine shops/Delis near by (VIC) and another on C Asusias Marc. Restaurants everywhere, with an especially good Italian restaurant just under the Apartments. 5 minutes walking and you are in The Born (old town), 45 minutes walk thru old town and you are at the beach, 10 minutes walk to numerous metro/short distance train stations (think a slow train ride up Costa Brava with many many potential beach stops....Sant Pol de Mar is my fav). 10 min walk to Passig de Gracia (the Rodeo Drive of Spain) or Rambla Catalunya. Or a nice stroll down the center of tree lined Gran Via.
The Apartment: Super clean, all amenities as shown in the pics. Cleaning comes in once a week to spiff the place up, change sheets, and provide new towels. 4th floor street side apt was very quiet and had a great view. Enuf room to put a chair on the balcony and soak it all in. We extended our trip and took an apartment on the backside (courtyard) where the views are not great BUT it is dead silent and night. The only drawback is that there is a school playground in the courtyard and if you want quiet during the day, forget about that. I enjoy cooking and the kitchen was perfect. I did want a sharper knife and bought one at Casa Gay which is without question the best restaurant supply store in BCN (it is only 3 blocks from Bailen). Most of the restaurants get their supplies there soooo check it out.
If you are thinking about a long stay in BCN FISA Rentals via AirBNB is the way to go. I have a different perspective than most because I lived in BCN 2 years ago and had to set up and run an apartment that I leased on my own. Internet was pain in the butt to get set up. TV the same. Had to pay utilities, and unless you have a Spanish NIE residency number and bank this will be hard. Something breaks like the water heater going out (no heat in the apartment), a pipe breaks and floods a wall, electricity fails....all this happened and I had to try to get it fixed on my own and track down the landlord. This time around, FISA RENTALS the host took care of everything for the Bailen rental. The apartment was ready to go with WiFi, Smart TV (Netflix, Amazon, etc pre-loaded and working!), heat, AC (which worked amazingly perfect), washer/dryer, kitchen equipment, etc.. We are already planning a return trip to the Bailen rental!