Hello, darkness, my old friend. Lyrics of the song which have been on my mind the first seconds I have seen my temporary Spanish home.
"Nalijme si cisteho vina" is the way in my native Czech language, how to begin the really true - but mostly hard to admit - a sentence about describing something that is not easy to say but is necessary to be shared.
So, nalijme si cisteho vina, the flat is basically for students, contains 2 small rooms, 2 ultra small rooms, 1 kitchen, and 1 bathroom which I would optimistically call the bathroom for the very small people. :-)
Altogether, one bathroom with such shower and toilet for 7 people (6 visitors plus the host). The shower was really the mission impossible for me as I am 2 meters tall and I was not able to take a regular shower because of the lack of the protection for the water splashing all around so yeah, I tried my best to wipe out the water from the floor every single time.
I have read in other reviews of the flat that the bathroom would "need some love". Well, let me say that it would need not only "some" love but an earth-shaking adventure full of catalian love. Every single time there were hairs and I really don't want to know what else it was in the sink etc. I do believe that this is not the fault of my host but that's always the risk of such Airbnb in which you share the bathroom with so many people.
I was in contact with Juan but in charge of the flat is Esteban, who was always ready to solve the problems as he lives in the flat with you. On the first day, our toilet stopped to work properly (the flat is in the gothic center and a lot of buildings here have old canalization system) but Esteban figured out how to "fix it" so good for him (and for all of us) but let's say that we were rather using the toilets in cafés after that.
Esteban was friendly and easy to communicate with. The location and the price of the flat are the best what I have to mention. You are right in the center near La Rambla. You have to understand that this fact also means that the neighborhood is noisy, especially on the weekends. And you will hear a lot of that in your room.
On our last Saturday night, Esteban chatted with some friends from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., laughing and so on. Well, say goodbye to your sleep. :-)
Did I enjoy the flat? Not much. Did I enjoy the location? Definitely. Did I sleep correctly? Nah. Was I afraid every day about the shower experience? Hell yeah. Did I enjoy Barcelona in the end? Yes.
Well, consider mentioned facts whether is not better to pay a little more (or just more) and to be more relaxed on your trip. The Juan's flat is perfect for the young solo traveler or for someone which standards basically are not high. I would not recommend staying here for the couples or for the older people as you have to share the bathroom with everyone and sometimes it could be really hard to swallow. Plus the flat is on the 4th floor so beware of that.