Gian and Alba’s place is lovely - the interior of the apartment is perfect - very comfortable, bed is good and the shower has good water pressure. The washing machine is obviously a bonus when on long extended trips. It has everything you need for your stay.
Outside the apartment is a different matter, the street is dirty and there is graffiti everywhere. The entrance to the building is shabby and the stairwell narrow. (No lift - apartment on level 2). There were renovations happening while we stayed - although there was no noise from this. But I think it needs more than a coat of paint to improve it. Such a shame as the apartment is excellent.
There are a couple of great tapas bars just down the road and the metro is a 5 minutes walk away. There is a good supermarket - again about a 5 minutes walk. The walk to Las Ramblas and Plaza Catalunya is more like 20 minutes than 10.
Gian was an excellent host - very helpful and communications with him was great.