Gisele was unfailingly helpful. Before we visited she answered all our questions promptly and usefully. When we arrived she proved a good guide to the whereabouts of everything we were interested in seeing in Barcelona.
The flat itself is exactly as described: well-appointed, clean, spacious and beautifully light. The double-aspected living room is especially tranquil and relaxing to be in. It is within 5 minutes of the metro and all of central Barcelona is walkable - within three quarters of an hour stroll of the apartment's front door. As our twelve year old daughter observed, you don't notice you're walking because everyone else is!
The Gracia neighbourhood is as welcoming as Gisele. Puigmarti (the street on which the apartment is located) has a lovely bakery and there is a fruit market opposite and many other food shops are near by. So it is easy to take advantage of the apartment's well-equipped kitchen. It was always a pleasure to step out onto either of the apartment's two balconies and watch the world wander by.
We stayed during the Festa Major de Gracia and loved it. The Festa takes place during the third week of August every year and it is very noisy, vibrant and exciting (so don't stay during the Festa if you like an early night). Many streets are decorated, including Puigmarti, and compete against one another for various prizes. There is much music on many stages dotted about the neighbourhood and people of all ages dance, drink and mingle on the streets into the early hours.