I gave this place 4 stars, but would have given 3.5 if there was an option. My stay at Teo’s apartment in Gracia was good. It’s what I paid for- great location, clean space, 2 bedrooms, balcony. Teo sends you a welcome email when you book of places to see, and again when you check in, which is a nice touch. We were VERY grateful for the air conditioning and extra amenities- iron, wine opener, coffee maker, washer and dryer (dryer was a little low power, and can only dry a few things at a time, but not a full load).
The WiFi was not a secure network, and not particularly strong, so don’t expect to work or check your bank balance while you’re here. Additionally, this apartment is on the top floor and is a walk-up of several stories high, and I felt it should have been advertised that way. If there was an elevator, we were not made aware of it. If you stay in the front room, you’ll hear people outside when you go to sleep, so bring ear plugs. While Kumar was great, and Teo okay, we had some communication issues with Patricia, which added a layer of frustration that you don’t want or need while you’re on vacation. She was generally slow to respond (over 24 hours, and sometimes after 48 hours, and only after follow ups. I only asked two questions- flexible check in and flexible check out. She didn’t answer my questions directly, so I often referred back to Teo to answer my questions. When she did respond, her answers were short and incomplete and full of smiley faces. As a host, I couldn’t care less about whether you send smiley faces and give me excuses; I just want you to answer my questions completely and within 48 hours.
Biggest positive: location was perfect. Far enough away from tourist spots, but still within walking distance. Great neighborhood with plenty of restaurants and bars. And still in the heart of Barcelona. We couldn’t have picked a better location.
Biggest negative: Patricia (our welcome host? I’m not really sure what her role was, since she didn’t ever communicate). Communication is big for me, but may not be important for everyone, so if it’s less important to you then this place is awesome. It was big enough issue for me that I’d give this place a good review, but wouldn’t stay here again.