The location of this place is great, close to the metro station, grocery stores and city centre. The apartment itself is clean, mattresses are very comfortable and the bedlinens are pleasant to the skin. The apartment has everything you need in it for your stay. HOWEVER...
This apartment was advertised as a quiet one and all we wanted is to come home late in the evening after exploring Barcelona for the whole day, take a shower and go to sleep. Well, it never happened...
Apparently our stay (September 8 to September 12) fell on the National Day of Catalonia and we were never notified by the host that there will be a non-stop concert and party all weekend literally by our windows! We came all the way from Canada on September 8th and Barcelona was our first destination to explore. September 8th was Thursday and there was already a stage set-up about 20-30 meters from our apartment in a small square that is literally located by the windows of this apartment. The party was already happening. Although we were super tired after our flight and jet lagged, we understood that it was not 9pm yet and were OK with the music. On Thursday they stopped the concert at 9pm, however people were still partying at the square until 10:30pm+-, which was also OK.
BUT... Friday and Saturday night and Sunday morning was an absolute HELL being in this apartment, considering that we were out all day exploring Barcelona from about 10 am and coming home close to 10pm...
On Friday the concert was playing until 2 am and by the time people left the square it was about 2:30 am.
Moreover, we received a noise alert text message from the security company at 23:44 stating that the neigbours has altered them of the excessive noise that was coming from our apartment! REALLY???!!! And that's where our patience came to an end.. My husband and I started recording audios and videos as proof that there was a ROCK concert happening by our windows and that's where the noise was coming from even with closed windows! I texted and called the host immediately, but he never picked up the phone and did not respond until next morning. So we were not able to sleep until 2:30 am! It was an awful night, considering that we were still jet lagged.
Saturday night was even worse, the concert was until 2:30 am and people were at the square until 3:00 am. Another sleepless night!...
Sunday morning at 8:40 am, there was a parade by our windows with the drum music and fireworks at 8:40 am!!! Again, it was a terrible night and aweful morning because we were not able to sleep properly and as a result, some of our morning plans got ruined because we couldn't function after 2 sleepless nights in a row...
We have complained to the Airbnb and the host. The host apologized and said that the City Mayor approved this concert due to the National Holiday and the City never notified the host of this event and there is nothing he can do about it. Really? Isn't that supposed to be the host's job to be aware of this type of events knowing that there is a National Day of Catalonia? We would have never rented this apartment as one of our main criteria was to have an apartment in a quiet neigbourhood.
Anyway, this was a TERRIBLE and disappointing experience that totally ruined our stay in Barcelona. On top of all this, we have discover that the DRYER was NOT WORKING when we were doing our laundry the evening before our departure. Another disappointment as it was one of the main criteria for us to have a working washer and dryer in the apartment. We notified the host of this to ensure that it is going to be fixed for the next guests. We'll, hopefully it will.
To sum it up, if you are a party animal and don't go to bed until 3am, this place will be ideal for you!
However, if you are a regular tourist who came to Barcelona to vsiti sites and need a quiet place where you can take a shower in the evening and have a peaceful sleep, I would not recommend this place!
Airbnb and host were not able to do anything about it as it was all happening outside of the apartment. Again, at least the host should have done his job finding out from the City about upcoming parties/concerts in this neighborhood and notify us beforehand. We would have looked for another place then.
So the reason why I gave 3 starts out of 5 is due to the above listed factors. Hopefully this review is going to be helpful for other guests.
It was my very first negative experience on Airbnb. Our recent stay in Madrid was a blessing in comparison to the stay in this apartment... Thank you for reading till the end if you did.