Nadia and her husband, Taras, kept in good contact ahead of time and gave us helpful guidance on reaching their fourth floor apartment from Barcelona Airport. Taras met us, showed us through the residence and then helped out with a map and advice on basics (shops, transport etc.) and tourist sights. He even came back to help us with a glitch on the wi-fi.
The apartment is in a block located on a leafy residential street with several popular restaurants and bars (including a really good one on the ground floor of the building). Markets, shops and transport are all within easy reach, and it is an easy walk to popular destinations like the Ramblas.
Accessed via a tiny-but-prompt lift, the apartment was well-equipped with everything you need for a short stay, including beach towels and umbrella. The air-conditioning and bedroom fan worked well in the warm weather during our stay.
The hosts even left free access to a full bar. Tea and coffee lovers might want to consider buying water to boil, because Barcelona's treated water does kettles and tastes no favours!