Our time at Ivan's apartment was lovely - although on a main road it was very quiet and a tranquil escape from the city. Gracia is an amazing area to be in! We were there during the Festa Mejor which meant that the streets around us were bustling and lively day and night, which was so much fun and great for being among locals rather than just tourists. The area has a great neighbourhood feel but is very well connected. Ivan was very helpful and gave lots of tips, and the apartment is well equipped - the kitchen in particular made it easy for us to cook proper meals, which was so nice for saving money and experimenting with delicious local ingredients. There's a really nice, very affordable bakery 3 minutes away too. The shower is tiny but still usable. The apartment is on the top floor (very high up) so there's a rickety little lift which at the moment only permits one person at a time. The terrace was hands down our favourite part of Ivan's place - small but big enough for meals with a great view all the way out over the city to the sea.
We would really recommend climbing up to the Bunkers del Carmel (a short bus ride from Lessops), which had amazing panoramic views and was so nice for drinks at sunset, a nice mix of locals and foreigners. We did a day trip up to Monserrat and climbed Sant Jeroni which was breathtaking. El Colectivo is a little cafe in the Gothic area which we really loved. Overall Barcelona is a great city which we really loved and will definitely come back to, and Ivan's apartment was great for our needs - perhaps a tad expensive, but still would highly recommend!