I recommend this apartment, which is both very functional and very pleasant. The living room is bathed in sunlight all morning in winter and in summer you can use the retractable awning to make some shade. While being nothing special, the view over the back on other buildings is fairly open, and this pleasant too. No part of the apartment faces the street, so it is completely silent with the windows closed (although it is possible to hear neighbours occasionally), and still quiet by Barcelone standards with the windows open. The kitchen is particularly well equipped, as is the separate laundry area where you can wash your clothes and dry them on the clothes lines which are laid there.

Arantxa and Ramon, who will greet you warmly, are very helpful and always react quickly, so don't hesitate to contact them at once if there is anything that's not working or bothering you: they'll fix it as quickly as they can.

While of course famous with tourists for Park Güell, the area is very nice in its own right: it is upmarket and feels extremely safe. There is a choice of supermarkets, all sorts of shops, restaurants, bars and other amenities very close to the apartment. A short walk away you've got the very popular area of Gracià, which is like the Barrio Gótico or El Born without the tourists. Directly south of the apartment instead is the elegant area of Sant Gervasi, with some very pretty streets that also feel somewhat similar to Gracià.

Transport links from the apartment are great: the metro will take you to the centre of Barcelona in no time at all (L3 from Lesseps, but there's also L7 from Pàdua station, which is less busy). However Plaça de Lesseps is also a bus hub, so you also have a choice of direct bus lines for various destinations, as an alternative to changing metro lines.

Just north of the apartment lies the Jardines del Turó del Putget, a small but spectacular park which offers panoramic views of Barcelona and the sea, and just on the other side of that park you'll find two gyms both with swimming pool, sauna and hammam. Normally you can't go there for just one session, but you'll find some websites where you can buy individual coupons to do just that quite cheaply!