all in all - a good value for a quick overnight stay in barcelona prior to heading to the airport in the morning. probably wouldn't stay here again if given the opportunity though.
the pros:
- cheaper pricing than most shared spaces in BCN
- less than a 10 min walk from a well connected metro station
- the space was clean and well-furnished
the cons:
- the location isn't too far out of the way in the city. but what the listing doesn't tell you is that to reach the apartment, you have to trek up a pretty steep hill. then up five flights of stairs to the next level of the street. then four flights of stairs to her apartment in a building without an elevator. if you don't have a lot of luggage, that's totally doable. but having to carry your suitcases that far was more exhausting than the price is worth and i would've much rather paid an extra $10 to save myself that much trouble.
- eva doesn't want her guests buzzing the apartment to be let into the building. she suggested either calling or messaging but as i was traveling from the States without an international phone plan, getting in touch with her was a huge hassle. she suggested a bar at the corner that had free wifi but that means you have to go buy something literally just to get into the airbnb you've already paid for. thankfully, there's the BCN free wifi that's spottily accessible in the area that we were able to use. when she came down to get us, eva beckoned us from behind the door without saying a word. definitely a creepy greeting after having such a hard time contacting her in the first place.
- eva and her husband were perfectly nice if not exactly warm so it made interactions in the apartment quite awkward