We had an enjoyable stay at Claudia's place.
The apartment itself is a wonderful, newly renovated space with lots of light. There's plenty of room for a couple but also ample space for more people of you need. It really felt like our own place in the centre of Barcelona.
It was also really well located and within walking distance of all the major attractions, as well as being close to vibrant bars and amazing restaurants. Try Cucine Mandarossa, El Bixto and Casa Lolea for local haunts but you're also walking distance from many great places in El Raval such as Palosanto for amazing tapas.
Claudia was a great communicator and happy to help out where she could.
We would happily stay again and recommend to others but there are a few things you should be aware of before booking a stay.
The apartment is on a very busy street and the early morning traffic could be a problem, even with the terrace doors closed. The apartment was really warm, even in mid October and we needed the doors open, so in the summer, this could be an issue.
There's also a club that kicks out at 5am right opposite and it was pretty noisy. Again, you can shut the doors but the sound still travels through due to the tall buildings.
Neither of the above disturbed us to the point of annoyance.
The main bed wasn't great but it was comfortable enough.
The wifi was appalling. Again, it wasn't an issue for us as we had data from our phones but don't stay here if you need a reliable connection to the Internet.
Bear in mind that there's only one key so you'll need to remember to leave it in the locker if you've more people staying. It wasn't an issue for us as a couple.
If you've a late flight out of town, you'll also have to bear in mind that you'll likely not be able to store your bags there if there are guests coming in straight after. There are lockers in Catalunya station which is a five minute walk away.
There's fresh coffee and lots of cooking implements but there aren't any basic cooking ingredients like butter and oil etc. There are two good supermarkets right opposite and there are bakeries below so plenty of options if you want to cook or not.
Everything else was superb and even with those minor issues, we had a great time and would be delighted to stay again.
Thanks Claudia!!