The apartment was clean, had everything we needed and with enough room for 4 people.
We didn't get to meet Alex, but his friend who let us in the apartment was nice, and waited for us in the apartment when our flight got delayed.
The area itself is quiet, and very close to public transportation, but there isn't much to do in this area, and very few food options (restaurants), that don't require booking weeks in advance, so we found ourselves, always having to use the metro to placa catalunya, for meals.
In any case, I recommend this apartment, and would check to see if it's availavle myself, the next time I'm in Barcelona.