Alex certainly made us feel welcome and spent an hour with us when we first arrived giving detailed information about restaurants, markets, sights, mass transit, and general enthusiastic advice about Barcelona -- and all his recommended spots were great places! Thanks to him we found our way around and had lots of fun in the charming neighborhood of Gracia as well as in greater Barcelona. The apartment has the most complete set of maps and guidebooks of all of our travels.
Kitchen has a great gas stove for cooking and the refrigerator was well stocked with necessities when we arrived. Hot water was occasionally in short supply for the shower (but there were four of us).