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Review 3681: Barcelona Next Door, Electra II-Born

www.barcelonanextdoor.net

Recommended. Review by joelle from US

1bed/1bath apartment in Born district, Barcelona

When

March 18-25, 1 week

Location

Awesome location on a quiet street in the Born district. Street was closed to non-resident traffic, so motor traffic was limited. The street was slightly out of the way, so there weren't tons of pedestrians, either, which was nice. The negative was the walkup - it was on the fourth floor (American). This was quite a hike with our suitcases.

Nearby Amenities

Cafes and groceries on the street, just a few yards away. Metro was a five minute walk and very convenient.

The House/Apartment

The building was definitely an old, tenement style - I'd guess late 1800s - and not new or renovated inside. We didn't mind it. As mentioned, it was a fourth floor walkup, so unsuitable for the elderly or infirm.

You can view the property directly: Electra II-Born.

Garden

There was a cute little balcony, but tiny, too small to sit on.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The apartment itself was small, but very nice, clean, and recently renovated. Furnishings were minimal, but there was a table and three chairs to seat all of us. All furnishings were new, Ikea-type furnishings.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

Beds were comfortable, but the pictures are accurate - the second bedroom is actually more of an alcove off the living room than a true bedroom, and there is no separation. We were fine with this arrangement, and found the apartment to be quite comfortable. They list the apartment as a two-bedroom, which isn't exactly accurate, as whoever is sleeping in that alcove won't have any privacy.

The "master" bedroom was lovely.

The bathroom was tiny, but functional with plenty of hot water and good water pressure.

Kitchen

The kitchen has beautiful new appliances, but pretty minimally equipped. There were cups and mugs, but no glasses. There was no roasting pan or any type of cookware to use in the oven. So, we did have to buy some things to be able to properly cook a meal there, including a some disposable aluminum roasting pan, a sharp chef's knife and a few glasses (drinking wine out of mugs feels weird!). While this was annoying, it cost less than €20 to buy all this stuff, and hopefully the owner will leave those in the apartment for the next tenant!

Problems or Bonuses

The WiFi did not work when we first arrived, which was very frustrating since I was depending on it. However the owner was able to fix it during the week and was apologetic.

There is a washing machine in the apartment - but when I used it, the spin cycle made the machine jump around like crazy. This was funny, but wouldn't have been so funny if I needed to use it for more than one load.

Also, my American hairdryer blew a fuse, and we were without electricity for a few hours, which was very frustrating. I did not want to buy a hairdryer, so I just air-dried.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

The agency was really nice to deal with, and very patient. They spoke enough English.

They offered us an excellent price on the unit, so I did not resent the extra €20 we had to spend to buy kitchen stuff. We paid €810 for the week we were there, for three people, during Semana Santa (holy week before Easter). This was an excellent price.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

I would definitely stay here again. The price and location were excellent. The apartment was private and very comfortable. Next time, I would request that a hairdryer be put into the apartment so I don't have to worry about blowing a fuse.

Things to do in this area

La Tarta - an excellent pastry shop with a wonderful Uruguayan pastry chef across the street.

Pony Cafe - awesome bar down the block!

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.

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