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Review 3832: Negre BCN Apartments, Valencia Street Classic Apartment

www.negre.us

Recommended. Review by Helga from OH

2bed/1bath apartment in Eixample neighborhood, Barcelona

When

9/25-9/29/08, 4 nights

Location

The apartment is located in the Eixample neighborhood of Barcelona on Carrer de Valencia about five blocks from Passeig de Gracias. It was a nice safe neighborhood. We always laugh because we were never sure what floor it was on. We hit almost every button each time. :) It felt like the fourth but we think it was the second. Too funny.

Nearby Amenities

There was a very nice large market nearby. We bought pretty flowers there for the apartment. Plenty of other shops were nearby for any household needs. There were cafes steps from the doorway.

The House/Apartment

The building was in nice shape. There were four apartments on each floor. Two faced the street and the other two faced the inner courtyard. I was at first disappointed that we could not reserve the street view apartment, but once we arrived, I was more than happy with the courtyard view. It was shared by an entire block so you got to see the secret life of all the residents. I loved the cute private patios and balconies of the neighbors. Some were plant filled and spectacular, others merely a place to hang the laundry. We had a glass enclosed dining area in place of the balcony but it afford a great view of the courtyard.

You can view the property directly: Valencia Street Classic Apartment.

Garden

There was a wonderful shared rooftop terrace with nice tables and chairs and a view. You could see the Sagrada Familia from there. We only used the terrace unfortunately to check and see if the Sagrada Familia was still lit at night so we could go over and take night time photos. We were so busy in Barcelona that we did not take good advantage of the nice spot.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The furnishings and bedding were a little shabby. The apartment was very clean. Probably the best feature was the spectacular original mosaic flooring in all the rooms. There was no need for carpeting. The art was on the floors. The living room was not that comfortable for hanging out. We were off busy all day anyway.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

We neglected to ask the bed configuration when we booked so it is not their fault we were disappointed. The web site says it sleeps four in beds. We saw a picture of a small full sized bed on the website and assumed the other room had two twins. It ended up being a tiny room with a trundle bed under it and really no room to pull it out unless the nightstand was removed. I wished that had been clear. We would have picked a different one of their apartments. The one bathroom was small and fine.

Kitchen

The kitchen was great and even had a washer/dryer combo. There was a dishwasher, large fridge and plenty of supplies. No need to bring laundry detergent. There appeared to be plenty of plates, glasses, pots and pans. You could cook a nice meal easily.

Problems or Bonuses

No bad surprises except the early morning construction next door. The apartment was as expected however they do use a wide angle lens for most of the room pictures. They are not that large. We sort of figured that.

A nice bonus was having a safe.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

The price was good, for high season €118 per night for three people. It was much less than a hotel for three, with the added bonus of extra space.

They spoke English well which is hard to come by in most of Spain.

Everyone in the guest book in the apartment raved about Marcela and thanked her for everything. We got a key from the copy shop clerk and that was pretty much it. Apparently Marcela was off on holiday, so we did not benefit from her tips or gift of wine. We sort of made a joke about that, but the apartment owners are also the owners of the copy shop downstairs so they more than accommodated us by letting us leave our luggage until check in time (4pm) and also after check out time. They made sure someone was there for us on our last day even though the shop was closed for the normal siesta hours.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

I would stay here again. I would pick a different apartment if I wanted three beds. They are all different. They own several apartments in our building and more in another building nearby.

Things to do in this area

All of the Gaudi and modernist buildings are nearby. Sagrada Familia was very close. There were too many restaurants to count on nearby Passeig de Gracias and the side streets. It was not a bad walk to Plaza Catalunya and the top of the Ramblas. It took maybe 15 minutes to Plaza Catalunya.

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

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